Tips for Keeping the Garage "Secure"

[87vertgt]

My neigborhood just keeps getting worst...especially now when it's burning up out there.

I think I got it all down but let me know if I missed anything thanks


Alarm system and signage

Pit bull or other dog

Motion Sensor lights

Big meaty locks

Good neighbors



What did I miss?

 

[George in Rancho Cordova]

Go to a thrift shop & get a size 14 pair of work boots.
Put them on the front porch on top of some copies of Guns & Ammo.

Leave a note on the door that says:
"Bubba - went to the store for more ammo & dog food. Don't go inside, as the rottweilers have not been fed and they are mean."

 

[boosteddsm92]

Zip tie the opener emergency release closed. If you lose power and have to open the garage door just cut the zip tie and pull the cord to open. There are youtube vids showing how easy it is to get into a garage by pulling the release, especially one w/windows to help them see what they're doing.

 

[trbomax]

S&W .45 and a backhoe.

 

[Matt M PA]

I was told of a great trick that I never knew until last summer. A friend of ours was going away for a week, so he put padlocks through the holes on the garage door slide locks. Ya know, where they go through the tracks. I always wondered what that hole was for. Now there's no doubt that with some effort you could unbolt the slide locks and open the door...but making it tougher can't hurt.

 

[romafern]

video cameras

 

[Stephenw]

Burglar Bars.

 

[930dreamer]

We installed a pipe going across the second entry door, it fits close to the door so no slack. It wouldn't be impossible to destroy but the other safeguards are near foolproof.

 

[Frank The Plumber]

C Clamp your door rollers so they can not bumper jack your roll up door open and pop the latch. One on each side in the center of the bar right on top of the roller.

When you go on vacation pull your cars in the garage forward till they almost touch the door. If the thieves crash the door they may fail to buckle the door out of the way. They will hit the car either way, your hope is to prevent entry in this smash and grab scenario.

 

[ambenz]

Zip tie the opener emergency release closed.

Great suggestion!!

Frost or cover the windows, take the time to make sure your auto door closes before you drive away.

 

[Sunstealer73]

If you manually lock your door somehow, make sure to unplug the opener if you have one. Could cause some damage if you forget.

 

[mdbeck1]

S&W .45 and a backhoe.

Sounds good, but how about a 12 gauge and a pen of wild hogs???

 

[chadwimc]

I scrounged a few of those crinkle finish flourescent light covers. I cut them to the size of my windows and installed. Keeps prying eyes from seeing your treasures but still lets light in.

 

[darkk]

I built my garage attached to the house with no windows and steel doors. I'm not neighbor friendly, and known as that tattooed biker dude with the big mean Rottweiler on the corner. Most people in the area know who I am and don't **** around near my house, and my dog doesn't need to be hungry to be an *******.

 

[ptschram]

An insurance policy binder that lists your tools and recognizes their expense and commits the insurance company to replace them.

I suspect I'm currently under-insured, but it's the only thing that lets me sleep (the little I can) at night.

 

[tigerbalm2424]

Zip tie the opener emergency release closed. If you lose power and have to open the garage door just cut the zip tie and pull the cord to open. There are youtube vids showing how easy it is to get into a garage by pulling the release, especially one w/windows to help them see what they're doing.

Ok, what am I missing here? The perp somehow pulls the release from outside the garage??

 

[nehog]

There is one method of entry that has had me worried a bit... A creative person could unscrew a panel (metal building, so screwed together) and pry the bottom out and push through the insulation.

I will admit it would be a bit of a risk for the bad guy(s) as most of the interior has stuff along the way inside that they'd have difficulty getting through (like floor to ceiling shelves, etc.)

 

[A1an]

Zip tie the opener emergency release closed. If you lose power and have to open the garage door just cut the zip tie and pull the cord to open. There are youtube vids showing how easy it is to get into a garage by pulling the release, especially one w/windows to help them see what they're doing.

