How do Garage Safety Beams Work?

Since the garage door was created, the best invention associated with it is the safety beam. This even outweighs the convenience of the garage door opener for the fact that children and even your car is protected from the garage door if either one are in the way of the door. If you have kids or a garage door with a mind of its own, garage door safety beams are a great investment.

What they are

Garage door safety beams are not actual beams. The first think you think of when you hear the term is, Safety beams on the ceiling? Yes, there are beams on the ceiling that serve as tracks for the door, but they are far from safety beams.

Safety beams are actually an invisible electronic beam that stretches across the door at its installation point. You cannot see and you cannot feel the beam, but it is definitely there and it could save your car from sustaining a lot of damage or possibly save the life of another person.

You would be amazed how many garage door accidents there have been throughout the years. It is not something that you hear a lot about, but these accidents do happen. If you ask an auto body shop how many times they have repaired cars with garage door damage, the figure might surprise you.

How they work

The way garage door safety beams work is quite interesting. That invisible beam that was mentioned above senses if there is something in the way. For instance, your child may be playing and you need to put the garage door down. When the door is going down or up, it is not going to stop. It is going to do what it is supposed to do. With garage door safety beams in place, the moment your child steps in front of the beam, the door will stop.

This is why most garage doors are outfitted with garage door safety beams. There was a time in which children and even adults were becoming trapped beneath these doors and they are very heavy. Throw a motor in the mix that is trying to close the door and there is a lot of force at play here.

Even if you are backing out of the garage and the door is going down for some reason, your car can be detected by the beam and the door will stop. This will keep the door from damaging your car. You would be amazed how much damage a garage door can do to your car. It can be rather extensive.

But one tip to keep in mind is to ensure that the safety beam is far enough off of the ground because the back of your car protrudes out further than the wheels. If the beam is too low to the floor, the door will not stop until it senses your wheels. You definitely need it to kick in sooner than that or you may end up with a dented trunk.