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Garage Safety and Security Tips
One of the top mistakes people make is leaving the garage door remote in their vehicle. Thieves break into your car and take the remote giving them direct access to your home. The best way to prevent this from happening and still have easy access to your garage door opener is to simply purchase a key-chain style remote.
Keep GPS devices stowed away when parking at shopping malls, movie theaters or sporting events. Criminals will break into your car steal your GPS and your garage door remote control and then hit the “home” button on the GPS and it leads them to your unoccupied home where they will have access for several hours while you are enjoying your entertainment. If your transmitter does get stolen be sure to immediately clear all the codes in your opener and reprogram all your remotes and keypads. This prevents that stolen device from opening your door. If you do not know how to clear your codes please contact the door opener manufacturer for assistance.
Secure your garage door emergency release mechanism by using a zip tie or product designed to prevent the “six second” break-in. Products like the no-entry latch guard are easy to install and are typically under $20 and make this break-in technique almost impossible. Criminals will use a wedge and coat hanger to grab the disconnect mechanism on your garage door opener and can be in your garage (and house if your door to your house is unlocked) in seconds.
Keep the door locked between your garage and house. We suggest using a deadbolt. Also make sure the door from the garage to your home is as sturdy as your front door. A steel door is the best and anti kick devices are also recommended. It really is not that big of an inconvenience to unlock the door when you consider the piece of mind you will have knowing your home is safe. Another helpful hint is to install a good wide-angle peephole to look into your garage from safely inside the house in case you do hear strange noises coming from your garage.
Do not make it easy on the criminals and forget to shut your door when you go to bed or leave for work. This gives them free access to anything in your garage and if they shut your door behind them plenty of time to also break into your house without being seen. There are a couple products on the market like a garage door monitor that can tell you if your garage door is open or closed from your bedside or anywhere in your home. Genie now has a garage door opener that can be fitted with a device called a closed confirm remote that will tell you if your garage door closed properly behind you.
If you do have windows in garage door or side windows in your garage be sure to get obscure glass or frosted glass to prevent thieves from looking in to see what good stuff you have to offer or more importantly if someone may be home or not. Keep expensive items like golf clubs, bikes and power tools out of site. These are items easy to sell and pawn.
Always padlock the slide lock on your door when traveling or away from your home for long periods of time. If you do not have a slide lock on your garage door they can be purchased for under $10 from a hardware store or online garage door parts retailer. This ensures no one will be able to open your garage door manually or with a remote. This will give you a piece of mind that your garage is secured while traveling. A little tip though be sure to either unplug your opener or turn the vacation switch on your wall station to prevent you from accidentally pressing the button when you return home and damage your door, opener or both due to it being locked down.
Making sure your garage door and opener are maintained properly and installed correctly is also an important part of the security of your home. The draw bar arm that connects your garage door to your door opener should be as close to vertical when the door is closed and sealing the door at the floor. This helps prevent someone from prying your garage door open. If your drawbar arm is angled it can be back driven in some cases allowing access to your door. Be sure to keep the area around your photo safety sensors clean and free from debris. This is the reason most doors do not close when you activated.
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