As the temperatures cool down and the kids return to school, residents of Medford, Oregon are beginning to return to their everyday routines. In order to ensure the safety and security of your family this season, it’s important to make sure that your garage door is functioning properly. Check out the following tips to help you preserve the condition of your garage door this fall.

Be sure that your garage door opener is positioned at a minimum of five feet from the floor of the garage. At the same time, be sure that you can see the garage door opener when you use the controller.

Never allow children to fool around with the remote-control garage door opener. Take the time to explain to them that the remote is not a toy that can be played with. It may be a good idea to store the remote inside a safe area to ensure it is not accessible to small children.

Review your owner’s manual to learn how to utilize your garage door’s emergency release function, which can be an asset in the event of a severe emergency.

Inspect your garage door on a monthly basis. Pay close attention to cables, springs, and rollers for any indication of wear and tear. Never try to remove, adjust, or fix these parts or any materials that are connected to them. Instead, call a professional who has extensive experience handling these high-tension parts.

Avoid leaving your garage door half-open. When it is activated again, it may descend and come into direct contact with an object directly underneath it. In addition, leaving your garage door partially open is a risk to your home’s security.

When you close your garage door with your remote control, always watch to make sure that it closes completely before you continue driving or exit your vehicle.

If your garage door feels heavy or needs extra support to get it open, it is most likely out of balance. This issue will require an experienced garage door technician to do an adjustment. Refrain from attempting to repair this yourself and call a trained technician to resolve the problem.