- Learn about standard garage door safety features
- Explore how other features can impact security
- Discover upgraded security features
A garage door opening is typically anything but subtle. Between the sound and size of a garage door, it's something passing neighbors are bound to notice. That can also mean unwelcome eyes getting a peek into your home, even if for a few seconds. For burglars that might be all the time they need to set their sights on your house.
But there are ways you can upgrade your garage door security to improve the overall safety of your home. It starts with understanding the standard security features of your door and how those features may or may not meet your needs. But there are also additional steps you can take to make those features go a bit farther or upgrades your home security will benefit from.
Standard Garage Door Security
New and recently installed garage doors typically operate with an automatic door opener. With these systems, only the right signal from a remote opener or the wall opener can engage the garage door. Unless the door is manually disconnected from the opener, no one can walk up to the garage door and open. However, there are some additional practical features for securing garage doors.
- T-Handle lock: Most garage doors feature a t-handle lock located towards the center and bottom of the door. If you wanted to know how to lock your garage door, this is probably the answer. Engaging this lock will prevent the door from opening, even with the automatic opener engaged.
- Slide bolt locks: Some garage doors will also have slide bolt locks. The bolt slides into the tracks of the garage door. So if someone manages to break past the T-handle lock, the bolt will still prevent burglars from opening the garage door.
Security Beyond Locking a Garage Door
While the standard locks may provide adequate protection against most threats, there are still some additional precautions worth taking. If you live in an area where there've been frequent break-ins or you store high-value items in your garage, it's worth the effort to secure your garage.
Lighting is Everything
One way to prevent burglars from even taking a risk with your house is to ensure that your home's exterior is well lit. If burglars believe they will be easily spotted from within the house or across the street, they're less likely to even target your house. A floodlight placed directly above the garage door is a great start.
Secure the Manual Opener
Armed with a ladder and hook, burglars can press down on the top of a closed garage door and angle for the manual opener cord hanging down from the top of the door. By pulling the cord down and disconnecting the door from the automatic opener, they'll be able to manually open the door from the outside. Prevent this by securing the manual opener to the trolley carriage with cord or zip ties.
Lock Access Doors
If you have an attached garage, there are probably two other doors in addition to the main garage door. The exterior access door connects your garage to the outside world while the interior access door connects the garage to the rest of your house. Ensuring that these doors are locked with deadbolts provides an additional level of security for your garage and home.
Hide Your Remote Opener
Your remote opener is essentially another key to your house. Treating it this way can keep it from falling into the wrong hands. If you don't want to add it to your growing keychain, try to hide the opener instead. Keeping it in view, especially in a car not kept in the garage, offers a tempting access point to your house for burglars.
Remove Valuables or Lock Them
Another way to prevent burglars from making off with some of your most precious items is to take them out of the garage entirely. Storing them in safer rooms of the house can be a no-cost method for boosting your home's security. You can also consider locking items up inside the garage. A locked safe or toolbox adds an additional layer of security that burglars may not want to waste time trying to break through.
Upgrade Your Automatic Opener
A common saying about 10 foot walls and 11 foot ladders is as true with garage door security as it is with walls. One area where this is particularly true is with older automatic garage door openers. A remote sends the proper signal to the automatic opener, triggering the door to open. Unfortunately, burglars have found methods to determine your garage door's signal and use their own remote to open it.
Thankfully, new garage door openers take advantage of rolling codes. This new system changes the garage door's signal after every use. So even if a burglar is able to steal the signal after watching you open the door, that signal won't open the garage door again. For some door openers, you can change out the remote to make these upgrades, but others require a new automatic door opener system. Either way, this is a cost effective way to upgrade your garage door security.
Take the First Steps in Securing Your Garage Door
Complete peace of mind at home takes more than locking a garage door. If you want to improve your garage door security and rest easy knowing your home is better protected, trust our team at Balanced Garage Doors. Contact us today to have our fast, reliable team assess your security needs.
