[Red Squirrel]

This is something often not thought of, but a garage door is VERY easy to get in. I forgot to lock my car last night, someone stole the garage door opener and also opened the door and left it open all night. Nothing was stolen, but they'll most likely be back.

If they had not stole the opener, they could simply get another and try all the frequencies until it works... so having the wireless opener active may not be so much a good idea.

Another security issue, even with the opener unplugged, a garage door is VERY easy to open. You simply have to lift the door.

What I will do is get some heavy duty bolts, chain and hooks, so I can chain the door so it can't open.

Home owners, double check your garage door security, you'd be surprised how easy it is to break into!

 

[awdblazer]

turn off your circuit breaker, take a pair of vise grips and put it on your track just above the top roller, works great

 

[DexterII]

Really sorry to hear that, Red; that kind of stuff really ticks me off. With everything properly installed, it is not quite that easy to force a garage door up. But, for added security in my barn, or in the gargae when we are travelling, I dilled holes in the tracks, just over one of the rollers, through which I can insert a U bolt. When not in use, the U bolts hang on a nail next to the door.

 

[DexterII]

Red, I just remembered the other thing that I was going to mention. Modern openers have rolling frequencies, and they will not work until synch'd with the opener itself. Check your manual, but I believe that you will find that you can "cleanse" the opener, so that none of your remotes work, and can then reprogram the remotes that you do have to work, which should render the stolen one useless.

 

[Mr Chips]

Red, I just remembered the other thing that I was going to mention. Modern openers have rolling frequencies, and they will not work until synch'd with the opener itself. Check your manual, but I believe that you will find that you can "cleanse" the opener, so that none of your remotes work, and can then reprogram the remotes that you do have to work, which should render the stolen one useless.

That's correct of most openers made from around 1997 and on. If your opener is older, it might be time to go shopping

 

[Red Squirrel]

Red, I just remembered the other thing that I was going to mention. Modern openers have rolling frequencies, and they will not work until synch'd with the opener itself. Check your manual, but I believe that you will find that you can "cleanse" the opener, so that none of your remotes work, and can then reprogram the remotes that you do have to work, which should render the stolen one useless.

This one has dip switches in the remote if I remember, there is probably dip switches in the opener itself (don't see any on the outside). But even if I change it, they'll just try all the combinations until they get in. I just unplugged it.

What I'll do is install a timer switch for that outlet, when I want to use the opener I hit the switch then hit the inside button to open it after I undid the latches. The reason for the timer is so I don't have to remember to turn it off.


For now, I have a bunch of 2x6 leaning against the door, if they try to pull it up they'll get bombarded and it will make lot of noise and hopefully catch someone's attention, also added a falling shovel as a finishing touch. :thumbup:

 

[Maintenance 6]

Mine has about 10 dip switches. One would have to spend quite a while figuring out the combinations. If I'm going to be away for a length of time, I snap a padlock into the track through a hole just above a roller. If they get in some other way, they're not going to have an easy time opening the door to carry away anything big.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I just bought two of U bolts, 1 foot chain, and spring hooks. All heavy duty. I'll install this setup on both sides. Basically U bolt with chain in it, then the spring hook into the chain and into one of the hinges. It aint moving.

I don't have time tonight but when I get around to it I'll also rig something so when it gets forced up, it makes a loud alarm, so they'll pull it up, it will hit the chain and stop, and the alarm will sound until they let go. I have a 180db siren somewhere in my junk box, I'll throw it in the soffit so that it's technically outside but out of view. Should be a decent surprise!

 

[Giles]

A safety feature that I would like to add is----be sure you have a strong safety cable running through the inside diameter of both springs. That is, if you have side springs instead of torsen spring.
If the spring breaks, it will do a lot of damage to a vehicle, or cause bodily injury.:yes:

 

[iamrfixit]

Another security issue, even with the opener unplugged, a garage door is VERY easy to open. You simply have to lift the door.
Home owners, double check your garage door security, you'd be surprised how easy it is to break into!

This is not true.

