leaving the garage door open - solution for forgetful kids

[aaronrkelly]

I have a modest 30x32 garage but much like everyones here, the real value is its contents. I likely have $30K or more in tools.....then 5 motorcycles, my ATV, riding lawn mower, chainsaw, weedeater, generater etc. We ride bikes and weve sworn off Walmart bikes so everyone is riding Trek.

.....and to teach my kids value I made them save and buy their bikes. The hope was they would actually take care of them and for the most part they have, they always put them away at night, never leave them outside in the rain etc.

......but I CANNOT get them to remember to close the damn garage door. LIKE EVER.

I gave up in the house.....Id come home after work at 6am and every light was on.....always. So I replaced all switches with proximity sensor light switches.

So I recently just gave up in the garage to. Chamberlain makes a product in their MyQ line that solved my problem. Its a nifty little box that you connect to your garage door (its universal unless you have really old ****) and then your wifi. Download an app on your smartphone or go to their website and you can control your garage door from anywhere.

I use the app and have alarms set.

For instance IF the garage door is open for longer then 2 hours it send me an alert and I can close it. If its open after 9pm I get an alert. Its really handy.

I already have a keypad entry but my buddy that I exchange tools with can never remember it.....so when he texts to ask to borrow something I can just open and close the door for him so he cant get in.

The hardware was super easy to install but I had a hiccup when setting my account up online and needed tech support, I emailed them and they fixed my problem within 24 hours.

Cost me $70 on eBay.

 

[upndown]

Two hours is a lifetime to a thief!

 

[Worsedog]

My dad used a ball bat to cure my irresponsibility.

 

[BillK]

So what type of responsibility is this teaching your kids ????? I would let them leave the door open, then take their bikes and lock them up so they cant use them. Tell them that they got stolen ? Or just tell them the truth, that if they cant remember to close the door then you cant remember to let them ride their bikes.

Geeeeeeze

 

[ZRX61]

Two HOURS???? I'd have it cleaned out in 20 minutes.

 

[619DioFan]

So what type of responsibility is this teaching your kids ????? I would let them leave the door open, then take their bikes and lock them up so they cant use them. Tell them that they got stolen ? Or just tell them the truth, that if they cant remember to close the door then you cant remember to let them ride their bikes.

Geeeeeeze

I agree with this. teach them a lesson plus responsibility before some sticky fingered tweaker teaches you a very hard lesson.

 

[ghlkal]

Yeah, that's an interesting app.

I gave up in the house.....Id come home after work at 6am and every light was on.....always. So I replaced all switches with proximity sensor light switches.

 

[aaronrkelly]

Im still doing the "hey, you lost your privileges..."

The difference I when Im not there I know when the door was left open and can close it.

By give up I mean, not willing to trust that they will listen to me......not give up on teaching a lesson.

The house is a bit different.....long story that doesnt really belong here.

I live in the middle of nowhere town of 700 people....were everyone leaves their doors unlocked, keys in their cars etc. Granted, Im not doing THAT.....but Im not worried about the door left open for awhile.

.......and the 2 hours is user selectable - I could have set it to 1 minute but then when Im working in the garage with the door open my damn phone will blow up every minute telling me the door is open.

 

[WWShop]

I think consistency is key here. Forget to close the door....grounded for the day/night. No need to yell, scream or shout, just calmly explain they did something wrong and now there are consequences. No exception. I am not telling you how to parent your children, that is just how I handle these types of situations at our house.

 

[NES]

If your kids forget to close the garage door have them grounded for the day. Have them be in their bedroom for the day. Take away there cell phones, video games, movie and TV for the day. That will teach them a lesson real quickly!

If they forget to close the door again. Have them grounded for 2 days now. Still take away there stuff for 2 days.

 

[aaronrkelly]

If your kids forget to close the garage door have them grounded for the day. Have them be in their bedroom for the day. Take away there cell phones, video games, movie and TV for the day. That will teach them a lesson real quickly!

If they forget to close the door again. Have them grounded for 2 days now. Still take away there stuff for 2 days.

Damn fine idea.....why didnt I think of that *sarcasm*.

That still doesnt get my garage door closed if Im not there.

Im correcting the behavior.....but I still dont want my door left open.

 

[upndown]

Glad mine are all grown, don't envy you a bit! Not sure buying gadgetry is the answer, gadgetry fails! You'll figure it out just like our parents did and so on. Good luck!

 

[TK-421]

Time to teach your kids some responsibility. They won't learn to remember if you don't help teach them, and avoiding the problem isn't doing them any good.

 

[Coolabah]

Two HOURS???? I'd have it cleaned out in 20 minutes.

Hah ! slowing down a bit ?

Yeh I feel for the OP but I think he has missed the main problem- if the door is open all that time , then there is more time for someone to ascertain what's in the garage then return at their leisure- anyone with a few tools can break in even if the door is currently closed.....

 

[Coolabah]

Damn fine idea.....why didnt I think of that *sarcasm*.

