6 steps to secure your garage
  

In general, old doorframes are loosely attached to the wall constructions.  In earlier times, wooden doorframes were attached to wooden tiles, which in turn were draped between the bricks.  For today, such kinds of tiles are loose, and do not keep the doorframe firmly in place.

 

You will surely have a question about how to strengthen the doorframe then. We recommend you to make some reinforcements made of angle iron in the corners of the doorpost. You weld some long iron bars across the angle iron, so that one of the ends is around the corner of the pole, and the other is firmly attached to the doorframe. In this way you move the doorframes fastener around the corner. Now pulling the door is almost impossible.

 

In addition, look over your garage door constructions. Many thefts are committed as a thief removes the wooden panels from the door and enters the garage. You have to make sure that removing the wooden panels is difficult to do or, better yet, impossible.

 

Perhaps wood of the doorframe is too old?  Wood which is rotten or in a bad condition should be replaced with a proper one. A door, which is decades old, may just be at the end of its life. In this case, you should replace the door, also. 

 

Secure door lock is an essential aspect of security, but it is also important that a burglar has no other options for entering the building.

 

In particular, old doors have hinges, which are attached to the door surface. The worst option is that they are simply attached with screws that are easy to remove. A way better version is that hinges are bolted through the door. You should take care that nuts of door hinge bolts are on the inside and inaccessible.

 

Other crucial aspect of the garage doors security is that a burglar cannot lift it off the hinges while being locked. If the door can move upwards, you should install a wooden beam on the top edge of the doorframe.

 

If the hinges are on the external surface of the door, it is possible to cut through the studs and open the door from the outside. To avoid this you should install some security stud pins on the door frame side. Security stud pins are installed on the hinges side of the door, so that the end of the protruding brad bolts itself in the doorpost. Studs like these protect the door from lifting it off the hinges

 

 

On condition that you cannot find any suitable security stud pin, you can also build it on the inner surface of the door by yourself.

 

In any case, remember that the security of the door hinges is as vital as lock security. 

 

Garage doors are usually two-sided. One of the sides is active and other is passive one. Nevertheless, both sides are equally important. You should examine the latches of the passive side of the door, and if necessary, strengthen the assurances. Look over the part of striking places, also. These may need some strengthening as well. Locking place of the latches is rather often worn-out, or the striking plate is not good enough. Keep in mind that burglars do not care, which side of the door is weaker.

If necessary, replace the passive side latches with new ones, or use any door bolt. It allows closing the garage door securely with a single motion. 

 

What type of garage lock to use ? 

So-called garage locks and padlocks are customary locking methods. The first one is with big bolt deadlock attached to the inner side of the door or padlock outdoor.  Both of them are suitable for protecting the door.  We have met clients who use both of the locks at the same time. The most interesting solution for protection is when rim lock cylinder channel is covered with padlock hasps. Such finesse significantly extends burglars time of breaking in.     Install the lock on the inner side of the door – it makes the lock hard to reach. Be sure to check the lock and the striking plate are properly installed.

 

Let the old lock retire

If your lock is older than 30 years, you should replace this exhausted lock with a new and vivacious one. Older locks may be worn-out and they can have many errors. In addition, it is difficult to make new keys. 

 

Do not let the situation go so far that your lock retires without your permission. 

 

Abloy’s padlock

If you lock your door with a padlock, you should watch the compatibility between the padlock and the iron hasps. We suggest a decent 3-5 grade Abloy padlock. Abloy’s padlocks are known for their strong tempered handles, solid construction, and for their water resistance qualities. The latter aspect is important because the daily environment of the padlock is mostly rainy and snowy. However, it is reasonable to cover the lock to avoid direct rainfall. Maintain your padlock by lubricating it with the lock oil every fall and spring. Abloy’s lock oil lubricates the lock well and will not let if freeze in winter.

 

Use proper padlock hasps along with the padlock. Abloy’s covered padlock hasps make it more difficult for a burglar to access the lock.

 

If your keys need a protection against copying, choose Abloy Novel’s padlocks that are protected with a security card.

 

Luku-Expert has a wide selection of cheaper padlocks. However, those are not enough for the garage doors.  

 

5. Scare burglars

Burglars intend to accomplish a theft quietly and inconspicuously. You can always organize a surprise. If the burglars hear a loud alarm, they will immediately think of leaving. Firstly, the audio signal itself is disturbing, and secondly, it attracts attention.

 

In your garage, you should use any simple signalisation. A motion sensor or a door sensor is sufficient to fix the invasion and activate the alarm. Install the alarm so that the thief is not able to cut the wires. GSM security system will not make any noise. It calls quietly to your mobile which you can answer, and decide whether it is necessary to call the police before you reach the place yourself. Thanks to the built-in microphone, you can hear what is happening in your garage.

 

Use radio transmitter to put on and take off the signalisation. Using this, you do not have to delay opening the door and you can do your things from the outside.

 

 

Would not it be great, if the signalisation notifies you of the invasion?  For the advantage like this, you should use a home alarm system or a GSM alarm burglar system. The home alarm system is suitable when the garage is near home. The GSM alarm burglar system is great for those whose garage is away from home. In addition to the alarm, it will call to you mobile phone and you will be notified of the invasion, even when you are not at home. 

 

6. When the garage door surprises

While you enter or exit the car to the garage, the doors should remain in the open position. You can use some barriers, like rocks or a broomstick, but is it fixed enough? 

 

A convenient solution is to use a door stop. Once it is installed, you do not have to worry about the wind hitting the garage door against your car. If you do not want to spend a lot of money, you can use the door stop, which has a rubber band that holds itself on the ground. While being on a resting position, it keeps itself up against the door. That kind of door stop prevents usual movement of the door. However, with a strong wind, it may remain weak.

 

 

Make a long-term investment and render bad guys’ life complicated!