Family

Safety of adults, children and pets: What modern garage doors can do

Safety and security, visual appeal, price and quality are key factors when buying a new garage door. And no wonder – after all, the door needs to last as long as possible, while at the same time fitting in perfectly with the look and feel of your home. In view of those demands, garage doors nowadays come in a wide range of colours and with wide-ranging functions, enabling every buyer to find just what they’re looking for. Issues of safety and security, especially, have become more prominent in recent years. This means on the one hand protecting vehicles, lawnmowers and all the other items kept in the garage against theft. But it also means, on the other hand, that a garage door has to be safe for all those operating it: For adults, getting the car out of the garage in the morning to go to work, or pottering around doing jobs such as storing plants in autumn to protect them from the winter cold. For children, playing and exploring in and around the garage. And for the family pets, who of course also want to get their nose in everywhere. Well there’s no need to worry: Our garage doors assure safety and comfort for all – adults, children, and beloved family pets.

Safety and comfort for adults: Convenient opening

Many will recall the old narrow garages built for houses back in the 1960s. They might have been easily big enough for the Minis, Citroen 2CVs and VW Beetles of those days, but today's cars have grown substantially, just like the demands people place on their garages. Their demands are of course entirely justified – a garage needs to offer the same levels of style and convenience as the rest of the home. Manually opening a heavy overhead door, for example, waiting for it to creak and clank laboriously into position, is no longer acceptable in today’s world. Modern-day high-quality garage doors are still heavy of course – it’s essential in order to withstand all weathers and protect against theft – but they are far easier to open and close thanks to their automatic operator systems. Want to be sure not to mess up your smart suit while opening the garage door in the morning? No problem. A press of a button is all it takes to lift it. Loaded down with shopping bags when you come home in the evening, without a hand free to push open a heavy door? No problem. Just press a button to open it. Or maybe you’re physically impaired, and simply don’t have the strength to open the garage manually? Again, all that’s needed is the press of a button. No ‘abracadabra’ or ‘open sesame’. So an automatic garage door operator is not just much more convenient; it also means less able family members can open and close the door easily.

Safety and comfort for children: No danger of getting trapped

Behind a big potted plant or underneath a workbench – the garage can be a fun spot for children to play games like hide-and-seek. Or they might use it for crafting, or hatching their secret ‘plans’. Often they’re playing right next to or below the garage door. So modern-day garage doors have to be very safe for children. Our Superior overhead sectional door offers a solution capable of keeping your children safe whatever adventures they get up to. The fully enclosed castors, tracks and tension springs and internal cabling are a unique feature, preventing children from trapping their hands while playing. And they’re beneficial for the adults too: The enclosed mechanism is less susceptible to dirt, and so more durable. The operator systems can be upgraded with photoelectric light barriers, and also incorporate automatic obstacle detection, meaning the door automatically shuts off if it encounters any resistance. So if there are children playing directly below, it will come to a stop. This feature also protects vehicles parked in the door’s path. The spring system in the Superior overhead sectional door is strong enough to easily carry the door’s load. So children and pets can play around in the garage to their hearts’ content without you having to worry.

Safety and comfort for wheelchair users: Barrier-free access

Broken bones, sports injuries and other mishaps are part of everyday life: Anyone can find themselves having to wear a cast, or even use a wheelchair, for a time. And many people are generally dependent on a wheelchair. Their safety is vital, too, of course. Normstahl overhead and side sectional doors, one-piece and roller doors can be made entirely barrier-free. This can be achieved by means of a recessed stainless steel floor track, for example. Side sectional doors are particularly suitable in such cases, as their partial opening function means they incorporate a wicket door which makes it easy to guide a wheelchair in and out.

Safety and comfort for pets: No danger of harm

Dogs and cats are an integral part of many families, as fun playmates and comforting companions. Children like interacting with young animals in particular. The garage can also often provide shelter for animals in bad weather. So garage doors must also assure the necessary safety for pets. Doors with concealed mechanisms are advantageous in this regard. This feature means that cats, who especially enjoy climbing up on shelving and observing the garage from above, are less likely to injure themselves. And dogs playing with children are also less likely to rub their fur on rough parts. Garage door variants with wicket doors are also advantageous if you have pets. If your cat has strayed into the garage without you noticing, for example, you can quickly let it out again without having to open the main garage door.

Many years of safety and security

Modern-day garage doors offer high levels of safety for adults and children, as well as for dogs, cats and other pets. Nevertheless, garage doors are subject to the same maxim as many other products: The better it is maintained, and the more carefully all its users look after it, the longer it will last. This also means, for example, that children should not hang from it when playing, or use it as a goal for their football games – balls or other heavy objects could damage the door. If you treat it with care, however, your Normstahl garage door will provide reliable and safe service for many years. Need more help finding the right garage door? Consult our Online Guide, or find a Normstahl dealer near you!