December 21, 2018

Here are the reasons you should never leave your garage door open for long periods of time

Burglar

Maybe it seems like common sense that you shouldn’t keep your garage door open for hours, especially when it happens to be after the sun sets. However, people forget to close their garage door pretty often. You might have a reason to rush in or out of the house and find that it simply slips your mind. At the time it might not seem that important, but we’re here to explain why that isn’t the case.

When you leave your garage door hanging open for hours during the day or while you sleep at night, there is the possibility that you will experience negative consequences to that choice. We’ll look at some of the arguments for why you need to ensure that the garage door is closer every time you get home and discuss preventative measures you can take.

You don’t want to make a break-in easier on a potential burglar.

You may think that it’s no big deal to leave your garage door open for a few minutes and in some cases that might be true. However, even when it’s during daylight hours, a potential thief can see what you are doing and what is stored inside of your garage. Sure, there’s your car but there may also be other items like snow blowers, mountain bikes, snowmobiles, lawn tractors, and more. Even your power tools and other small items will add up if they end up disappearing from your garage.

If you have homeowner’s insurance, you have the luck of being able to cover your belongings up to their fair value. However, that doesn’t take into account the stress of making a claim and communicating with the insurance company. In addition, you may be required to buy all new items, which can lead to the need to spend more than you expected. Even if you live in a fantastic neighborhood that is peaceful, that doesn’t mean that you can’t be the victim of a break-in, especially if a thief sees valuable items inside your garage.

You probably don’t want rodents to move into your garage, either !

This is important at all times, but especially so when the weather is cold. As an example, maybe you have a bag of seeds in the garage that you use to fill your birdfeeders. That seems like no big deal, but a chipmunk can discover the scent from far away and will happily run inside to gorge on the treats. Once the chipmunks or other rodents are aware that food is there, they’re going to keep coming back. Even worse, if one of them gets stuck inside the garage, they can be destructive when searching for a method to get back out.

You never know what weather is going to be coming.

Even if you know the weather is completely fine when you get home, that doesn’t mean things will stay that same. Weather can sometimes change on the dime from one day to the next. If you happen to leave your garage door open, you would wake up to hail, snow, or excess water in your garage.

What methods are available to be sure the garage door is closed ?

You have two great options for making sure your garage door is properly closed:

A Garage Door Monitor (829LM)

A monitor is a device that you install in your bedroom or elsewhere in your home. The monitor will show you the state of the garage door at all times and allow you to close it if it is open when it should not be.

Monitor 829LM

LiftMaster’s MyQ Technology

As of 2013, the Chamberlain / LiftMaster company has made MyQ technology available. This allows you to connect your garage door opener right to your laptop, smartphone, or table. The app can send you messages to let you know whether the door is open or closed using the Internet no matter where you are currently located.

MyQ app

The most important things to remember

As you can see, it’s best to make sure you do not leave your garage door open while you are sleeping. When the door isn’t secure at night, you are essentially leaving your home open to anyone who wants to step inside. You should add a check on the garage door to part of your nightly routine. You can do it at the same time as you check on the other doors in your home to be sure they are locked.

If you want to learn more about the monitoring devices mentioned today, you can contact us. We are garage door specialists and we know the ins and outs of them. We can provide advice and give you an explanation of what your best choice might be based on your needs and your budget. We are also happy to provide you with a quotation by email.

Another option is to come and visit us at our showroom. If you are considering a new garage door, we also have a Design Centre to help you decide what certain options could look like. If you want a bit of inspiration, you can browse our image gallery for tons of great ideas.

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