Garage doors are an essential piece of your home security. They are basically the easiest way to enter your house for burglars, so no wonder they suffer from frequent attacks. The question is what are the ways to secure your garage and home? How to choose garage door lock to guarantee safety to your family and belongings?
Below you will find information on how to choose a good garage door lock, and learn about the main types available in the market.
Choosing garage door lock
When you move into a new house, replacement of the existing (standard) garage door lock is one of the basic advice all locksmiths give. Unfortunately, these basic locks are prone to easy picking, hammering, and any other types of attacks. If you don’t have time or funds to do so instantly, at least add some security to your garage doors.
For overhead rolling or tilting up doors get bolts or padlocks and install them in the center of the tracks. Choose the position carefully: it must be one-fourth of an inch above the roller in the closed position.
Another way is to use a bolt with lock combination. In this case, you need to extend the bolt into the metal sleeve. Then recess it into the driveway by about two or three inches.
For automatic doors closer, you need to choose garage door lock that can work within the existing system, such as remote control device or alarm systems. In newly bought homes call for a locksmith to ensure that the automatic closers have special safety mechanisms (they will reverse and stop the doors if they are obstructed).
Another important issue is to check your garage doors in general. Pay attention to the hinge mechanisms, tracks, and rollers. All elements must work properly. Then check door handles, pulls, lever, and bells; they also must be correctly installed for both convenience and aesthetic purposes.
4 ways to protect your home with a garage door lock
The market of garage door locks offers an extensive range of specially-designed options and a huge variety of additional security items. The great piece of news is that all of them can easily be installed without any experience. However, make sure that you know the main types and read instructions carefully not to destroy your lock from the start.
- Regular locks
Side door bolt is one of the most frequently chosen garage door lock. It’s installed on the inside of the door. This makes it harder for intruders to tamper with it.
The deadbolt lock is perfect for entry doors in a garage. They provide reinforcement for the door itself. Deadbolt garage door lock comes with a key which makes it harder to pick it.
- T-Handle lock
T-handle garage door lock is an ideal option for metal doors. The advantage of these locks is that they require non-conventional keys for the locking system, namely cylinder-shaped keys. Such keys are tough to reproduce and they are complicated in picking.
- Mortice lock
This type of garage door lock is common for wooden doors. Mortice lock is frequently used for thick doors where bolts are not an option. The deadbolt locking mechanism fixes this lock on both sides of the door for total protection. It can be matched with the requirements and the design of your garage doors.
- Garage door defender
These hardwearing garage defenders offer additional security for up and over garage doors. This garage door lock is, basically, a large arm that is placed in front of the door and with a padlock, it is locked to a concrete base. The defender’s arm itself is placed on top of the base and restricts any movement of the door. It’s a great way to protect your garage door if you decide to leave for a long time.
- Keyless locks
Keyless digital locks are the new era garage door locks. The standard option includes a keypad. To enter the garage with this kind of garage door lock you only need to know the code. A more advanced technology requires not the code, but your fingerprint. This system removes any possibility for a burglar to enter your home. The disadvantage of this state-of-the-art system is its cost. However, it’s a great investment in your home’s security and safety that will return profits in the form of peace of mind.
Alarm system
And the final option is the alarm system. If your home is already supplied with some alarm system, then just extend its coverage over the garage. You can put a garage door lock as a sensor and support it with similar sensors at the side and rear pedestrian entry points. This might be the best option but remember that you need to disable it each time you enter the house!
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