How To STOP Garage Door Break-Ins! Burglar-Proof Your HOME! (10 TIPS To Keep Your Family SAFE!)
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
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On this video I will be showing you how to STOP garage door break-ins! This video shows 10 TIPS to keep your family and home SAFE and help prevent thieves from breaking into your home! Burglar-Proof your home today!
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#garage #door #garagedoor 
Хобби
Cut a length of a large diameter pool noodle - then slit it from end to end on one side - then slip it over the emergency string - then put a zip tie around the pool noodle so it can't slip off - then it can't be pulled outside.
Thank you for sharing this tip! 👍🏽😊
I was thinking along the same lines, but I figured 3/8" PEX tubing would work. It's thin, but it is reasonably rigid.
Awesome idea 👌😎
Interesting solution of yours. Thanks for sharing.
Here's an improvement that's less labor intensive.
[1.] Instead of slicing a pool noodle and then using a zip tie to re-close it, just remove the red plastic handle from the rope pull. Then thread the rope thru the noodle and reattach the handle. Or,
[2.] Buy an inexpensive length of 'pipe foam insulation', which is 'pre-slit' and self-gluing.
Good idea. Also 1/2" PVC pipe with end cap would work. Just remove the red handle and drill a small hole at the end cap. Thread the cord through it and tie a knot at the end. I don't see how a thief with coat hanger could pull that pipe outside.
Dude thank you so much for raising awareness for this type of break-in I really appreciate it
I’m glad I could be of help! 🙏🏽😊
One thing you forgot to mention when you are putting things on or in the tracks to prevent the door from opening up, make sure to unplug the garage door opener. If not you will destroy it when someone hits the button.
Been there, done that. Bends the top rail of the door!
I'd unplug the opener also....with my luck I'd forget I had a lock on the rail.
SO glad you posted this. Our new garage will be finished this week and I had no idea that this was even an issue - I’ve always been a condo guy. Thanks!! 👍
You are one of my favorite DIY home security instructors. So helpful, clear, concise, and just the best! Thank you!
Thanks for the video. Some garage doors won't be disabled by unplugging the opener. Many have battery back-ups now. So if you're going to be away for a while pull the opener release and then lock the track.
Sincerely, you have provided every piece of information for safety with garage doors. Thank you so much!!! I know exactly what to look for now!!! 🙏💖🤗
The one everyone forgets is to LOCK THE ENTRY DOOR BETWEEN GARAGE AND HOUSE. If they break into the garage, they still do not have access to the house. Make them work for it. Especially for those who sleep like a log as folks have had rapes and such after they accessed the garage and just walked into the house to find someone in bed. I always suggest that single women who might have stalkers or such to get in the habit of locking that door. And of course if you use alarms make sure that that door has a sensor to set it off as well. That way you have two alarm sensors they must get through to reach you inside. So many get spoiled by the garage door being closed and just leave that door unlocked but it is a real risk since garage door are not that secure. Just saying.
Also, have a real door between the house and garage. Not some flimsy foam core door. Get a real solid steel cased door with a good frame. Yes, make them work for it.
Agreed. I go through my garage to enter my house every time. I live on a nice quiet dead end street where all the neighbors know each other but I always deadbolt my door between garage/house.
Great tips - I use the manual sliding locks when I'm home. For when I'm not home, I think I will remove the pull cord completely and make my own coat hanger pull to use in a power outage and hang it near the door inside the garage. No cord to snag from the outside.
I just removed the cord entirely and replaced it with a 4 foot by 1/2 inch dowel rod that has a hook on the end to attach to the Garage Door Latch, where the string was attach before, but the rod is stored on the garage wall where it can easily be accessed when needed. Just grab the pole, hook the latch, pull it down and door is disengaged, and then put the pole back on the wall. No string to be snagged or in the way, but I can still disengage the door when needed. The rod is painted a bright yellow as well as the spot where it goes to allow the latch to be pulled. If the pole is left on the latch, no problem as it won't go through the seal as it will just break if pulled at the angle needed to try to get it through the garage top seal.
