A good home inspector is going to invest time inspecting your garage and the garage door opener’s twin sure they are safe and are in proper working order. We find, when doing home inspections in Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa and Clifton Park that most homes have two-car garages or even three-car garages. That means there are more moving parts when it comes to your garage door opener working safely.
There are a number of issues we find that are very common with garage door openers.
The photoelectric eyes are installed higher than they should be. Proper code states that these should be installed within 6 inches of the ground surface. If they were to be installed any higher, it increases the likelihood is of a rodent, small animal or even a young child to get underneath the sensor path. Also, if the sensors are too high, you will find that it is nearly impossible to hit your garage door opener at the wall and then run out and jump over the invisible team to get the door to close. We all do this, I know!
If you own an older home with a garage door opener that is more than 25 years old, you likely will not have photoelectric sensors installed. You should have a garage door opener that will auto reverse if it’s something that’s path as it comes down. The test you can do to ensure it works properly is to put a flat 2 x 4 on the ground. If the garage door opener performs a successful auto reverse function, it passes the test. If not, you need to have it adjusted professionally or do it yourself.
Another mistake we typically see is a homeowner plugging the garage door opener into an extension cord. Garage door opener manufactures actually prohibit the use of extension cords because they are temporary electrical connections. The suggestion is to ensure a permanent ceiling outlet is installed to connect your garage door opener to.
There are many other problems we see when out doing home inspections in the Albany area. If you were considering buying or selling a home and looking for a professional home inspector, please call Bald Eagle Inspection Services today!