The door is locked solidly to the opener, the opener motor is connected inside the unit by a worm drive assembly. Pulling the door up cannot spin the opener motor through the worm drive. If the opener is properly attached to the door the only way the door can be lifted manually is if the emergency rope is pulled.

 

[josall]

It might be easier to just by a new opener, my chamberlin (4 yrs. old) has a lockout feature on the wall button that prevents the door from opening. If your remote is stolen just buy a new one and reprogram it, it takes 5 seconds to do.

 

[Red Squirrel]

This is not true.

The door is locked solidly to the opener, the opener motor is connected inside the unit by a worm drive assembly. Pulling the door up cannot spin the opener motor through the worm drive. If the opener is properly attached to the door the only way the door can be lifted manually is if the emergency rope is pulled.

Not mine, it can be either opened by the opener, or manually. There's a pull cord above to slide the door up. I usually just use one of the middle latches and pull up with my finger.

This is what I did on both sides to solve this unauthorized entry issue.

I'll have to open up the opener to play around with the dip switches or see if the wireless can be disabled, but for now it's unplugged. If they try now it will burn out the motor.

 

[Giles]

Not mine, it can be either opened by the opener, or manually. There's a pull cord above to slide the door up. I usually just use one of the middle latches and pull up with my finger.

This is what I did on both sides to solve this unauthorized entry issue.

I'll have to open up the opener to play around with the dip switches or see if the wireless can be disabled, but for now it's unplugged. If they try now it will burn out the motor.

How would it burn out motor if it's unplugged:confused1:

 

[Red Squirrel]

No, I mean if it was plugged. Have to fix it (change dip switches or disable wireless) before I plug it back in. :laughing:

 

[iamrfixit]

Not mine, it can be either opened by the opener, or manually. There's a pull cord above to slide the door up. I usually just use one of the middle latches and pull up with my finger.

You have to trip the emergency release to raise the door manually?
Can you trip the release from outside?

Any opener I have ever seen or installed has a release cord on the inside of the door. This allows the door to be easily lifted manually in the event of power failure or problems with the opener.

That doesn't mean the door is not securely locked from the outside. If you have to already be inside the garage to trip the release that is not really what I would consider a break-in.

I have installed openers with provisions to pull the release from outside, these require a key to do so. Installs like this are for garages where the overhead door is the only entry.

 

[epson]

Wow you guys don’t have a garage door latch on your doors? Up here all garage doors have a sliding latch which would be installed by the garage door manufacture and the latch slides right into the track to lock the door.
they are like $ 5.00

 

[Red Squirrel]

I can lift it from outside, but it's just there's not much grip so it's hard to do. The cord does not really release anything, it just pulls on the chain which pulls the door up/down. I can also just grab one of the center hinges of the door and pull up. The torsion bar makes this quite effortless. A crook could probably stick a crow bar under, lift a bit, then do the rest by hand.

Well, not anymore. I went overkill with those chains and U bolts, but you can never be too overkill when it comes to combating crooks. :thumbup:

 

[Leah Frances]

Wow you guys don’t have a garage door latch on your doors? Up here all garage doors have a sliding latch which would be installed by the garage door manufacture and the latch slides right into the track to lock the door.
they are like $ 5.00

We have one of these on our garage doors. It connects to a handle in the center of the door and has a lock - when we bought the house we had it keyed the same as our entry door locks.

But my garage isn't connected to my house; so it's not quite the security worry....

 

[epson]

The one I mean is installed on the inside near the track and slides into a slot in the track. No key required but it does have a hole to put a pad lock if needed.

This is what you have

these have cables

 

[Leah Frances]

The one I mean is installed on the inside near the track and slides into a slot in the track. No key required but it does have a hole to put a pad lock if needed.

This is what you have

these have cables

Yeah, mine is the same, except it is connected by bars to a handle in the middle of the door. Turning the handle rotates the 'tabs' out of the slots in the track. I'll shoot a pic tomorrow. Too late to go tromping out to the garage in my PJs.