Disclaimer -- The follow is intended only for your information. Garage Master, Inc. accepts no liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. Garage Master, Inc. recommends that experienced professional service be retained to perform all necessary maintenance on your garage door.

For most households in the U.S., the garage door is probably the biggest moving object in the house. It is heavy and has moving parts that packs enough energy, while moving, to cause serious personal injuries or property damage if safety and maintenance measures are not observed. Here are a few points to remember:

A garage door is large and heavy and you may have to work on top of a ladder. It is advisable to have at least one more person to work with you.

A wound spring can store a lot of energy which can do some serious damage to a person. So work with side-mounted or torsion springs with caution. Safety equipment such as safety glasses, face shield, gloves and hard hat, as well as proper tools for the job are strongly recommended.

Be careful of damaged power cords or open electrical contacts. Replace a mildly damaged cord as soon as possible. If the cord is seriously damaged, remove power immediately and replace the cord.

For some garage doors that have multiple sections, use the handles to open and close the door to avoid the fingers being pinched by the sections.

Be very careful when working on top of a ladder. You might have to exert yourself and therefore should be careful of maintaining a sure footing.

If a spring is broken near one of the ends, it is very tempting to just simply use one loop of the spring to replace the broken end. Although this is a quick fix, it nevertheless creates an imbalance on the door and thus creates uneven wear and tear to the entire system. The "improvisation" will eventually break again because it is carrying more tension and is inappropriately fastened to the support. You should replace the originally broken spring as soon as possible with a new one to prevent another incident of "spring break" and the possibility of real damage.

Make sure that the safety cables are properly installed and with a slight slack to keep from pulling the door. The safety cables are there to prevent the spring from flying around and cause damages.

For most residential garage doors, we recommend that a safety and proper functioning inspection be conducted at least once a year with proper adjustment of all moving parts and safety features.