Securing a garage door is necessary for a lot of reasons. With the high number of incidents related to garage break-ins reported, It just makes sense to keep your garage doors secured. Aside from vehicles, garages are also used to store equipment and collectibles.
It’s no surprise why it’s a primary target for theft.
One good way to level up safety precautions is being able to secure your doors from the inside. For example, placing your keypad inside the garage rather than outside the door lessens the risk of unwanted visitors guessing your code as they observe you from afar.
If you’re always on the go, or you’re living alone, securing your door from the inside can be of great help. While it happens to most of us, those with tight schedules tend to forget to lock their doors more often.
Having that added layer of security on the inside can definitely make it easier to sleep at night.
Ways to Secure a Garage Door from the Inside
Think it’s expensive? Not quite. In fact, you don’t need to get fancy. The tips we’ve listed in this article only require simple items you can find in your kitchen drawers. Here are 4 budget-friendly ways to keep your doors secured and locked from the inside.
Zip-Tie Manual Release Latch
Garage door openers have an emergency release lever that homeowners can use to open their doors in case the power is out. By using a clothes hanger and pulling this emergency lever, thieves can manually open your door.
Putting a zip tie on the door’s manual release latch help prevent the opener from being opened.
Unplug the Garage Door Opener
If you have an older unit, it’s best to unplug the opener as a precaution. Old doors are easy to unlock using code grabbers – a tool used by intruders to grab the signal from your remote to the opener.
If you can squeeze it into your budget, an opener with a rolling code feature makes a good investment.
Most new garage door openers have this feature built into them. However, if you’ve just replaced your door and it comes with an older-model opener, you can simply replace the opener with this feature.
Rolling code makes it almost impossible to crack your door code. Once you’ve used a given code, it generates a new one which decreases the chances of other people guessing your lock code.
Lock the Vertical Track
Lock your vertical track by using a padlock. This prevents it from being opened manually. Most tracks have holes wherein you can use a simple padlock to lock. If there are no holes, make one with a hand drill.
Lock the Garage Door Slide
Side locks slide the latch into the vertical track and lock the door. You should find a removable square knockout where you can install the side lock using 4 bolts. Otherwise, use a drill.
Garage Door Maintenance is a Must
A door that is broken is a door that’s unsecured. Garage doors should be routinely inspected by professional services.
It may appear physically okay and functioning but there might be damage on the inside that’s not seen by the naked eye, especially on garage door openers. Natural factors like weather, dirt, and dust can affect your door’s performance.
Automatic garage door openers make it convenient to operate your doors. It’s a wise investment, especially for those living with seniors or people with disabilities. No need to step out of your vehicle and get soaking wet during a rainy day just to open your door.
Simply clicking the button on your remote opens your doors and you can then drive right into your garage.
Garage door openers can last a long time if taken care of properly. The average lifespan of an opener is 10 to 15 years. However, circumstances like typhoons and earthquakes that may damage your openers can’t be avoided.
And since we use these to operate our doors, we want them to be in good condition and function all the time.
Watch out for obvious signs.
If your older model is still working, there may be safety issues you’re unaware of. Common signs that your opener is about to break down may include: unusual vibrating or grinding sounds, garage door not closing all the way, and doors getting stuck.
These are just some of the smart ways you can protect your home from break-ins.
Keep your family safe with these worthy investments and hacks!
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Author Bio: Mik Vil writes for Garage Door Repair Calgary – a company that provides repair and installation services in Calgary and nearby areas.