Is Your Garage Door Secure?

Garage door security is a common topic of interest for homeowners. Garage doors are only as secure as people make them. Knowing the points of vulnerability and what features and habits can fortify your garage door can help make your home more secure.

Frosted Windows

Carriage-style garage doors with windows are very fashionable right now. Unfortunately, potential intruders could use these windows to their advantage. Being able to see into the garage enables an intruder to strategize, find a way around the lock and view what might be worth taking in the garage. Therefore, we suggest that customers have windows installed at the top of the garage door to prevent such visibility.

Frosted windows can also prevent this from being a problem. Work with your garage door company to purchase a garage door with frosted windows instead of transparent windows. Even tinting the windows can help ensure that the garage door will be safe from potential intruders.

Timer

Sometimes people open the garage door, and then forget that they’ve left it open. Driving away from the house with the garage door open to the world makes everything inside the garage vulnerable to potential theft.

Fortunately, there’s a way to fix this problem. On new models of garage door openers, an internal timer can be used to shut the garage door a certain number of minutes after the garage door is opened. This can help ensure that the garage door will always be closed when the house is empty.

Talk to your garage door company to discuss timer options and whether or not your garage door has such a timer already, or if a garage door opener with a timer could be installed.

Door Shield and Locks

The emergency door release is exactly what it sounds like: it’s a handle on the inside of the garage door that disconnects the garage door from the power train. When the emergency door release is pulled, the door can be opened easily from the inside or outside in most scenarios.

Some homeowners choose to secure their emergency release cord with a zip tie. This does prevent burglars from opening the door from the outside. Unfortunately, this can also prevent the emergency release cord from being used in an actual emergency. Homeowners are much better off having a slide lock installed on the inside of their garage door that locks on the side of the door along the tracks.  They even make garage door openers with a feature called “Auto-Lock” that engages a steel rod through the track electronically every time the door closes.  It then unlocks the slide lock electronically and automatically before the door opens.

If you’re a homeowner looking for a garage door lock that works for your door, talk to your garage door contractor for suggestions.

Good Habits

A garage door opener left inside a car in plain view can be a source of temptation for intruders. Homeowners who have a habit of leaving their garage door opener in their car could be putting their garage and their home at risk.

Homeowners who want to develop smart garage door habits can do so by keeping their garage door opener in their purse, wallet or brief case during the day. At night, bringing the garage door opener indoors can help keep the garage door safe.

We all have a neighbor who leaves their garage door open during the day when they aren’t home.  Whether by mistake or on accident, this is a huge risk and should be avoided at all costs.

Alarm

An alarm is also an excellent way to keep a garage door secure. Homeowners seeking to increase security in their home can do so by having an alarm installed in their home. Usually this involves working with a home security company.

If you’re a homeowner hoping to keep your home secure, you can get an alarm for your garage door by contacting a reputable home security company in your area. Be sure to get quotes from several companies before settling on the company that’s right for you.

Contact Your Garage Door Company For More Information

If you have more questions about what you can do to keep your garage door secure, talk to a reputable garage door company in your area. At Plano Overhead Garage Door, we’re happy to answer your questions.  Call us today  for more information!

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