That still doesnt get my garage door closed if Im not there.

Im correcting the behavior.....but I still dont want my door left open.

If I might offer a suggestion or two it wouuld be :

1) perhaps don't let your kids open the door at all
2) if they have access then set auto-close for 4 minutes- the kids will soon work out that the door will close if they are not quick enough to get their bikes out, they will re-open the door then it will auto-close 4 minutes later. It will be less hassle for them to be quick about it. Maybe, just maybe it will teach them that "garage door closed" is the default state . Won't necessarily teach them to close the door themselves though.

 

[WWShop]

Another idea would be some kind of reward if they can remember to shut the door for a week straight. They get a few dollars or they get to pick their favorite dinner. Of course, my dad didn't do positive reinforcement. You just did as he said or there was hell coming your way.

 

[Git]

Have any of you guys gone to bed at night to wake up to find that YOU forgot to close the door? I know I have.

Or wondered if you closed the door or not and had to get up from what you are doing and you had to go out and check on it?

Lets get real - it happens. Adults forget, kids forget.... His gizmo will help prevent it

That's all he is saying - no need for the lectures on how to raise kids....

 

[McSpike]

I have the same system for my garage door, and love it! With the direction my house faces, occasionally the sun will "blind" the sensor, and the door won't close. Or my wife or son will double-punch the remote leaving the door open. I love being able to close it from anywhere. As my son is graduating high school tomorrow, it as also been nice to be able to tell how long he has been home, as the app will tell you how long the door has been closed.

Note, I am not getting into the argument about parenting or teaching kids, I am just saying I like the product, and it works well for me, just as it seems to for the OP.

And the unit is under $100 at Amazon, so not too expensive. Now, I want to add a camera, so I can view inside the garage to be sure my wife or son aren't doing something that needs the garage door open!

 

[PelicanPines]

This is why I have no children. I also fully support crate training and understand why adult animals eat their young.

 

[Coolabah]

Have any of you guys gone to bed at night to wake up to find that YOU forgot to close the door? I know I have.

Or wondered if you closed the door or not and had to get up from what you are doing and you had to go out and check on it?

Lets get real - it happens. Adults forget, kids forget.... His gizmo will help prevent it

That's all he is saying - no need for the lectures on how to raise kids....

yes , but these is them internets... not everyone is you !

I have never forgotten to close my garage door . Kids did just the once but it was a medical emergency ( fell off bike in driveway- OF COURSE not an issue in my book ! ) OP posted his post , the world replies , not everyone likes all responses.

Personally, as long as replies are not abusive, I do not see a problem.... with all due and polite respect for your own personal view and opinion

 

[excavator]

I installed a liftmaster sidemount garage door opener but you need a a torsional spring set up. The sidemount has a great auto close feature at your choice of preset time and has a HOLD open button if you are working in garage and want it open. The other reason for my sidemount opener is I have a lift in my garage and the sidemount leaves the ceiling open for rasing cars

http://www.amazon.com/Liftmaster-8500-Mount-Garage-Opener/dp/B00BS28SP8

this is mine

 

[turbowoodworker]

Disconnect the door opener ( unplug) , lock the door, and make them use the man door to get the bikes out. Just guessing but the man door doesn't face the street like the big door does, right? Then use the ballbat

 

[cgrutt]

Have any of you guys gone to bed at night to wake up to find that YOU forgot to close the door? I know I have.

Or wondered if you closed the door or not and had to get up from what you are doing and you had to go out and check on it?

Lets get real - it happens. Adults forget, kids forget.... His gizmo will help prevent it

That's all he is saying - no need for the lectures on how to raise kids....

^^^^ This

Sounds like a great app OP, good luck with it.

 

[Richard Cranium]

sounds like a great devise. No kids at home, But the wife and I both will some times forget and leave the door open. My solution was to offer the neighbor kid 5 dollars to come over and let me know if my door is left open and no one is in the garage. This works for me, My oldest neighbor kid is 10, he watches my garage door like a hawk and is disappointed to see me out there working with the door up. 5 dollars to a ten year old is a fortune. But a small price to pay to keep some one from stealing my stuff. Rich

 

[rslaback]

The irony of this post is that if the OP had made no mentions of it being kids leaving the door open, the product would be receiving mostly positive mentions (with the negatives coming from the crowd who insist that the device is a government plant so that they can access your home to steal your guns and plant listening devices). Since kids were mentioned the parenting police are in force.

Edit: Like this

or this

 

[OccupantRJ]

This is the reason along with other reasons that there are no domestic items in my workshop. Hence one aspect of my avatar. Prevention worth 5 pounds of cure.

 

[CJ7VFR]

Along with what others have suggested, can you build/buy a small shed to place on your property for the kids to put their bikes in?

You could get a shed that is just big enough for their bikes and toys. Then they would not have to use your garage, and not leave the doors open all the time. You could give them each a key for the lock on the shed door to open/close it.

