All you need to know about the security of garage doors

Many of you know that installing a safe and solid front door on your home will make the entire house safer. Adding a few cameras for surveillance will make the overall safety even better. But, you forgot one thing. Garage door! The garage door is equally important for the overall safety as any other door and in some cases, they are even more important than you may think. Let’s take a few minutes of your time and explain the matter.

The overall importance of garage door security

Most burglars know that the weakest link in the house safety is the garage door. This will be their first point of entry and they will pay a lot of attention on the garage door the type, the strength and the security they have. If you have a poor garage door with a low level of security you can expect burglars to come inside your house and steal valuable items.

Now you think that if there is no door between the garage and the house you are safe. But, you keep valuable items in the garage as well, meaning burglars will steal them. In a nutshell, you need a safe garage door with all the security features you can think of. By making this type of investment you will be certain that burglars will keep you alone and won’t try to steal your items. Better said, they won’t be able to steal from you!

Always use padlock

A padlock is essential if you want to keep your home safe. If you are using a garage door opener then you will need to get a model with this very feature. If you are planning on leaving your home alone for some time, disable the garage door opener. You can simply unplug it or put a bolt in the track and prevent it from opening. These are simple steps that will have a huge effect on the overall safety and make it impossible for the burglars to penetrate your garage door.

In addition, always use a model with rolling code security. This means that the system will generate a new code each time you want to open the garage door. Only the remote controllers synced with the garage door opener can be used to open the door so you can imagine how secure the overall house will be. Luckily new models always have this feature and it is one of the most important things to consider.

Don’t forget about regular maintenance

All garage doors must be regularly maintained. If you skip this process you will end up with a weak link in the safety chain of your house. In other words, the garage door will be penetrated due to a failure of one of many systems.

Regular maintenance is simple and you will have to inspect the elements, replace one if it is damaged and oil the tracks. It is something you can do it all by yourself within seconds and it is one of the simplest tasks you will ever have to do.

Here is the list of maintenance activities for your garage door:

• Inspect visually and listen for any squeaking sounds
• Tighten all the bolts and screws
• Test the balance of the garage door
• Inspect and replace the rollers
• Replace the weatherstrip
• Lubricate moving parts in contact
• Check the cabling
• Conduct the testing of the auto-reverse feature
• Clean the tracks
• Repair damages to the door itself

Bypass the emergency release

Emergency release on garage door openers is made to help you open the door within seconds and when you need it.  But, some burglars can use it to open the garage door and penetrate your home. Now we will help you understand how to bypass this system and how to make the overall unit even safer.

The first thing to consider is the location of the disengaging arm of the garage door opener. Once you have located it, add zip-tie to it and make sure it won’t be able to operate. You can use one or two zip ties or even a wire but the goal is the same. Of course, you can do this when you will make your home alone for quite some time.

Add a garage door opener today

The best way you can make sure your garage and home are completely safe is to use an automatic garage door opener.  These units are more affordable than ever before, but they are the safest alternative of them all. The first security feature we like and recommend is actually explained a bit earlier. It is rolling code technology that won’t allow for anyone to open the door without the paired remote controller.

However, some models can also be paired with the alarm system and activate it when needed. They also have sensors that will stop the garage door opening or closing in a case of an obstacle which eliminates the risk of injuries and complications.

The bottom line here is that an advanced garage door opener will be the ultimate safety protection. Your garage won’t be the weak link in the safety chain and you will enjoy the ultimate safety as long as you need it. The best part is the simplicity of the installation and the fact you will significantly increase the property value with this addition.