Great idea.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I hesitate to recommend this, but when I was a teenager, the gas station I worked at was broken into 3 weekend in a row, the only thing that stopped ir was a couple of big dogs. One was a pussycat but barked a lot. The other was a bit crazy.

 

[A1an]

Another good defense is common sense:

Keep the garage closed if you aren't in there.

If you can swing it try to keep your valuable tools and/or toys out of plain sight when you have the garage door up.

Always stay visible in the garage when it is open. If you are in there working on something it is less likely that a random person/criminal passing by will stop to take a good look at what you have going on in there.

 

[5lima30]

Spiny type shrubbery (cactus, rose bushes, wild blackberry, etc) planted around windows and other points of entry can be a deterrent as well. YMMV.

 

[boosteddsm92]

Ok, what am I missing here? The perp somehow pulls the release from outside the garage??

Yes

 

[Scotts Elle]

Its HOT here in TX right now... so anytime I am working in the garage the door is open. I am frustrated by the door to door sales and religious groups that walk right into the garage to sell/save me. I usually keep my Ruger 9mm on top of my tool box as a deterrent. Once they see that, they usually back out of the garage. I am a bit of an *** to them as well... "I didn't invite you in, leave." gets the point across.

I also have a motion sensor installed to sense the upper section of my driveway. It triggers the landscape and door lights.

 

[ptschram]

Its HOT here in TX right now... so anytime I am working in the garage the door is open. I am frustrated by the door to door sales and religious groups that walk right into the garage to sell/save me. I usually keep my Ruger 9mm on top of my tool box as a deterrent. Once they see that, they usually back out of the garage. I am a bit of an *** to them as well... "I didn't invite you in, leave." gets the point across.

I also have a motion sensor installed to sense the upper section of my driveway. It triggers the landscape and door lights.

The Gypsy tools sellers have begun stopping by quite often of late. They get run off pretty quick. The last one was definitely tweaking when he was here-just what we need around here, more tweakers!

 

[PCO6]

If you have garage door windows here's what I did for a little added security (see posts 10 & 11).

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77512&highlight=garage+windows

 

[trbomax]

The Gypsy tools sellers have begun stopping by quite often of late. They get run off pretty quick. The last one was definitely tweaking when he was here-just what we need around here, more tweakers!

These guys actually come to your residence ?

 

[yellowdartdave]

...picture of my ex mother-in-law displayed in the middle of the garage ??

 

[BHR4CE1]

I've heard stories about how someone can break into your garage in less than a minute by prying the top down a bit and doing something to your garage door opener. The new side mount 3800's we installed have an actual dead bolt that locks when the door closes and unlocks when it opens. Pretty cool idea because it is something you don't need to remember to do...it happens automatically. Plus we have a monitored security system that texts and/or e-mails me whenever the garage door is opened, as well as cameras all over the place.

 

[Cryptic1911]

^ yeah, they slip a coathanger or something in there to hook the latch on the center bar emergency release

 

[r6_cannibal]

Some good ideas in here I will have to do to my garage.

My tool box doesn't move around too much, really just move it out of the way to sweep the area. I have a couple T shape piece of iron bolted to the back of the box and that is bolted to a stud in the garage in discrete/hard to get to locations. They might be able to grab some stuff out of the drawers if i forget to lock it, but should help deter the whole box being wheeled away into a tweaker stronghold.
If i really wanted to keep the box from rolling away I would remove the wheels.

If you keep a computer in the garage, you can setup switches to the garage/entry doors and windows that will email or text you when the doors are accessed. you can set it up on a schedule as well so you don't get a bunch of notifications when you don't want them. can also setup a security webcam to snap pictures or video that uploads to a remote machine or server(in case they steal the computer too) you'll at least get a view of what the person looked like. chances are good that the person breaking in knows there's something worth taking, and likely someone you've at least seen before.

