Replace the strike plate with a reinforced one and use a minimum of 3 inch screws to secure it.
How to secure a side garage door.
Padlock the throw latch on your garage door when you re out of town if you don t have a manual lock on your garage door you can use a c clamp tightened down on each side of the door track to effectively lock down the door.
A sturdy screwdriver or small pry bar can quickly bow the doorjamb enough to release the latch.
Most garage doors have a square knockout that can be removed.
Secure the garage doors equally to other external doors of the house.
10 tips for a more secure garage.
A secure entry starts with a solid door and a grade 1 or grade 2 deadbolt with a solid 1 in.
Long throw bolt see buying a deadbolt.
The side lock will need to be installed on the garage door using 4 bolts.
Strengthen the hinge side of the door by replacing one of the screws in each hinge with a 3 in long screw that penetrates the framing.
A garage door side lock can be purchased for under 10 dollars.
It is too dangerous and a violation of federal regulations.
It s similar to those small window track locks you can buy for your home interior windows.
Check your existing deadbolt.
Another easy way to prevent break ins is to never keep the garage door remote inside your car whether you re at home.
It s easy to forget to close it.
For a service door the solution is to install a good quality dead bolt and reinforce the doorjamb and hinges to resist a brute force attack.
The best way to secure a door and protect a door from lock bumping require knowledge of how lock bumping works.
It should take 15 minutes or less to install a side lock to secure your garage.
Don t secure your garage door with zip tie.
You should make the garage doors and all the other doors from a hard material.
Any exterior door that only has a lock in the doorknob isn t secure.
If no holes are present you can drill holes using a hand drill and a metal drill bit.
If you have a side door in your garage remember to make it as secure as your main garage door.
The best thing you can do to improve your safety by simply remembering to never leave your garage door open.
Toughen up your exterior door security with a deadbolt and remember that your door s weakest point is the strike plate where the lock meets the door.
Disable your garage door emergency release or use a small plastic cable tie to secure the release.
Essentially a standard pin tumbler key is cut so that every groove is at its maximum depth.