That is smart! Thank you so much for sharing your solution! 👍🏽😊🙏🏽
I did the same thing, I just removed the cord and have a broom handle with a hook on the end. I use the same tool to pull down the garage attic access stairs.
@@samuelkilianjr.3694 Yup, that was basically my first iteration of it, but I used a paint roller extension handle. I switched to a dowel rod when we needed to do some painting...lol
Yes!! I came here looking for this!
Definitely using some of these tips after my home was burglarized today. Thank you for giving me so many ways to feel safer in my home.
Attaching pliers, locks and screwdrivers to the rails is a great way of damaging the garage door when some one hits the remote not knowing or forgetting the rail is blocked.
that is a good point! Thank you for sharing!
As long as you remember to hit the lock button on the keypad it shouldn’t be a problem.
A decade ago in my first home I forgot to undo the garage door locks and the old garage door opener ripped itself apart when I pushed the button. The door was fine but the opener's motor was torn off the plastic housing. Had to buy a new opener lol.
@@Robpol86 The one time I did this, I turned off the circuit for that reason.
When I was little, I locked one of those slide locks on my grandmothers garage door. Someone tried to open the door and smoked the motor.
Option 7 is the best. That’s what I’ve been using for the past 25 years. Great Video !!!
Thank you Scotie for the feedback! 🙏🏽😊
Best method for eliminating a break-in from the emergency release being pulled is to remove it. Simply place a heavy duty key ring through the hole or use a carabiner. Then attach another carabiner to the pull cord and hang it on your wall or somewhere on the opposite side if the door. In an emergency it can be easily attached with one hand in about 2 seconds. Learned this from a security consultant.
As for the garage door opener and MyQ technology, it's not totally secure. As you mentioned pulling the power plug when away. I've found a simpler and faster solution by installing a smart plug that I can shut off power to the opener and or turn on the power through Google or Alexa and or my phone from anywhere in the world. I also have door sensors as well.
Good stuff. I use the shield method and of course I have MyQ. But eliminating the cord all together is a idea.
I like these ideas best.
I also like the smart plug. While some will say that's still a risk because its electronic communication, a thief hacking two hard-to-crack codes is a very low chance.
@@javaman2883 I would think the smart plug would be very effective - if the door didn't open, a random thief would just believe his code transmitter didn't work with the garage door opener, not that there is an additional layer of protection.
Unplugging the door opener or disconnecting the power to it does nothing to stop the burglar with the coat hanger from grabbing the rope and opening the door. The 10th tip he shows is also useless if someone uses the coat hanger to grab the emergency release; My Q, for instance, only records when the door opener activates to open and/or close the door. If it’s opened manually, that system won’t even indicate a thing. Even if you have a door alarm, that will only let you know someone has broken in. If you live in a rural area the burglar may not even care if an audible alarm is going off; they can usually clean a place of valuables in just a few minutes. They’d be long gone before anyone arrives to stop them.
Nice tips and thank you for sharing.
Some of the tips are potentially hazardous, since people do dumb things and might forget that the rail/track has an obstruction attached (lock, vise grips, etc.), then press their 'garage door remote' or press that 'button' on the wall near their interior door.
Similar to the 'shield' that attaches to the lift arm, I made my own shield (a simple board about 4' in length = approx. 2' to each side of the lift arm) and screwed it into the door frame above the top of the garage door. If someone tries to 'fish' a coat hanger thru the 'gap', the 90 degree shield will divert it downward so they can't succeed.
Thank you very much for you time. And your information. Very helpfully.
Great tips for securing your overhead door. Thanks!
Thank you so much! 🙏🏽😊
Great points. Thanks for letting us be aware of this.
Thank you! I’m glad I could be of help! 🙏🏽😊
Great ideas, THANKS!
Excellent tips, thank you for the great ideas!
Thank you so much! 🙏🏽😊
Thanks a million, very well done !!
The first and maybe even the only tip needed should have been to set your top brackets properly so there is not a massive gap to begin with. If you are still worried after that, just wrap the pull cord around the J arm so it's not hanging free.
Great tips didn’t really think about this 👍👍👍👍
Definitely going to do one or two of these. Thanks!
