Garage doors are a gateway to all your valuables, whether you keep your car in there or whether it’s connected to your home. When it comes to home security, people often overlook their garage doors as a weak spot.
Whether you have an electric garage door or a manual, thieves recognize it as a weak spot and can easily break in by fishing the garage door open and gaining access to your home.
With more people becoming conscious about the security of their home, now’s the time to pull out all the stops on your home security. One of the ways to protect yourself is to invest in a little extra garage security as a precaution.
Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to cost the other. There are a couple of easy and effective techniques you can use to deter and keep out unwanted visitors.
This post will give you the information you need on how you can lock your garage door from the outside.
Why Lock Your Garage From The Outside?
Some might say, why lock the garage door from outside when you can lock it from inside? For many, a garage is a space that is really used and acts merely as an additional door to the house now and again.
For anyone who doesn’t use their garage door, a great way to make sure that it is secure is to install a lock on the outside as a deterrent or as a defense against intruders.
If you frequently use your garage and you house valuable belongings, even if you already have an electronic lock on your garage, having a physical lock can act as an additional precaution that reminds you to lock your door.
Having this extra bit of security can make all the difference when you’ve forgotten to lock the door electronically. Or, act as a deterrent for unwanted intruders as it is more visible than an electronic lock.
Here are three types of lock systems you can install on the outside of your garage door for extra security:
Install A Slide Lock (i.e. A Slide Bolt Or Latch)
Here’s how to install your slide lock:
To ensure that the extended bolt passes through the rail, make sure that the lock is mounted on the inside part of the garage door. Doing this will help to stop the door from rolling up.
In addition to the slide lock, you’ll need to purchase a T-handle or L-handle. These resources will be what enables you to lock your garage door from the outside. Here’s an example of a slide lock.
Before you install your slide lock, here are a couple of things to consider.
If you want the added benefit of being able to lock and unlock your garage door from the outside, then you’ll need to purchase and install a lock cylinder.
If you’re looking to go the extra mile to ramp up your garage door security you can install an automatic slide lock. This can be synced to your garage door opener to make for a more efficient process that ensures you don’t forget to unlock the slide lock before opening your garage door.
Tip – If you want to make life easier for yourself, you can always buy a locking kit. This will save you some time and money as it will provide you with everything you need.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if there is already a lock in place on the garage door that can be opened with an electric door opener, be sure to check that you have unlocked the physical lock before opening the door electronically as this may cause severe damage.
This is a great option for your looking for some added security with little hassle. All this lock requires is screwing in place and then you’re good to go. This type of lock works well on a hinged door.
Install A Heavy-Duty Garage Door Lock
For added security on locking your garage door externally, you can fix your garage door to the ground. Again, you can purchase a locking kit for this that will make for an easy and efficient process.
To secure this type of lock you’ll need to fix a base plate to the ground and secure the rest of the lock into the garage door.
Once securely in place, you can use a padlock to secure the two parts together. This is a full-proof way of securing your garage door as it provides heavy-duty security.
For extra heavy-duty security, the third option to secure your garage door is to install a door defender. Garage door defenders only work on up and over garage doors so if you have a sectional door, a padlock or slide lock may be a better option for you.
Securing a door defender on the outside of your garage door is a great way to deter unwanted visitors from trespassing.
It is also a great alternative for anyone who doesn’t want to drill holes into their garage door as it is surface mounted. This is also a great option if you rarely open your garage door from the outside as it will enable consistent security until you decide to remove it.
A garage defender will come with a base plate and a lock.
To install the door defender you’ll need to bolt down the base plate into the ground in front of the outside of your garage door. Once secure, you can then secure the door defender on the top of the base.
You can then use a padlock to lock the door. The door defender will work to lock the door in place.
As you can see there are a multitude of ways you can add extra security to your house by adding an external lock to your garage door. Whether you have an up and over, sectional, hinged, or electric garage door, a manual lock is a great way to get some extra security.
The slide lock, heavy-duty lock, and garage defender, each work to protect and deter. They are each easy to install. Each of these projects will require basic tools of bolts, screws, a drill, and a hammer).
If you are unsure about proceeding with the installation on your own, there are always professionals available who would be happy to help.
But, if you are feeling like getting hands-on, but you are a DIY beginner, there are plenty of lock kits available that will provide tools and instructions to help you along the way.
