Are Electric Remote Control Garage Doors Secure?

You may use your garage for parking vehicles or as a storage or recreational space.  Whatever be the use, you must always focus on garage door safety.  

A garage door is the most vulnerable entry point of a house and one that thieves easily use. Even if you have detached garages, they provide easy access to the house for potential burglars. So, it is crucial to secure your garage door at all costs. The best way to do it is by installing an electric remote control garage door.

Most of us opt for an automatic garage door operated by remote control for garage door security and safety. 

But, is this electric remote control garage door safe?  Shall we check it out?

Garage Security Using an Electric Remote Control Garage Door

Most of us have a nagging doubt about what would happen to garage security if the automatic system fails? In case of such emergencies, the automatic garage door has an emergency release cord that can be used to open it manually. This is particularly useful in the event of a power outage.

Apart from this, the electric door has photo eye sensors. These photo eyes detect the presence of an obstruction and stop the door while it descends. Motion sensor detectors also help to cut off the closing of a garage door in case of movement. 

For maximum safety, all you need is an electric garage door operated by a motor and a control panel.

Security Features of Electric Garage Doors

With standard overhead doors, you have 2 mechanical locks on either corner which prevent easy picking. Besides this, you can have additional locks for extra security.  

Electric doors are even better as they have locks that are activated by a motor. Here, the locks can lock or unlock with the press of a button. This motor is meant to push the door downwards till the emergency release lever gets activated. If you use this mechanism for a roller garage door,  it can pose a big hurdle for thieves.

Sectional garage doors have more security as the locking mechanism is at the top and not on the side. Even in roller doors, each end of the door is enclosed within the door frame and cannot be tampered with easily. 

If you need extra precautions to keep your family safe, you can install a de-latching kit.  This device helps allows even the mechanical locks to be operated by the motor.

Garage Door Safety Tips and Precautions

• Learn to use the emergency release cord by reading the manual
• Keep the garage door remote out of reach of children 
• Do not allow children to play or handle the garage door opener
• Educate children on garage door safety.
• Do not allow children to move or play while a door is in operation. 
• Call a garage door repair expert to inspect it every month. Even a small part like a broken spring or a cracked roller could be dangerous. Look for frayed garage door cables and see if the garage door track is misaligned. Get these corrected immediately by the garage door technician.
• Check the auto-reverse function of the garage door once every month. Place a block of wood in the path of a garage door and check if the door reverses. If not, you must call the garage door company for service at once.
• Lift the emergency release lever and see if the door can be lifted manually. The door should lift and remain at least 4 ft above the ground.
• Inspect the position of the photo-eye sensor from time to time to see if they are working properly
• Unplug the garage door opener and the power source if you are going on vacation
• If your electronic opener has a rolling code, change it often if you have to do it manually. This will prevent thieves from code-hacking your door.
• Install motion sensor lights in and out of your garage. 

An electric remote control garage door offers the best security for your garage and home. Follow the above pointers to ensure its normal operation without failure. Always call a garage door repair professional to inspect it from time to time for maximum safety and security. Call Tip Top Garage Doors Repair in Raleigh at (919) 701-3003 for your next garage door repair or replacement project.