Garage Door Security

In order to ensure the safety of you and those you love, it is important to practice proper garage door safety. After all, you do not want to leave your home vulnerable to robbers, causing you countless problems in the process. By following some of the security points described below you are ultimately protecting your home from any possible threats.

Do Not Leave Your Remote in Plain Sight

To make sure that your home stays secure, you do not want to leave your garage door remote in any place where someone passing by can see it. This is especially true when it comes to those who leave the remote in their car. That's because if your vehicle ends up getting broken into, these robbers now have complete access to your home as well. The best way to prevent this problem from occurring is by simply buying a keychain style remote instead.

Remove Your GPS Device after Use

When it comes to your GPS device, you should always put it away after you are done using it. Whether you are parked at a school event or a shopping mall, if a thief breaks into your car and takes your GPS, all they have to do is hit the "home" button, which will lead them to an empty house where they know you won't be for hours. If for whatever reason your transmitter does get stolen, immediately clear any codes that are found in your opener. Once you do that, the stolen device will become ineffective.

Lock the Door That Sits Between Your Garage and House

Another safety measure you should take to prevent intruders cutting through your garage to get into your home is locking the door found between your garage and house. In fact, we recommend using a deadbolt there. Besides this, you also want a door that is super study, like you would have for your front door. Typically, a steel door works great for this purpose. You may even want to invest in a door that comes with a wide-angle peephole so that you can peak into your garage from the comforts of your home if you hear any startling noises.

Don't Forget to Close Your Garage Door Properly

The last thing you want to do is make it any easier for a criminal to break into your home. That is why you have to make sure that your garage door is fully shut every single time you leave your home or when you call it quits for the night. Today, there are a bunch of products on the market that help you tell if your garage door is open or closed from anywhere in your home.

Installing locks on the actual garage door assures that you will not have intruders simply lifting the garage door while you aren’t home. Just because you use a remote to open the door normally doesn’t mean someone can’t physically open the door without it. A good lock is the garage door locking lever handle from Star Door Parts.

Another good alternative is having a garage door security keypad set up on your door. In this scenario, only someone who knows the code can enter the garage. This is perfect for working parents whose children may need to get into the house while parents are still out.

You do not have to feel helpless to robbers and thieves any longer. By taking part in the proper garage door security, you are protecting your belongings, and those you love, from any dangers that may be lurking.

Different Types of Garage Door Springs

Acting in the same way counter weights have been used to balance doors in previous generations, so garage door springs act as counterbalance to the weight of the door. While there are many varieties, there are two main types: torsion springs and extension springs. No matter the design, each one works to ease the process of opening and closing both manual and electric garages/garage doors.

Torsion Springs

The springs are attached to a metal shaft that is installed above the garage door. It applies torque to the shaft with drums at each end, and attached to each drum is a cable that is fixed to the bottom of the garage door. As the spring unwinds and winds, it creates a balance system for both opening and closing the door.

Standard: The most common, standard torsion springs generally use two springs mounted to the spring anchor bracket along the top of the garage. Two springs are more popular as it prevents damage and injury should one of the springs break.

EZ-Set: These springs are attached to winders at the end of the shaft instead of the middle.

Wayne Dalton TorqueMaster: The safest spring system available, the springs are enclosed on the inside of the torsion shaft and are held in place by a winding cone. Unlike other springs, they can only be wound by the use of a power drill. Cable drums support the ends of the shaft. The Torque Master is also designed to sit about 2” higher than the supports so as to keep the cable from wear due to rubbing against rough material. One of the best features is a hook that is afixed to the wall in order to support the center of the shaft.

Standard Commercial: While the commercial springs come in a wide array, all follow a basic linear system in which four or more torsion springs are fitted along the shaft. Because of this design, it makes them ideal for wider doors generally used by manufacturers.

Steel Rolling Door: The steel rolling doors are comprised of interlocking slats that wind around a barrel as the door is raised. Inside of this barrel is the torsion spring.

One-Piece Curtain Door: Used by most self-storage units, one-piece curtain doors are almost identical to steel rolling doors with the only difference being the one-piece door is made from a single piece of steel.

Garage Door Extension Springs

Usually mounted along the side of the garage door, each spring stretches and contracts to act as the counterbalance. Residential garage doors generally only have two springs with larger, commercial garage doors requiring more.

Sectional Garage Door: The extension springs on this door go both above and parallel to horizontal tracks and counterbalance the door weight by pulling on cables. When the door closes, its weight is transferred from the track to the cable.

One-Piece Garage Door: Like the one-piece curtain doors of the tension springs the extension springs operate as one unit. As the door opens, the top moves along a track inside of the garage while the outside starts to stick out. The springs, attached to a connecting point, serve to counterbalance the additional weight.

Garage door repairs are dangerous and you always need to wear safety glasses,gloves and use the proper tools when working on your garage door. If you do not feel comfortable performing the repair or are of unsure of the procedures, always call your local garage door technician.