Use a piece of 1/2 in. PVC pipe that extends from the opener to a few inches below the top of the door. Install it by placing a pipe cap on the bottom of it with a hole drilled in it so the rope can slide through. Secure by knotting the rope after siding the pipe/cap assembly on.
Yep. I said the same thing in other comment before I saw this. lol.
Thank FIU for the tips in this video.
Thank you for doing such a good job.
Thank you so much Joseph! Your comment means a lot! 👍🏽😊🙏🏽
Wow - I had no idea that was a way to break in. Thank you !!
😆 🤣 😂 😹
My tips.
Most of these are thin sheet metal.
So no matter how many of these tips are used, ultimately this is still a weak entry point.
So re-enforce the entry door between the garage and your home and LOCK it.
What he failed to show is the vice grip or padlock should be placed near the roller so the door doesn’t move.
Any extra gap at the bottom makes it easier for a pry bar or board to used to force the door.
Instead of the lock, I use a large carabiner in the same location.
Using the padlock can make it more difficult for a thief to exit with your stuff.
But it will also make it more difficult for you or family member to exit a fire or other emergency in your underwear without keys. 🙀
Save the padlock for out of town trips when the house will be unoccupied.
My house will not have a garage door opener installed unless myself or someone else in the home is handicapped.
That solves several security issues at one time.
Anything that makes entry into your home convenient for you, also makes it easier for thieves and those that wish to do harm.
Anything that makes it more difficult for criminals to get in can also trap you inside.
Any changes you make from industry standards can also put you at a liability risk should a guest stay over, or you sell the home.
Please if you have an opener on your door avoid manual locks/pad locks or vice grips. I’ve been in the field repairing and replacing overhead doors for 6 years now and way too many people damage or total their doors using these methods. Poor advice given there. Also if you have a recent liftmaster belt drive many of them are compatible with power locks. That would be the route to go
Thank you so much for sharing your expertise! 🙏🏽😊
I’m definitely going for a side opener with electronic lock.
Attach the pull cord to the trigger of a shotgun, with the gun aiming downward in the center outside of the O/H door. The noise of the gun going off will wake you up.
I was thinking the same thing. Shotgun. Boom! 😂🤣
And that is a felony in all 50 states
@@bobjoatmon1993 shoot first and don't ask any questions. The United States is in a state of utter decay anyway.
@@bobjoatmon1993 prove it,
@@bobjoatmon1993 Evidence of a poorly led Nation.
I painted a piece of PVC black and attached it to the arm running to door. Then placed the cord inside the PVC with only a few inches exposed for access to the handle. Also changed the handle for T-style to a Ball.
Some great ideas, thank you!
I’m glad I could be of help Robin! 🙏🏽😊
I installed a #125 Cane Corso in the house with dog door access to the garage. Also wifi camera to catch the fun.
0:42 - This is BY FAR the easiest and best method. Thanks!
Awesome video Bro! Great tips
Really good information. I was not aware of the hanger wire on the string thing. My garage came with the slide latch thing, so, I'm good.
What's the slide latch thing?
Never even thought about that! Wow
GOOD VIDEO! Thank you.
David
Thank you David! 🙏🏽😊
Thanks for the tips. Just put velcro on the cord handle and the horizontal bar? The cord is meant to be pull from the inside anyway. So when needed just get it off and use.
Good tips, thanks
I would also suggest just removing the cord altogether. Buy a 3 or 4 foot long, half-inch diameter wooden dowel, screw a hook in one end, and don't put it on the latch, but put it somewhere in the garage when needed.
Thank you for sharing your awesome advice! 👍🏽😊
When needed... and when the garage is full of smoke from a running car or fire... your suggestion is moronic. Just cut the toggle off. You're not bright. End of line.
Thank You!❤
I’m glad I could be of help! 🙏🏽😊
Add a piece of RIGID tubing around the cord. Untie the end, remove the knob, and put the cord through a length of RIGID tubing or thin pipe so that there is just enough of the cord left sticking out to tie the knob back on. Even if they use a wire to fish the tube, it won't make the bend around the top of the door. Alternately, REPLACE the cord with something solid that does not bend at all, but be careful that the bottom end is safe for people to walk into.
