I'm aware the normal locks on these are easy to overcome.
Any advice on the best method of securing up and over door on a normal garage? (Bar removing the door and bricking the thing up!)
Anyone have experience of those methods that have resisted attacks?
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A bolt from the door, into the floor.
Either padlocked from inside, if you have entrance through another door, or through a slot in the door itself.
However, in the end a sizable boot in the middle of the door is going to get them in no matter what.
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Fix/weld/bolt some angle iron or plate acroos the diagonals to avoid the "Boot in the middle of the door" syndrome.
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I've got a bolt at the bottom going horizontally into the frame (the garage is accessible from inside the house).
If you have not got internal access then I suggest reinforce the door and frame and use the largest hasp and best padlock you can reasonably fit.
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Many garage doors, these days, are glass fibre. You'd get through them with kitchen scissors.
My neighbour had his house burgled via a supposed high security uPVC back door. The blaggers simply cut through the lower plastic panel and crawled in.
Ian Cook
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Provided the door is steel, try mounting a 5 lever mortice lock in the wooden frame each side about 1/3 way up. Cut an oblong hole into the side of the door to take the bolt. If you can, weld the plate from the lock kit to the side of the door. With the mortice lock in the frame you can cut a key hole from either inside or outside or both to suit. You can buy mortice locks in packs of two with the same key for this purpose. You could also strengthen the door across its width between the locks with some square tubing.
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Get an electric garage door opener (not a chain driven one though). We had a good one in our old house and as well as making it a piece of the proverbial to get in and out for us, it foiled two burglary attempts. The second attempt was so forceful that they bent the entire steel garage door, but the opener did not give way and it held them off! :)
Our's was driven by a kind of screw type thing, the ones which are basically a bycycle chain are no good...
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Wire the door handle to the mains,
fit auto acid spray to the door frame top,
fit linked auto trap door, opening into 20 foot pit, half filled with old engine oil.
Learn off by heart :
"I'll pull you out if you promise not to prosecute"
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I had a £400 pressure washer nicked out of my garage earlier this year. I have since had the house burglar alarm extended to the garage on a separate zone, this enables me to alarm the garage when I'm in the house or the garden. I also keep a shotgun handy but I won't go there!!
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Forgot this one in my first reply. A friend has had several attemps at having his motor bike nicked. He's improved his garage security, but he has also bought himself one of those baby listeners. He has set up the base station in the garage and the listening end by his bed. That way if anyone tries to get into his garage he might hear them - plus once the garage alarm goes off it's sure to wake him.
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"plus once the garage alarm goes off it's sure to wake him"
And all the neighbours I'll bet!
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After loosing bikes, pressure washer and food from freezer, I had the garage added on to separate spur from house alarm as mentioned above - very efffective - perps were scared away by neighbours rushing out (we were away).
Also drilled two holes into the base of the door frame (steel) and through concrete floor so I can drop steel bars through from inside.
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I understand rotweilers make very good alarm and security systems combined. Bit high maintenance tho..:-)
madf
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An 85lb.Bad tempered male Dobermann with acute territorial responses that sleeps in the garage is advantageous at times.
Simon T.
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www.autolok.co.uk/pages/stoppa.htm
maybe a discount via neighbourhood watch for bulk buys
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One of our neighbours has two of the lockable posts fitted a few inches in front of his garage door to keep his precious Mini safe...
Andy
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The only problem with this method is that it is not very discreet. It is highly visible and will certainly deter opportunists, but professional thieves will realise there is something in there worth protecting. They may well watch the garage over months untill one night he forgets to put the posts in place. You may think this sounds daft, but to someone who can nick that car it represents maybe 4 or 5 grand in income - cash (no tax, no NI). Think about how long you have to work to put that money in your pocket (nearly three months full time if you earn £30kpa). A little patience, observation and cunning could pay off rather nicely for someone. Personally I'm a big fan of keeping security discreet.
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If you have power in the garage, how about a PIR sensor inside powering the loudest klaxon you can lay your hands on.
150 decibels in a confined space disrupts the concentration, as well as alerting anyone in earshot.
Might need a little ingenuity to arrange to turn it on and off without deafening yourself.
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Personally I would 100% agree. 150dB is well above the threshold of pain and likely to cause permanent hearing damage and nearly enough to cause death (165dB needed). Unfortunately the law would not agree - I'm sure the law would see this as unreasonable force. The law is an ass.
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First step in all garage security - for night - is a security light to illuminate the entrance with a PIR detector.
Second: keep doors closed at all times . Sounds stupid I know but I know people who leave the doors open and are surprised when things are stolen.
Third: and I repeat above point> Discretion. Do not advertise costly cars/toys by leaving them out or in open view with doors open.
Thieves are lazy by nature. If they cannot see what can be stolen, do not know what it is and security is discreet they are more likely to try elsewhere.
(In the US this is not a problem. The law supports any householder finding anyone in his house/garage without his approval to use reasonable force.. i.e a handgun not a submachine gun.
In the UK the law has the presumption the police will prevent crime or catch the perpetrator. Hence reasonable force is a feather duster: a cricket bat is not. )
madf
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Ridiculous.
Just wire the thing to the mains! No break ins. No court costs. Removal of local thug. BLISS!
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This is only for when you go on your hols. For our up and over doors I have drilled the wheel guides just behind the wheels when the door is shut. When we go on hols I put a nut and bolt in each hole on each door and then it can't be opened. The doors are Henderson and made out of thin ply so they could saw through them I suppose.
Bill
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With all this talk of garage security, I had a quick count of the ten nearest houses, and how many actually use the garage.
Result:
Six houses don't actaully have a garager
Of the four houses that do, two have them filled with junk and leaves their cars outside.
One has a racing Mini in it, and the two aforementioned security posts
One actually puts his car in the garage, although this leaves two more outside.
I begin to wonder why we actually have garages in this country...
Andy
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RIDE magazine have had excellent test reports on garage security over the last couple of years, testing to destruction products and evaluating other ways of keeping your bike/kit safe. Top advice. Can't lay my hands on the most recent, but a call to the mag on 01733 468086 should help you out.
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