 

[87vertgt]

good stuff boyz

lemme ask

how do i or where can i buy a motion sensor that can trigger more then just one light or sirens? thanx

 

[countrytech]

If you keep a computer in the garage, you can setup switches to the garage/entry doors and windows that will email or text you when the doors are accessed. you can set it up on a schedule as well so you don't get a bunch of notifications when you don't want them.

Where can you get these switches and how do they interface with the computer?

 

[wssix99]

good stuff boyz

lemme ask

how do i or where can i buy a motion sensor that can trigger more then just one light or sirens? thanx

You can wire the lights together and get a separate motion sensing switch for the entire circuit.

Is your garage attached or detached? How old is the garage?

In Chicago - good rules of thumb:
- No windows on your garage door.
- Remove the exterior garage door handles. (Use the remote to get in the garage.)
- Board up the ventilation grid if your garage was built with one and get a CO detector to make sure you don't gas yourself.

Depending on how your garage was constructed, someone could get in by just cutting the wall with a razor blade - so that type of house/structure will never be that secure. You just want to deter and get rid of the easy/enticing stuff.

 

[r6_cannibal]

Where can you get these switches and how do they interface with the computer?

I made my own switches and serial controller interface for the computer, but i'm a bit of an electronics/computer nerd.
There are existing components that do the same thing but they can get expensive. There's a lot of good information on sparkFun.com and Smarthome.com.
specifically check out this thread, and as a word of caution stay away from the x10 stuff.
http://www.smarthome.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5441

 

[overdriv]

I've heard stories about how someone can break into your garage in less than a minute by prying the top down a bit and doing something to your garage door opener. The new side mount 3800's we installed have an actual dead bolt that locks when the door closes and unlocks when it opens. Pretty cool idea because it is something you don't need to remember to do...it happens automatically. Plus we have a monitored security system that texts and/or e-mails me whenever the garage door is opened, as well as cameras all over the place.

What kind of cameras do you reccommend? Brand names and a place to buy, etc. I'd like for them to trigger a recorder from motion or IR when someone is in the garage.

 

[bczygan]

Here in Detroit it is all about camouflage. Hide what you have. It is usually neighbors who hit you when they know what you have. Although my last loss was from a WHITE guy who reached over the side gate and stole a ladder. Always have a dog or dogs who bark, a car parked in the drive and the lights on. Let the neighborhood kids know the dog bites and there is always someone home. Make your place the SCARY place on the block with lots of big dark trees and bushes. Put them everywhere including the berm. My neighbors go across the street to avoid walking down my sidewalk. Doesn't hurt to let people know YOU are a bit crazy too!

 

[scottzilla]

S&W .45 and a backhoe.

Can't even buy that in Chicago. Gotta be a nine.

 

[GrandmaSideways]

My neighbour's window overlooks the corner of my garage. They sleep with the windows open year-round. Other protections are in place too.
Downside of the neighbour is I have to try and keep things fairly quiet after midnight :/

 

[87vertgt]

Thanks for the response's

Is your garage attached or detached? How old is the garage?

.

it's detached....

my biggest concern is someone driving there vehicle into my garage door.
Caving it down and ransacking the joint.

 

[crewchief888]

Another good defense is common sense:

Keep the garage closed if you aren't in there.

If you can swing it try to keep your valuable tools and/or toys out of plain sight when you have the garage door up.

Always stay visible in the garage when it is open. If you are in there working on something it is less likely that a random person/criminal passing by will stop to take a good look at what you have going on in there.

i'll add to this post

good relationship with neighbors, (one watches whats going on all the time)
i have a large german sheperd who doesnt like strangers and patrols the driveway & garage area
every kid in the neighborhood knows the dog bites,(neighbor on one side wont even cut the grass on my side of their property if my dog is outside)
i'm kinda like the badass biker that lives "over there"
the door to door salesmen and church people wont even set foot on my property anymore.

if i go out at night because the motion sensors have turned the lights on, or the dog is growling, i carry a 12g or a .45.