Your garage is an essential part of your home and properly securing it is a worthy investment. There are several designs, and types of garage door locks out there, and we will be examining all of them in this post.
Why use Garage Door Locks?
1. Garage Door locks are easy to install and maintain and do not get damaged by water or harsh weather conditions quickly. A good wipe will keep them as good as new.
2. They are easy to repair and use. Anyone can operate these locks, and only a few minutes are required to detect the fault in them when they get bad.
3. Garage Door locks do not cost a fortune. The tools used in repairing these locks are affordable and readily available.
How do Garage Door Locks Work?
The mechanism by which a garage door lock works is found at the other side of the door handle. The most common system is wire-operated. Garage door locks with this mechanism lock automatically when you close them, and the wires pull the sprung latches behind the door frame.
Another way these locks work is by a solid bar mechanism. The solid bar in this system is usually fixed and must be turned by the door handle before the door is locked with a key.
Now, let’s have a look at the types of garage door locks.
Types of Garage Door Locks
Garage door locks are primary distinguished by the kind of handles they have. In general, the types of these locks available are;
1. Locks with Standard Garage Door T Handles
The most popular colour for this type of garage door lock is grey, although you can select between white and black as well. There is a spindle bar at the back which may be diamond or square-shaped. It also has two lugs, which you should use with screws in mounting the handle to the garage door. The lugs may be short or long.
2. Locks with long Plate Garage Door T Handles
These locks are very similar to those with the standard T handles. The noticeable difference is that the plate on this type is longer than in the lock with standard T handles. The major difference between them is that four lugs are mounted on this lock, unlike the two on its counterpart.
3. Locks with Euro-operated Garage T Handles
The handles of these locks have keyholes at the front, and usually, use a sliding bar mechanism to lock your garage door.
What are the Additional Accessories you can use to Protect your Garage?
A lock should secure your garage for you. However, if you need accessories to go with the locks, then there are quite a number of them available. The most common ones are;
1. Pacri Bolts
These are additional security devices that you mount at the back of your garage door and are used with coach bolts. Pacri bolts have keyhole covers (escutcheon) to protect the lock from harsh weather conditions., and locate the key in the lock.
Pacri bolts protrude about 70mm from the frame of the door and operate with a 4-sided crucifix key.
2. Garage Defenders
Garage door defenders are small accessories fixed on the ground to hold your garage door back. There are many designs, colours and styles of this device, with the black, cylindrical-like defenders being the most popular.
Garage doors could have an enclosed surrounding, which would give the lock more protection from break-ins. Once fixed, it rests against the door and keeps it locked. A metal bracket is drilled to the floor with bolts, so the defender doesn’t wobble against the door.
Garage door defenders conform to the security standards of the police and insurance companies.
3. Garage Bolts
These are devices that you mount at the back of your door so that it can be opened and closed from the inside only. They can be placed on the left or right side of the garage doors, as well as behind the door’s frame. Garage bolts may be a locking or non-locking type.
4.Electric Key Switches
This type of switches are useful in opening and closing electric-controlled garage door.
How to keep your Garage Door Keys Safe?
Garage door keys can be easily misplaced. However, the fear is that anyone who knows the stamped key number can cut a new one. We recommend that you grind the code on the key off and keep a note of the key number instead.
In conclusion, a good garage lock is a must-have for your house. You could use them with other accessories to completely guarantee the security of the things you keep in your garage.
