Garage Door Do’s & Don’ts
Garage doors offer a convenient way to enter and leave your home, both for homeowners and for criminals. In the police department, I often received calls from terrified homeowners who had come home to find a stranger in their garage, drove up to their house just to find their garage door open, and even a homeowner who had successfully trapped an invader in his garage. Here’s our garage door security tips so this doesn’t happen to you! Take a few moments to properly secure your home by implementing these simple, affordable garage safety tips from the owner of “A” Locksmith, a former police officer who’s seen it all.
Do Secure the Door Between Your Garage and Your House – Because garages are one of a burglar’s favorite entry points (after front doors and sliding doors) do not rely solely on the garage door to secure your home. Make sure you have a sturdy door made of metal or solid wood between your house and the garage and equip that door with a deadbolt and high security lock. Keep it locked at all times. Peepholes aren’t just for your front door. We can install a peephole in the door between your garage and your home so that if you hear a noise, you don’t have to put yourself in harm’s way to investigate.
Do Integrate Your Alarm – You secured all your doors and windows with a reliable alarm system, but did you add a garage door sensor? Today’s technology can alert you with a text if your garage door has been opened, often before your home’s alarm is actually set off and police dispatched.
Do Frost Garage Door Windows – Criminals love windows that are easy to peer in and easy to break, a frosted window in your garage (or better off no windows!) might be enough of a deterrent for a burglar to move on to another house.
Don’t Keep the Remote In Your Car – Leaving your garage door’s remote in your car makes a home invader’s job very easy and is the same as leaving your keys visible in your car. An opportunistic criminal can break the car window, grab the remote, and head on in, or save the remote and come back later. Most new cars come equipped with programmable garage door opening buttons that are only operational when the keys are in the ignition. Check your car’s manual for instructions on how to set this up. We recommend using these or you can program your garage to work via a keyfob.
Don’t Trust the Emergency Release – Designed to help you escape a locked garage, your garage door’s emergency release offers another easy way in for criminals. A burglar simply uses a hanger or other tool to pull your garage door’s emergency release latch cord and roll up the garage door. Using a simple zip tie or removing the cord from your garage door’s emergency latch can provide added protection from these types of attacks. This can, however pose a safety risk if you need to exit your garage or open your garage door quickly without power, so weigh the benefits, do some additional research, and decide what makes sense for your home.
Don’t Install a Safe in Your Garage – Probably the worst place you could install a safe, putting your valuables in a safe in your garage is not a good idea, for more information on where to install your safe and why the garage is a bad idea, click here.
“A” Locksmith provides home security solutions that deter and discourage criminals from breaking into Southwest Florida homes. We don’t work on or repair garage doors, but if you need to upgrade the lock between your garage door and your home, would like to install a peephole, or need us to move or install a safe, give us a call for a free no-obligation quote.
