Your garage door serves many functions, but to a thief, it can be seen as an easy point of access. While homeowners are quick to install proper locks and alarms on all doors, many often overlook the fact that a garage door is, in fact, the largest entrance in their house. The Denver garage door professionals at Colorado Overhead Door Company are here to offer up a few tips that will help to improve the security of your garage.
Denver Garage Door Security Tips
When automatic garage door openers first hit the market, many featured the same programming and code. While automatic garage doors were few and far between, a person could open almost any door that shared the same brand of opener. As automatic garage doors grew in popularity the industry had to make changes, and door openers gave owners the option of setting their own code for added security. This code was intended to be specific for their personal garage, ensuring that owners of identical openers could not enter their home. Problems still existed, however, as many people chose to stick with the preprogrammed code instead of creating a unique code.
While today’s garage door openers are more secure than ever, there are still plenty of things that you can do to help add to the security of your home.
- Stop leaving your garage door opener in the car. Should someone break into your vehicle, they now have instant access to your home.
- Take the time to invest in a keychain opener, allowing you to carry it with you everywhere. This helps to prevent leaving it somewhere more accessible to potential thieves.
- Use zip ties to secure your garage door release mechanism. Law requires garage doors to come equipped with safety openers to be triggered manually should someone get trapped underneath. However, these triggers usually are easily set off, and given the creativity of today’s criminals, these mechanisms can be triggered with nothing more than a coat hanger when the door is closed. By adding a zip tie you can prevent this form of entry, all while allowing you the ability to use the function as intended if needed.
- Lock your home. Just because your garage door is closed, don’t assume that it cannot be opened. Be sure to threat your door as if your garage didn’t exist.
- Keep your garage doors closed. A garage quickly becomes your own auto shop or storage unit, yet people continue to leave these doors open as if nothing of value is inside. Keep your door closed as much as possible to not offer a view of your offerings or potential targets.
- Padlock or add a latch. Find another way to help secure your door for those times when you plan on being out of town for a few days.
- Simple garage door maintenance and repair can also help to deter theft. Any time you uncover a gap or crack in your door you should take quick steps to fix this problem. These not only hurt the look of your home but also offer new points of entry for potential thieves.
Repair or Install a New Garage Door
Again, we are no longer dealing with the garage doors of the 1950s’. Garage security has come a long way, but it never hurts to take steps to prevent your home from becoming a target.
If you are interested in moving forward with any of these options, or should you be looking to install or repair a garage door, call the experts at Colorado Overhead Door Company today.