I had a piece of aprox 1/8" steel rod that I used to replace the string, which sounds like your idea exactly!
Thanks for this!
I’m glad I could be of help! 🙏🏽😊
Hank up the pull cord and cable tie it to the release pawl. I use two C clamps, one in each door track just above a roller to secure the door when I am away.
love your tip #6... if that piece of plastic/shield was much wide across the door wide (horizontally) that would be good, may be 2 to 3 feet.. then it will prevent a long hanger to reach the pull cord. i personally feel the whole of shield is way too small, need to be much biggerrrrrrrrr...may need a DIY for that idea to come thru.
Excellent!!!
Great video
Tip number 7. You can still open the garage door with the release pull rope. On my garage door thieves just put a crowbar underneath and broke the lower panel. Thin garage door. Came in the house through the standard interior door. Since then reinforced garage door lower panel and house entry steel door. Put drop bars that drop into the concrete when the garage door shuts. Open out of the way when the door slightly opens one foot. Btw the frosted panels easily pop out.
Thank you for sharing! I will put the alarm sensor on the door, it’s vibration sensitive, but might set off during high winds. I’m sorry about your breakin! It must have been a terrifying experience! 😔
@@FixThisHouse Fortunately they caught them after about the 10th house they broke into the same way. Is still done not pay for any damages done to the houses. I'm sure even with all the reinforcement if you get a crowbar under the door it causes a lot of damage
@@krg038 ,
There's a old saying , A lock only keeps a honest man honest .
A friend of mine lives in a older mobile home , the damn thief cut a hole in his roof of his home to gain entrance, there were metal frame guards on the windows an 2 heavy wrought iron door on both outer doors .
The guy that broke in thought he was breaking in the drug dealers home that was 4 mobiles down as they were both a similar color 🙄.
You can use the clamps that hold down pick up truck toppers. Clamp them to the track above the wheels on the door.
Thank you
Another tip, use a tie wrap to strap the cord to the black release bar, you could also theoretically tie a knot below the tie wrap so it couldn't be pulled in, just in case the theif does manage to pull the cord away from the bar.
I just wrap the cord around the shaft that connects to the door a few times, also some of the newer ones you pull in the opposite direction that you was showing
Great Great idea 👌💡👍💡
Another option is to use an electric lock for the opener that is activated by the opener. The Liftmaster 841LM is one model.
Useful information.
Thank you 🙏🏽!
Buy a $10 radio and run it thru a timer behind the door. Set it to a rap station. leave a 25 watt light on Simple. I have keep my Prius parked in the driveway safe for years doing similar.
That is genius! Thank you for sharing! 👍🏽😊
That is the most RACIST thing I have ever heard. So you are implying that only thieves listen to RAP STATIONS? Get the fuck outta here before you are reported.
Well the best way to avoid having your car stolen is to buy a Prius.
Great tips 👍
Thank you 🙏🏽!
Good tips from you and the comment section also. Thank you all
Thank you so much! 🙏🏽😊
The top of the door can be pushed in far enough to get the pull knob out. I added the Shield, cut my cord length, then ran it through the shield attachment holding it on to the bar. I can reach it and it still pulls down. So the string runs to the back of the shield and still pulls down fine with no room to reach the out side.
Good info
Thank you!!
Our garage door has a lock in the side rail that is activated when the door shuts with the opener. Also they make pullcords on the side with a shaft drive opener.
Taught me how to break in to someone's garage and prevent them from doing it to me xD thanks bro!
Haha! I got you bro! 😎👊🏽
Thank you !
You are welcome GV! 👍🏽😊
Great tips
Thank you Angela! 🙏🏽😊
I put a small tie-wrap thru the hole and fished the cord thru it, then tied it in a clove-hitch knot to the arm. This prevents the release from pulling downwards, but I'd just need to loosen the clove hitch to flip it down.
Excellent.
Thank you 🙏🏽!
I also love the one about putting the deadbolt that's a great idea have a kid latch that then you come home from work and hit your opener and rip the top of your door off
I have installed a stand-alone MyQ device last year, work great with my phone!
