Garage door locks are useful. They afford us privacy and security; not just from burglars and intruders but also from accidental openings, nosy neighbors, playful children and even the weather! These locks come in many forms and vary from highly inexpensive to more pricey. There’s literally something for every need and every budget!
In the old days…
Not so long ago, locks on garage doors were quite simple. So were garage doors come to think of it! Before the advent of rolling, sectional garage doors, homeowners used a single door tilt up which was secured, if at all, by a padlock. In order to access your garage, you had to manually lift the solid door up and into the garage. If it was secured by the padlock, you opened that first, of course. Nowadays, most garage doors are of the rolling kind and in you have an automatic garage door opener; it already comes with a lock. Try it for yourself – close your garage door and attempt to lift it manually. You can’t – that’s because the opener system already locked it. These nifty automatic garage door openers not only give us security, they also provide convenience as we never have to leave the comfort or security of our cars in order to open or close our garages.
So why do I need another lock?
Getting another lock for your garage door is not a requirement; it’s merely an option for enhanced security. Many home doors have more than one lock on them and it’s really no different for your garage door. If you do choose to add an additional lock, we’ve got you covered! Select a lock from those mentioned below or call us, or your favorite local residential locksmith for additional details and ideas.
Keypad locks
These are quite common in better residential areas. A keypad is installed outside the garage door and access is granted when the correct number sequence is entered into the pad. The garage door opens or closes on demand. These locks allow for handy garage door access when on foot and not near the opener unit in the car. The number sequence can be changed at will in case new tenants or buyers take over the property.
Garage deadbolt locks
Chances are, you have a deadbolt on your front door. Garage doors can also benefit from having one of these installed. These must be operated manually by simply closing the garage door and turning the deadbolt knob to secure it in place. You can unlock the deadbolt from the outside with a key (just like your front door, again). One big advantage to having a garage door deadbolt is that it helps prevent outside tampering with your garage door opener unit with a coat hanger or other device that can be slipped through your panels and used to unlock your automatic opener.
Read more on: Garage Door Locks – additional security
