TIPS FOR DO-IT-YOURSELFERS
Take precautions when installing garage door

ARE AUTOMATIC garage doors
safe? It’s not a difficult question
to answer. Properly installed
garage doors are safe — until
tampered with.

However, homeowners tend to
be do-it-yourselfers and prefer to
save costs and learn maintenance
on their own, which isn’t always a
bad idea.

But when you’re working with
the largest, heaviest piece of
ecuipment on your home — a
garage door —- there are some
precautions that should be taken.

Many accidents are caused by
people tampering with springs,
children playing with remote con-
trol devices, and the age of the
garage door; eventually, they do
need to be replaced.

Primarily, there are two rules to
garage door maintenance: Never
adjust or replace springs and, if
your garage needs repairs, don’t
put them off.

There are two types of springs
used on doors. Some models use
extension springs that stretch like
rubber bands to slow the closing of
the door, and then contract to help
life the weight of the door when it
is opened. Extension springs must

Pian for teen

be fitted with containment cables
to prevent flying parts.

Other doors use torsion springs
that wind up like the spring on a
window shade to handle the weight
of the door. Both types of springs
are dangerous to fool with.

Yet, accidents to adults involv-
ing springs are common. Torsion
springs pose the greatest danger to
do-it-yourself homeowners since
they require a special tool.

Homeowners who attempt to in-
crease tension on their torsion spr-
ings with makeshift devices such as
screwdrivers are in for trouble.

Another factor overlooked by
the homeowner is that adjusting
the spring bracket on the garage
frame can be hazardous because it,
too, is under tension.

Following the second rule, if the
garage door is damaged, don’t put
off repairs. And don't do the
repairs yourself; call a profes-
sional.

John Cullison, a product man-
ager for a leading manufacturer of
garage doors stresses, ‘‘Most acci-
dents ase attributable to amateur
installation and repair work. To-
day’s openers and doors are safe
when properly installed and servic-
ed.””

years when

decorating children’s rooms

WHEN IT comes to kids’ rooms,
decorating can be fun.

But while it’s easy to conjure up
images of sleepyheads tucked in
sturdy bunks or elegant ruffled
canopy beds, keep in mind that
usually the same room and fur-
nishings must last well beyond the
nursery years into the teen years.
So they must adapt easily to a
growing child’s needs.

Interior design experts say a
well-planned kid’s room should be
as inviting for daytime use as it is
for sleeping. Such a room can sat-
isfy a youngster’s desire for
privacy and provide a place for
entertaining friends, studying,
playing or listening to music.

Keep these activities in mind
when decorating and remodeling.
A bed with a throw cover and
pienty of pillows can double as
seating.

Dressers, chests, bookcases and
desks that can be lined up side by
side or stacked to free up floor
space are good choices. Shelves
that hold stuffed animals or dolls
can later be used for tapes and
trophies.

Some sources for furnishings in-
clude unpainted furniture stores
(the pieces can be repainted when
it’s time for a change) and summer
furniture departments, where you
may find the perfect rattan chair
or inexpensive table for playing
games or doing homework.

The right ceiling, too, makes all
the difference in kids’ rooms.
Since having fun can be noisy,
consider an acoustical tile ceiling

that assures peace and quiet for the
rest of the family while the young
ones listen to rock music or prac-
tise dunk shots.

Besides the sound-proofing ad-
vantages, tile ceilings are washable,
fire retardant (many of them) and
long-lasting.

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The horeowner can do a
number of things to keep a door in
good mechanical order, and detect
when repair is necessary.

First, be certain the door is pro-
perly balanced before installing an
automatic garage door opener. If
not properly installed, electronic,
structural and safety problems can
easily occur.

Balancing should be left to a
local professional door and opera-
tor dealer, not the homeowner. An
improperly kung door can be dan-
gerous to you, your family and
your car, and can become very ex-
pensive to repair.

Garage door experts recommend
that, after installing the door, you
check the sensitivity adjustment
with an object (other than a body
part). This can be done by measur-
ing the length of time the door
takes to reverse when it hits the
object.

The door should reverse within

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two seconds after contact. If that
is not the case, the door should be
checked for possible problems,
such as a worn track and broken
springs.

Cables and attachment points
should be checked regularly for
wear, and door bolts and screws
should be checked for tightness.

The track should not be bent or
loose where it's attached to the
garage, and all wheels should roll
freely. If they don’t, lubricate the
wheel bearings. Rollers, springs,
hardware pivot points and openers
should also be lubricated.

Also, don’t overlook painting
your door regularly to avoid
operational damage and structural
damage caused by exposure — but
do not paint the hardware. Hard-
ware is made to move, and paint
will interfere with its operation.

Adults should keep triggering
devices for automatic doors out of
reach of children — actuating but-

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tons in the garage should be in-
stalled where they are difficult, if
not impossible, for children to
teach.

Keep fingers away from the door
as it comes down; they can get
caught in between two closing
panels.

Many professional garage door
installers say that most doors never
get inspection and maintenance
after the day they are installed.
Doors do need to be inspected and
maintained, only carefully and
often with the aid of a profes-
sional.

If you follow these guidelines —
never tamper with door springs,
check all bolts and screws, make
certain the track is not bent, check
cables and attachment points for
wear, keep the door painted regu-
larly and lubricate moving parts —
your door’s lifetime will be longer
and safer.

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