Very nice! Really like how you can have so much control on a simple as a garage door 👍🏽😊🙏🏽
@@FixThisHouse by the way, how does the car rooftop carrier working out for you this summer? I haven’t bought it yet. How secure/stable it is in your experience?
Great video man 👍
Thank you so much!! 🙏🏽😊
We cut ours off and made a small loop that a carabiner clips to with the actual pullcord handle and we have that hanging on our key rack for if we need it
Wyze makes a garage door camera with control for opening and closing. And you can check the camera to see what your garage is open or closed.
Also consider that those cords are nylon and in the case of a fire, it's likely to melt if you try to pull it so they are useless in case of a fire emergency.
My suggestion is a length of pool noodle or something similar from the lever to near the red pull thingy. Then attach a tennis ball or something like that in its place.
Thank you.
I’m glad I could be of help Glen! 🙏🏽😊
Added to #8. I have 3 garage doors. I wired all the power sources to a switch inside near the entry door. Then I put a KEY lock switch in place of the normal one. Turn the KEY, remove it and leave.
Years ago someone drove into my overhead garage door...one side of all the panels where hanging down and other side was tilted..dont know to this day if attempt breakin or drunk driver or what..but had to get 4 new panels, rollers, hinges and new track for one side.
I really like the pool noodle application. While the presentation was good, disconnecting the opener power would not solve the string being pulled out. However, it never crossed my mind that this could happen in the first place. I’ll be sharing the video with my neighbors.
IF the garage door is adjusted correctly, it is very difficult to snag that pull cord. The top hinge on both ends of the door is adjustable so you can set the top edge of the door to press tightly up to the framing. It is also necessary to adjust the down force on the opener to apply some pressure and not just let the door bottom barely touch. This will help the auto reverse safety feature work as intended, but will also apply horizontal pressure against the door at the top center so a thief can't just push it in to allow him access to fish for that cord. Do both of these things properly, and then go outside and see if you can break in with a coat hanger. Or you can buy gadgets to shield that emergency release mechanism and cord so it's virtually impossible to snag them with a coat hanger. Btw, you can also buy the kind of door opener than has an electric lock mechanism that works similar to the manual lock bars, with the electric version being a better choice because it works with the opener. The lock unlocks first, then the opener operates. That way you don't damage the opener.
⁷I
Excellent tips for the garage from you can enter into the house. Do you have tips for the garages which do not have access into the houses.
Heres a tip. The closer arm should go further towards the front of the garage, basically breaking over center. Picture the drop arm leaning towards the outside, instead of leaning towards the inside like this arm does in the video. Then when they pull the emergency release and lift the door, it jambs on the lift arm because the lift arm will try to travel more forward, instead of easily backwards. I have my door setup that way, and they aren't lifting it easily. The other main attack is to pry up on one corner of the door and slide under. The only way to prevent that is lower lock bars at both sides of the bottom of the door, which are not user friendly when you just want to push a button and open the door.
Thank you for this tip! 👍🏽😊
My garage ceiling is low, I get a 2x4 and wedge it lengthwise between the top of the door and the ceiling when I go on vacation. I also pull the plug.
I just removed that string, drilled the cord hole slightly bigger, and used a 3' length of brass rod bent so I could hook it into the release.
That shield could be made of a sheet of plastic and made much larger. Then it could be loosely attached to the top of the door and the opener arm and it would really be a pain to get a wire around it if you even knew it was there.
The simplest thing to do, and it sets itself every time, is
Get an opener with an automatic dead bolt.
I installed a liftmaster jack shaft drive, it eliminates the track hanging from the ceiling and secures the door every time it closes.
Another solution is to get a side mounted motor. Also known as a jackshaft. The pull cord for those is off to the side. they also have an automatic lock that locks and unlocks as the button is pushed. However, not recommended for low headroom doors with low ceilings and not recommended for garages without a walk through door. Both of those are less common though
We have installed LM 8500's on Low headroom before,look up cable keepers,cheap insurance so the cables don't dump.
