When you’re at work or in bed and you’re wondering if your garage door is locked, it’s the worst. Please believe me when I say that I know what I’m talking about. It also doesn’t feel safe, especially if your garage door only has one lock mechanism. As a result, having an extra layer of security makes life easier and safer. The best method, in my opinion, is to lock your garage door from the inside.
You might wonder how to lock a garage door from the inside. Try securing the emergency release lever with a cable tie, locking the vertical track with a padlock, or installing a new side lock.
3 Ways to Manually Lock a Garage Door From Inside
Since there are several ways to physically lock a garage door from the inside, I recommend choosing one (or more) that makes you feel safer.
The first option is to use a cable tie.
Installing a cable wire in the emergency release lever is the cheapest and quickest of the three options because it only requires two items.
- Scissors
- A cable tie (ideally 8 inches)
When the electricity goes out, the emergency release lever is utilized to open the garage door. With a fishing stick, someone standing outside your door can easily pull it down. The secret to this strategy is to use the cable tie as a garage door lock by looping it around the lever to avoid such occurrences.
Step 1: Disconnect your garage door opener.
Your hands may be injured if the garage door opens by accident. As a result, you must unplug the garage opener from the electrical outlet. This task is completed for the sake of efficiency and safety.
Step 2: Locate the emergency release mechanism.
Depending on the sort of garage door you have, you will need to perform this step. The emergency release lever is usually located near the top of the garage door or at the end of the motor rail. It might be in the middle of the garage door or on the sides. It needs to be connected to a release rope.
Step 3: Thread the cable tie through the coiled release rope’s hole
On a latch known as the trolley release arm, the hole where the rope is coiled can be found. Because it engages and disengages the garage door, the release arm is the most important portion of the emergency release lever.
The rationale for this is that we want to prevent the latch from shifting.
Step 4: Loop the cable tie over the trolley carriage’s bottom hole once again
The emergency lever is connected to the trolley carriage. It is the principal device responsible for opening the garage door. The spring is linked to the latch through a hole in the trolley carriage. The emergency release lever is kept from engaging by looping the cable tie through this hole.
Step 5: Secure the cable tie with a knot
Make sure the cable tie is securely fastened. Avoid reusing cable ties as well, as they may be less durable.
Cut the extra cable tie to a half-inch or a length that will not compromise the cable tie’s security with the scissors.
Option number two is to use a padlock
If you have an extra padlock at home, you might decide to affix a padlock to the vertical track instead.
- 50mm Impact drill with padlock
- Standard shackle (Only if neither side of your garage has a hole)
To open and close, the garage door travels along vertical tracks. The function of this mechanism is prevented by using a padlock.
This method is simple and easy because almost every garage door has perforations on the bottom of its vertical track. This approach can be used temporarily before being upgraded.
Step 1: Search the vertical track for a hole
On the vertical track, there should be holes for your padlock. Because it is directly above the first garage door roller, the padlock should be placed at the bottom of the track.
If there are no holes, you’ll have to punch one yourself, which is where the impact drill comes in helpful.
Step 2: Insert the padlock into the hole
By securing the padlock in the hole, the roller adjacent to it will become immobile, rendering the rest of the rollers inoperable.
To avoid any damage to your garage door, double-check that the padlock is in place every time you open it.
Installing a Side Lock is the third option
Adding a side lock is the most secure technique of locking garage doors among the three, despite being the most expensive and time-consuming. You will require the following items:
- Latch on the side of a garage door that is universal
- 4 Self-drilling Hex Bolts Hex Screwdriver (might come with the latch)
- Impact drill
- Pencil (optional)
- Padlock (Optional)
Installing a sidelock that slides open or close is better than a manual garage door lock from the inside.
If you have the time and resources, I recommend this option since, unlike the padlock, the side lock stays in place and may be closed or opened at any time. The inside of the garage door is attached to the side lock, which latches to a hole in the vertical track.
Step 1: Look in the vertical track for the rectangular hole
A rectangular hole is normally suitable for a sidelock on vertical tracks. If not, at the very least, a template in the vertical track to be eliminated should be provided. This hole should be on the second section on either side of the garage door, counting from the bottom up.
Remove the rectangular hole template with the impact drill. If there isn’t a hole or template in that region, drill a rectangular hole based on the size of the side lock.
Step 2: Double-check that the garage door has drilled holes through which you may drive the screws
On the inside of the garage door, press the side lock. Make sure the rectangular hole is aligned with the side lock latch.
Then, see if there are any pilot holes in the garage door where the screws can be driven in. Many garage doors contain pre-drilled holes. If there aren’t any, drill two holes above and two below using the impact drill.
You can either mark the drill places with a pencil before drilling or drill right away if you are skillful enough.
Step 3: Attach the wall lock to the side
Align the drilled holes with the side lock. To install the side lock on the inside of the garage door, use the screwdriver to drive the self-drilling hex screws into the holes. Make sure you take your time driving them in.
The side lock can now be used to secure the garage door from the inside once it has been installed. Side locks have a hole on the end of the latch where you may attach a padlock for more security.
A related piece of advice for your consideration is how to lock a garage door from the outside. I hope you find anything valuable in this article.
Conclusion
I hope you found this instruction to be simple and enjoyable! From the inside, you can secure the garage door with a cable tie, a padlock, or a side lock. Before selecting a manual garage door lock, think about the level of protection that makes you feel safe and secure. Because we should all put safety first, I think it’s important to share this guidance.
Which of the three methods for locking a garage door from the inside do you prefer? Please leave your ideas in the comments section and share this lesson if you enjoyed it.
