Tips to Prevent Garage Door Break-ins

Just as you spend long hours and days getting better at what you do so too your common burglar is constantly looking for new and better ways to gain entry to your home. While most people don’t give it too much thought the garage in fact presents a number of opportunities for the enterprising weasel to break in and help himself to your belongings. So it’s useful to know in what ways your garage may be vulnerable to intrusions. Below A Better Garage Door Service Northglenn will take an in-depth look at how thieves are getting into your garage and what you can do to stop them. We will also cover ways how proper maintenance and repair can stop a burglar in their tracks.

Some Free Advice from A Better Garage Door Service Northglenn

Here are 7 ways thieves get into your garage and 7 ways you can prevent them from doing so.

1. Through the window - Many garages have windows and many of those windows are prone to a kind of benign neglect. It’s not that the homeowner is consciously ignoring them, it’s just that these windows tend to be forgotten because they’re out of view.
2. Through the side door - While many garages can only be entered through the garage door there are some garages that have a standard entry door off to the side. These doors are often poorly secured and are prime targets for opportunistic thieves.
3. Through an unclosed garage door - It’s all too common for people to leave home in a hurry and forget to close the garage door after themselves. Doing so, especially after nightfall, is an open invitation to an opportunistic thief.
4. Through a broken or old garage door - Like everything else when a garage door gets old, it gets weak. Panels come loose, the door doesn’t close all the way or the frame begins to rot. All of these conditions are ripe for exploitation by experienced thieves.
5. By grabbing your garage door code - Code grabbing has been around for years. But while new garage door openers are mostly able to thwart code grabbers (mostly) by randomly changing access codes after each use, older doors are still susceptible to being ‘hacked’.
6. By stealing your remote - If you leave the remote in your unlocked car and leave your car in the driveway you could very well come out and find someone has stolen it. Remember most burglars live in the same neighborhood as the houses they rob.
7. By using a coat hanger - Those of us at Better Garage Door Service in Broomfield know it only takes a few seconds to slip a coat hanger up through the top of your door opening and trip the manual override. Once that’s done the door can be opened by hand.

How to Prevent These Types of Intrusions

1. Secure your garage window - It’s pretty simple to secure your garage window with a deadbolt. It’s also a good idea to install a film on the inside of the panes so that your local B&E guy can’t window shop.
2. Beef up the side door - Add a deadbolt lock to the side door. Frost over any windows in the door. Repair any rot or other damage to the door frame and install a security plate near the doorknob so the door can’t be popped open with a screwdriver.
3. Close the garage door remotely - Many new garage doors can be wired into the Internet. This way even if you remember you left the door open when you’re already at the airport you can access the door via your smartphone and close it.
4. Install a new door - The best way to thwart thieves exploiting weaknesses in an old garage door is to call A Better Garage Door Service in Broomfield and have us install a new one. If your garage door is more than 10 or 15 years old there’s really no excuse for not replacing it.
5. Update the opener - If your opener is old and has only a single access code it’s time to upgrade to a new opener that utilizes rolling code technology. This is the easiest way to prevent code grabbers from gaining entrance through the garage.
6. Hide your remote - It goes without saying that the easiest way to prevent someone from stealing your remote is to not leave it laying around where someone could easily grab it. Keep it locked in the glove compartment when you’re not in the car or keep it in your purse.
7. Protect the emergency release - Attach a small flat piece of wood or metal to the trolley arm of the emergency release. This will prevent any fishing expeditions from being able to reach the release lever and open the door.

Call us for Garage Door Service in Broomfield

If you need assistance securing your garage door from intruders, call A Better Garage Door Service in Commerce City or Broomfield today.

Now that we have made it harder for them to get in, lets learn how proper maintenance can prevent them from getting in in the future.

Garage Door Repair Tricks - 5 Steps to a Safer Garage Door

It may not be the first thing you think of when you consider your home’s safety. But if not given their due attention, garage doors can be a real hazard.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are approximately 30,000 garage door related accidents per year. Unfortunately, because of their vulnerable size, children who are injured can often suffer serious or even fatal injuries.

Garage Door Repair Can Restore Peace of Mind

Garage doors are meant to improve your home life, not leave you wracked with worry about accidents waiting to happen. Residents of Winchester, Thornton and all of surrounding Colorado can be put at ease by taking some simple matters of safety into their own hands.

Here are some garage door repair tips and tricks for the savvy homeowner:

1. Put it to the Test

Automatic openers have gotten a bad rap in the past for being hazardous, especially to children. In 1993, the Consumer Product Safety Commission took notice and passed a requirement that all automatic garage doors have a safety reverse function and a photo eye sensor. So, first and foremost, if your old door does not have this function, it is probably time for an update.

If it does, this function can be tested simply by placing an object, like a 2x4, in the path of the garage door before closing it. If the door does not stop and reverse its downward motion, the system should be disabled and checked by a professional. It is recommended by the CPSC to repeat this test each month.

2. Find a Balance

In the event of power loss or disconnection from the motor, garage doors are balanced with a counterweight. This means that the massive doors should rest above the ground instead of crashing down, even without the help of the motor.

To test this, start with the door all the way down. Then pull the release handle. This is usually a red cord dangling down from your mechanism. When you lift the door up about halfway and let go, it should fall to rest 3 or 4 feet above the ground. If it falls lower or higher, the springs should be adjusted. In the most dangerous scenario, where your garage door falls to the ground, there is too little tension in the springs and they should either be adjusted or examined to determine whether they need to be replaced.

3. Keep It Rolling

A door that is not operating correctly can add up to a lot of maimed fingers when doors are manually forced to open or close out of frustration, and can even lead to more serious injury or property damage. Rusty hinges or doors that get stuck open are also easy targets for criminals.

Luckily, there’s a simple preventative measure to avoid future garage door repair. Silicone lubricant purchased at any hardware store will do wonders when applied routinely to rollers, hinges, tracks, and springs. Simply add this to your bi-annual home maintenance routine and you’re golden.

4. Get a Technology Revamp

If you’ve been out of loop on garage doors for a while, there’s some great news: they’ve made huge technological advances in safety.

One measure of increasing popularity is getting a rolling-code opener. This opener chooses a different code each time you use it, making it harder for would-be thieves to learn your code and enter your home.

Another hot add-on item is an automatic deadbolt for your garage door. Just as your door opens and closes automatically, you can purchase a smart deadbolt that is conveniently hands free.

5. Know Your Enemy

As important as being able to do safety maintenance yourself is, be aware that this too can come with danger. Know where the greatest risks lie when it comes to your garage door and be aware of your limits.

Garage door springs are notoriously dangerous because they are under extremely high tension. The same goes for the cables that lift your door. While inspecting your garage door for issues of safety and maintenance, note where these are. If you choose to tinker with them, do so only after you have done your research and taken all necessary safety precautions.

Also be aware of the electronic components of your garage door. To prevent electrocution while working (or someone accidentally crushing your fingers by opening the door while you’re working) make sure all electronic components are safely unplugged.

Finally: know when to call a professional! If you feel out of your element, a trained garage door repair expert is just a phone call away.

Westminster and Thornton: Models for Garage Safety!

By practicing some of these basic garage door tips, residents of Winchester and Thornton can rest easy knowing their garage door is doing its job as a safe, secure asset to the home!