You might not think of your garage as a storehouse for valuables. If anything, it’s probably a space you stash things you hardly ever use!
But the truth of the matter is that your garage just might contain the most valuable items you own—namely, your cars. Considering that it also probably houses any number of miscellaneous chemicals and belongings, it’d be a great place for a thief to check out besides. Top it all off with the fact that it also probably has a door to your home that’s often left unlocked and it’d catch the eye of practically any would-be crook!
Garage security is thus important, but it can be hard to keep safe an area of your home which you most likely only access in passing. Luckily, Door Power, your Norwood garage door installation and garage door repair pros, are here to help. Below, we’ll let you in on a few handy tricks to keep your garage locked down pat—and, spoiler alert, they all begin with your garage door.
Regular Maintenance: The Best Way to Ensure Garage Security
Most garage doors—even the old-style ones—come with locks. Operating via various mechanisms depending on their age, they do a great job of stopping undesirables from entering your garage.
However, just like any garage door part, they operate best when properly taken care of. You wouldn’t expect your car to function day in and day out without care, even if that care is simply filling it up with the gas it needs. Why would you expect otherwise of your household’s other hardworking machine: its garage door?
Regular Check-Ups, Regular Inspections
The best way to keep the lock working on your garage door is to have a professional perform service at least once a year, but preferably twice or more. While there are videos online that explain how to replace a garage door lock, this is such an important part of what keeps your belongings—and family—safe that it’s best to trust in only the best.
However, that doesn’t mean you’re completely helpless when it comes to ensuring your garage’s security! Check your garage door lock regularly to see if, mechanically, it’s functioning. We know it sounds obvious, but no matter if your garage door lock is automatic or old-style, it’s easy to take its security for granted and let it slip to the back of your mind. Trust us: an occasional once-over is well worth the trouble a stolen car might cause.
Consider Garage Door Security Cameras
If you’re serious about garage security, it’s imperative that you also are serious about obtaining the most up-to-date technology. Improved security tech can come in many forms, but one of our personal favorites is the smart door opener with a camera from Liftmaster.
With wide-angle camera viewing capabilities, motion-detection technology, night vision, and crystal clear audio, you’ll always know what’s going on in your garage. The two-way communication allows you to confront anyone whom you find there. Plus, given that it’s interconnective with your Smart device, you can check in on the stats of your garage any time, and also receive live alerts from it if something isn’t as it should be.
This is the epitome of high-security; if you guard something special inside your garage—or you just want peace of mind—nothing can provide it like this feature-laden Liftmaster model.
Mind Your Emergency Release Rope
Many garage door openers have a rope that hangs down towards the ground, usually that ends in a small piece of plastic. This is the emergency release mechanism, and it enables you to manually move your garage door if it is otherwise mechanically disabled.
However, it’s easy to get at this rope from the outside, even if your door is closed, which makes it a great tool for anyone who wants to break into your garage. Simply working at it with a bent coat hanger that can slip past a pushed top panel can be enough to put your garage door in the control of a criminal.
Solutions to this may vary depending on your garage door model and its capabilities. Before making any structural modifications, contact a professional garage door repair service. They’ll be best able to instruct you on how to prevent this all-too-easy break-in method without seriously harming your garage door or yourself in the process.
Don’t mess around with two-hundred pounds or so held back by only a garage door spring and garage door cables, even if you think you’re thief-proofing it. It just isn’t worth the risk.
Door Power: For All Your Garage Door Needs
Our Norwood team is as devoted to your garage’s safety as we are to great service—and considering we frequently offer same-day help, that’s pretty darn devoted. For the garage security and peace of mind you deserve, give us a call today at 952-467-3199.