Published on 30 June 2021
The option to have an automatic garage door installed does not have to come at the cost of your home’s security. In fact, electric garage doors can improve the safety of your house if you carry out some research before choosing the right option for you.
There are considerable differences in the level of security between garage door types, manufacturers, and installers. Therefore, choosing an electric garage door with adequate safety features and having it fitted professionally will result in a high-quality and safe automatic garage door.
The main safety concern when it comes to electric garage doors is protecting your property from intruders. There is a common misconception that electric garage doors aren’t as safe as traditional, manual garage doors. However, with modern technology and increased security features, you can rest assured that your home will be efficiently protected with automatic garage doors, even more so than with traditional garage doors.
In fact, the locking mechanisms of an electric garage door typically offer greater levels of protection against forced entry. The level of protection depends on the strength of the lock in the automation system, so consider going for a higher budget model if you are looking for extra peace of mind.
Some thieves try to gain entry by feeding wire through the edges of the electric garage door to fish for the manual override button, which is an emergency release mechanism that allows you to open and shut your electric garage door in the event of a power cut. However, the majority of modern electric garage doors have a system in place to prevent this.
Another method intruders use consists of thieves cloning the signal of hand transmitters. However, this was only efficient to open earlier electric garage door models as the transmitters had basic code technology. Nowadays, rolling code technology incorporating digital encryption prevents this method from being effective.
Another common safety concern is linked to obstacles that can come in the way of your garage door. Your pet or child could inadvertently stand under the door as it closes and get hurt; or your car could be parked slightly too close to the garage door and get hit as it closes.
These are important concerns, which can be put to rest by ensuring your electric garage door has a leading-edge safety detection system. This allows the garage door to stop and sometimes also reverse if obstacles are detected. Make sure this feature is included and properly installed to avoid any accidents.
In the UK, the police have implemented a ‘secured by design’ initiative, which consists of standard specifications and certificates issued to products in a view to indicate their level of ‘break-in resistance’.
Look for certifications recognised by the authorities. Some of these include STS20, BS PAS 23, BS PAS 24, and LPS 1175 standards. Also make sure you investigate the credentials of your electric garage door fitter as a badly fitted door can greatly decrease the level of security.
To find out more about the safety of our garage doors please contact us at 01525 713600 or fill out a contact form to be contacted by one of our highly trained professionals to see to all of your garage door needs.
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