Garages are a great place to store items we don’t want left outside and susceptible to theft. Here at Garage Door Services of St. Louis, we have a few suggestions of how you can protect your garage from break ins. We will show you what parts of your garage can easily be broken into and how you can safeguard your home.
How Intruders Break Into a Garage Door
Garage doors have manual releases to allow it to open without using the automatic door opener. There is usually a gap between the garage door and the garage and you will need to close that gap up. When there is enough of a space between the door and the molding, it can make it possible for an intruder to get in.
The gap between the door and the garage is enough room for someone to get a hanger in and release the trigger. Once they pull the trigger they have the ability to open the door. The hanger can be used to pull the emergency release which allows you to push the door open.
What They Look For
Burglars also look for windows in the garage or garage doors because they give an open view about what is inside. It also gives a clear view to see the safety release as they are unhooking it.
It is best not have any windows and if you do you may want to make sure that they are tinted so they cannot see inside. Also make sure any other windows are closed and locked when there is no one in there.
Once someone is inside of your garage, they have access to the things you store there. Also, it makes it easier to break in to your home without someone seeing you.
If you happen to have an alarm system that goes off, an intruder can hide in the garage until the police leave. Likely, the police will think it is a false alarm, because there is no visible sign of a break in. The homeowners may not be aware that someone has lifted the garage door enough to sneak in.
This is why it is so important that you protect your home with these simple tips. It won’t take long to keep potential intruders from getting in, but it is worth it.
Ways To Protect The Garage
- A long board (2 x 2 or 2 x 4)
- Long screws
- A drill
- Step ladder
- Zip ties
Use the long board to place on top of the garage door at an angle so it won’t block the door from moving. Secure the board with long screws to the garage door, not to the garage because that will prevent it from opening at all.
This closes off the gap and prevents from being able to access the safety release trigger string. Once the gap is closed off there is no other way of getting to the safety release.
You can also take a few zip ties and secure the trigger string to the door opener track, this prevents anyone from grabbing the string from the outside.
I hope that the information that we have provided to you has helped you to understand how to keep your garage safe. Keeping your garage safe reduces your chances of a break in.
Garage Door Services of St. Louis wants everyone to be safe and have some easy ways to protect their garages. These tips are a few ways to keep safe even if you’re on a budget.