If they leave the shed door open/unlocked, and someone steals their bikes, well then, lesson learned, and they walk more until they save up enough money to buy another bike.

I like that you taught them to save their own money to buy their bikes. Now give them their own parking space for them in their own shed and let them be responsible for keeping their bikes safe.

Jim

 

[Worsedog]

Have any of you guys gone to bed at night to wake up to find that YOU forgot to close the door? I know I have.

Or wondered if you closed the door or not and had to get up from what you are doing and you had to go out and check on it?

Lets get real - it happens. Adults forget, kids forget.... His gizmo will help prevent it

That's all he is saying - no need for the lectures on how to raise kids....

Yes, I have forgotten and paid the price. I lost some stuff out of my garage due to that negligence. Guess what? I have not forgotten since!

Forgetting once in a while is one thing, all the time is just plain irresponsible.

 

[dfiler2]

I have the same setup and it is really handy, especially since my shop is 3 blocks from my home. I did the same thing having it alert me if the door was open for x amount of time but was also thinking that I didn't want it left open for that long. I changed my settings to alert me as soon as the door is opened and as soon as it is closed. Then I have the sound for that alert set to a different tone on my phone. It's pretty easy to keep track of which position the door is in. I used to blame stuff like this on the kids too, then after they left home I had to admit most of the lost tools, open doors and lights left on were because of me.

 

[BD1]

Get a small shed for the kids stuff and tell them stay out of garage. If the garage is attached the left open door could be costly to house contents too.

 

[Git]

Actually I just bought a new Chamberlain garage door opener earlier this month. Costco had it on sale for $279 and it came with a ton of stuff that I haven't gotten around to install yet

It does have the MyQ bridge to the internet, but it also has a little indicator light that I can plug in anywhere inside my house and it will show me if the door is open or closed. I guess after reading this thread I should get around to getting those things hooked up

http://www.costco.com/Chamberlain-W...System-and-Accessories.product.100035610.html

 

[aandpdan]

Chamberlain/Liftmaster also has a motion sensing control panel that can close the garage door automatically after a set period of time.

It will warn you by beeping first...

 

[kaymccampbell]

We've had some sort of bike shed for 32 years. As for leaving the garage doors open, it's very rare here. Someone has a VERY sharp tongue.

 

[rburke65]

No kids here....but why is it we have to reward them for doing something that they SHOULD be doing. We didn't get a "time out"...... We got a "times up!". Then we got our *** spanked. As always......just my opinion.

 

[dreamingmuscle]

Two HOURS???? I'd have it cleaned out in 20 minutes.

Not with your back.

 

[Katodog]

My dad used a ball bat to cure my irresponsibility.

In the same boat, you're not alone. Also... pieces of 2x4, Hot Wheels tracks, etc.. Was a hell of a childhood...

 

[Squidbert]

Although I have no kids and live alone, I have sometimes myself forgot to close the garage door. I was able to solve this problem by integrating my garage door and opener with my home automation hub (smartthings).

The hub uses my cell phone's GPS location to determine if I'm home or not. I also have a contact switch on my bedroom door which tells the hub if I've went to bed (out of habit, I always close my bedroom door when I'm sleeping).

I installed a wireless tilt sensor on the door and wired in a wirelessly activated relay to my opener, with 2 wires ran to the back of the opener where the wired open / close button is ran to.

I created a couple recipes that my hub uses to monitor and, if necessary, close the garage door for me. For example, IF I'm not home (cell phone is away) AND the garage door is open (as shown by the reading from the tilt sensor on the door) THEN momentarily activate the relay to trigger the open / close function of the garage door.

The second recipe works in a similar fashion. IF the contact switch on my bedroom door is closed (I went to bed) AND the garage door is open THEN trigger the garage door relay (thus closing the door).

I've thought about adding a motion sensor or two to the garage and tying those in to the automation recipes as well, but haven't done so yet.

Admittedly, I'm somewhat of a tech geek and gadget collector. I've had quite a bit of fun setting up various home automation routines and thus far I'm quite pleased with the results.

 

[lakeroadster]

Thanks for posting the solution.

As for for the kids.... maybe find out where they went and make them ride back home and put the door down.

Do that a couple times... they'll remember to put the door down.

 

[Worsedog]

In the same boat, you're not alone. Also... pieces of 2x4, Hot Wheels tracks, etc.. Was a hell of a childhood...

I don't rate it as bad though. While at the time I thought it was unfair as compared to the discipline or lack thereof that my friends got, they have spent more time in jail than me because of the fear of the consequences of doing what I know is wrong. It's utter ******** that anybody doesn't know right from wrong because of the way they were brought up. It's the lack of consequences to go along with the wrong that they don't fear it.

 

[justanengineer]

I'd say it sounds like an expensive solution looking for a problem but sounds like the kids are causing one. JME but kids either learn the first time from good parenting or they don't, this is one I learned as a kid from the back of a hand - do as your parents say and not as you wish to do. Simple.


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