23 years in garage doors here.
I don't have an attached garage. Mine is separate but I still have a tip. Prefferably get a garage door opener that has a vacation mode which shuts down the receiver for the remote.
One more thing. Lasar for the garage door. The doors are being broken into by raming into the lower panel of the door with a vehicle pushing the hings apart. A lasar would ensure that the panels are lined up and you could bounce the lasar off of a leg where the magnetic control would be. The same lasar could be used as a trip line over the floor in the garage.
Or when installing a new garage door opener… install a wall mount style opener (it mounts on one end of the garage door shaft) Not only are they unbelievably quiet… it leaves the entire ceiling open
Alan, I've seen these, many of them also have a type of dead bolt the moves into the guide as a lock mechanism when closed
you know how many people attach stuff to there tracks and forget about it and hit the button and usually more then once and stress the door to the max.dont put stuff on the tracks.get a door open indicator.but no matter what you do if they want to get in they will.did emergency service for 20 years in Milwaukee North side.try getting in to garage with no opener only lock no windows in a ally at 1030 at nite.
I haven't seen any mention of the doors weight. I have a 2-car garage door. When my opener croaked, I pulled the release as I had to get my car out for work. It took me, my wife and my daughter - struggling - to get it open. I think neighbors would notice 2 or 3 strangers messing around someone's garage. I guess a 1 car garage door would about half the weight. Funny thing, 2 weeks after that the tension spring snapped. Had to do the same thing again, lol.
You could have always had someone press the open button while you lifted up on the door at the side with the broken spring. No need to Release it. Close it by having someone press the button while you assist the door from closing too fast at the side with the broken spring.
Tip #2 is a safe bet with padlocks on both sides. Even if they break those windows, they still can't get in thru the garage. Or if they are inside your house, they can't open your garage door either. Drill a hole right above the wheel & lock it with padlock. Both sides would secure your garage door well.
I exchanged my pull chord with braided ramen noodles. That way if somebody fishes the noodle-chord through the garage door, they'll get a delicious prize for their effort.
I have a length of rebar in my garage door. Through the rail and the other end through the hinge at the center of the door.
Unplugging the door opener or disconnecting the power to it does nothing to stop the burglar with the coat hanger from grabbing the rope and opening the door. The 10th tip he shows is also useless if someone uses the coat hanger to grab the emergency release; My Q, for instance, only records when the door opener activates to open and/or close the door. If it’s opened manually, that system won’t even indicate a thing.
Even if you have a door alarm, that will only let you know someone has broken in. If you live in a rural area the burglar may not even care if an audible alarm is going off; they can usually clean a place of valuables in just a few minutes. They’d be long gone before anyone arrives to stop them.
Good ideas. What I did was remove the nylon cord and replaced it with a straight stiff welding rod with no pull handle. I bent the end of the rod and looped it through the door release lever. Since the rod is stiff and not like a cord, there is no way any coat hanger can grab the stiff rod and feed it through the top of the door.
That is an amazing idea Kornami! Thank you for sharing this method! 👍🏽😊🙏🏽
Good way to scratch the top of a vehicle if it is tall like an SUV. That is why they use rope.
@@markpashia7067 Good point. I would also suggest just removing the cord altogether. Buy a 3 or 4 foot long, half-inch diameter wooden dowel, screw a hook in one end, and don't put it on the latch, but put it somewhere in the garage when needed.
If the door is installed correctly and the door opening is built correctly it is not possible to get anything through to get at the pull cord. For additional assurance, just screw on an additional trim (wood or metal) on the top edge of the door.
You mentioned in Tip #3 to take off the red handle from the pull-cord. But in the beginning of the video when you pulled the cord through the gap with the coat hanger, the red handle didn't even matter. You were still able to get the cord through without the handle, so I question if that's really a fix. (This is the method I had used on my door, but after seeing this video and how the red handle is irrelevant in getting the cord through the gap, I'm re-thinking this.)
2o years in the business, ive never grabbed the rope. Using a hanger i grab the trolly release itself. You need to drill a hole in the upper part of the release then run a cable tie through the new hole and the hole the rope used..