The Quickest Way to Secure Your Garage Doors: For Less than $10

Topic: Home Security:

The world seems an evermore desperate place with many suffering at all levels. With more desperation, it seems more crime is to follow. A friend of mine recently suffered a shocking break-in through his garage. The police said that the break-in happened by way of a coat hanger on the emergency release latch.

We were both dumbstruck at first. How could such a big door with a power opener installed no less, be overcome by something as small and pliable as a simple coat hanger?

I had to see this for myself so, I attempted the same mock break-in and found it totally works… ON MY HOUSE!

I was flabbergasted. After all the vacations I have been on where I left the garage door in the state of what I now know as unlocked!?! Burglars could have emptied my house and pulled away and no one would have known for a week. Check out how easy this simulation was…

Disclaimer: I had reservations about making this article a training video for thieves. So, I recorded the following videos from within the garage just to show the effect of a similar perpetration. I hope you understand…

Incredible, right? Well, I obviously had to do something about this situation.

So, I did some research…

The easiest, most immediate fix for securing your garage door:

I found that in my case, as it was for my friend, there are things that can be done starting with the most immediate need for securing the doors from simple coat hanger attacks.

The most simple and cheapest way I had found was to reinforce the emergency release latch to the point where a coat hanger wouldn’t be able to release the latch and yet still be easily released manually (as intended from within the garage in emergencies like a power outage) was with a small zip tie.

I installed the zip tie and tested it with the same coat hanger and found that the zip tie was plenty strong enough to handle the situation…

And, further, I demonstrate that the Emergency Release Latch can still be opened when necessary…

Of course, it should be noted that every time you use the manually open the latch, you will have to replace the zip tie.

All Good!

The second fix is applied to the same emergency release latch but will be more permanent. It will require you to get and install a small hook spring or replace the existing spring if there is one. The spring will be attached by way of the hooks of the spring on either end to the two parts of the emergency release latch. The spring will provide enough tension to overcome any force applied by a coat hanger but will allow you to be able to release the latch in an emergency.

Mind you that it will be a little harder to release. But, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s a small price to pay for your protection.

A word about garage door locks

But first, I feel it’s my duty to tell you that any purchase you make from this website may result in a very small commission for me, your author. Your patronage is sincerely appreciated as it helps to keep this website running.

At this point, it’s time to look at some real heavy duty locking solutions.

I came up with the Garage Door Side Locks for 2″ or 3″ Track fit National N280-727 V7646 Latch

As it was explained to me, this dead bolt system attaches to the door itself, and is lined up with a standard opening in the rail track that the door rides upon when being opened and shut. The install is simple; 4 screws. The dead bolt is pushed into the rail track slot mentioned and the door is locked. Simple solution.

Unlocked

Locked

I feel better already. However…

My research showed me that burglars who really want to get into your house will have other ways and means beyond that of the garage door. There will be more on that in another article.

For the sake of locking of the garage doors, I should mention that the garage door side locks dead bolts have a place where a padlock should be used (see the right side of the flat bolt that gets inserted into the rail track for a loop).

Just in case you get robbed by crooks who may get into your house through an alternative entrance point and want to steal your bigger items via the garage (after all, getting your new refrigerator out the front door might be a bit conspicuous).

This precaution won’t deter the pros who are likely to carry a bolt cutter. But it will, at least, slow them down.

Taking break-in prevention a little further.

When manageable, the opportunities to better secure your garage should be taken. If you are in more of a hurry right now for whatever reason or you find that your budget is a little short this month for a full security makeover, there are some more inexpensive ways to secure your garage entry.

Treat your interior garage door like an exterior door.

Be certain that you have a good door knob look along with a deadbolt.

You may be surprised but most exterior door locks can be unlocked by intruders using what is known as a bump key. This is essentially a skeleton key for your house locks. Once made, the key is inserted into the door lock then, tapped with a screwdriver, and all the tumblers then fall into place. The key is then turned and the door is opened almost as fast as when you do it yourself with your own key. Watch below…

If you are going away soon and are concerned, it’s highly recommended to spend the $30 to $50 or so for a more secure lock system. I have listed a few below for your perusal. Please Note: while I would receive a nominal commission on your purchase of any of these lock sets, I can tell you that these are the ones that I would use on my interior garage door for all the reasons given above.

The following List of bump-resistant lock sets from Amazon. Please click on the images to see their offerings…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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There are certainly other ways for burglars to gain access you your home. Most of those choices, bump locks not withstanding, are a bit more conspicuous and would likely garner your neighbor’s attention with any luck. We will get into this subject much deeper as we consider doors and windows later on in another article.

For now, be safe, be vigilant. I will have more security tips for your next visit.

Berk