I live in a low crime area and, as a result, have become slightly too relaxed about security. A couple of high value burglaries very close to my house have given me a well needed wake up call.

As a result, I am now doing what I should have done a long time ago and bolstering security a bit. One of the things I need to look at is the garage door. It is a traditional up and over door. I know it is never going to be Fort Knox but are there any relatively cheap and effective ways of securing this? I do not need to be able to unlock from the outside so internal bolts etc would be sufficient, in fact I would prefer that it can locked/unlocked only form inside.

either two of these at the bottom of the door or two bottom and two top;

http://www.lockshop-warehouse.co.uk/acatalog/d613-enfield-garage-door-bolts.html

As you have access from inside then I’d also fit a couple of hasp and staples where the staple is on the floor of the garage and the hasp attached to the garage – the padlocks are then inside the garage and only access from outside is to the heads of the bolts securing the hasp on.

If access is through your house I’d look at security on the internal door too. If access is via an external door then look at getting some major reinforcement on that.

I have a door at the back of my garage and hence I just have some old crank arms that I jam into the top mechanism of the garage door from the inside. Plus a couple of bolts at the floor level on the door. Short of completely destroying the door you won’t get in.

I’m replacing mine with a steel sectional door. I, like you, live in a low crime area but recently there have been some thefts (my house!) and someone attempted to get into my garage before Christmas (same up and over canopy door style). Did think about the bolts linked above as they are very good I believe, but my garage door is pretty old and in need of replacement anyway so went down the sectional route.

Just been looking at one of these below but those linked above seem cheaper alternative.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250929284882

Top and bottom security bolts going on back door to garage and internal garage/kitchen door tonight.

Have also removed crow bars form the garage!

Being a bit thick here, how do those Enfield locks work? Where do you fit them to?

I went for one of these:

http://www.hormann.co.uk/garage-doors/sectional-doors/

Much more secure than an up and over.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn5qd-_1JC8[/video]

New door is not an option. Too expensive and house will be going on the market soon so not going to spend much money!

Only access to my garage is unfortunately via the up and over, so I make sure the T5 is parked within an inch of the door and its a pretty good sloping driveway so doubt anyone is rolling it away. Not sure how much of a deterrent this is.

Not sure how much of a deterrent this is.

None at all when you’ve taken the T5 out for the day 🙁

Yup, I’m getting a Hormann door.

Pacri bolts http://www.lock-fast.co.uk/shop/article_LF126/Pacri-Garage-Door-Bolts.html?shop_param=cid%3D5%26aid%3DLF126%26

Can i join in please? Been meaning to ask/hoping a thread would pop up.

Hopefully moving in a few weeks and the new place has a massive double garage (it’s going to be my man cavern, fingers crossed) with two fibre glasses, up and over, automatic/motorised doors.

So the fibre glass… Good or Bad ? Guess the corners can’t be bent around? (As an aside here, I’d like to change the colour of them… paint or sprayed, your thought please)

And lastly about the motorised security… guess it means you can’t push against the motor… but is that enough?

Sorry that’s quite some hi-jack

I drilled a couple of holes at the side of my garage door and screwed a couple of 4″ screws each side into the wooden frame. Cheap and can be unscrewed if garage door needed to be opened.

Why doesn’t the nice northern fella in wwaswas’s video install the bolts higher up, so they’re easier to get to?

(Mine were fitted when I bought the place and they are down by my ankles too)

Just make sure whatever you use is internal. Big shiny new locks on garage doors suggest precious things inside.

Why doesn’t the nice northern fella in wwaswas’s video install the bolts higher up, so they’re easier to get to?

It’s possible to ‘fold up’ that type of door from the bottom to get in and out. Putting the bolts at floor level stops that happening.

It’s a similar thing at the top so adding a pair there too is useful.

It’s possible to ‘fold up’ that type of door from the bottom to get in and out. Putting the bolts at floor level stops that happening.

Ah yes. Thanks!

Ours is a wood up and over door and quite strong. I’ve got a single bolt at the top going up into the frame, which I’ve reinforced internally with a steel bar and two big bolts at the bottom corners going against the frame to prevent the door swinging outwards. It won’t swing so you’d make a lot of noise breaking it open and we are well overlooked and quite public.

franksinatra – Member
New door is not an option. Too expensive and house will be going on the market soon so not going to spend much money!

Whatever your insurance company says. It’s not defeatist but sensible.

Yup, the attempted break in to my garage involved attempts to fold up the lower left corner of the door. If the bolts are near floor level then that’s not happening.

I’m going to brick my garage up-and-over door up (I never put the car in it), fit internal steel gates to the doors and invest in a colony of very angry scorpions to look after the place.

I simply pile loads of stuff up in front of the up and over door so it cannot be opened. I currently have all my camping gear stacked in plastic boxes, some sledges, a roof box leaned against the inside and a wood chipper. No ones getting in through that door 🙂

angry scorpions you say

google has something to answer for


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=angry%20scorpion

Oops wrong thread!! 😕

well now i know how to get into alot of folks garages on here 😀

Where as you leave the contents of your garage on your drive

I fitted a pair of these ERA locks either side of my garage door.

As somebody else has said, whatever your insurers specify lock wise to be covered…..on reading small print on last years renewal it specified that a minimum of two five lever mortise locks must be fitted in addition to the existing joke central lock.
£22 matching twin lock set from Screwfix, some drilling, chiselling, screwing and some lost skin on the sharp edges has my garage door as secure as an up and over can be. Yes, it can be seen that even with the now weathered lock covers the may be something worth knicking, but you can only do what you can to try and ensure that you’re not the one whose garage gets screwed and if it does you can claim and get the full replacement value on your insurance policy.
Dibs beat me to it, bugger they’ve gone down in price too!

mee old man used to stick a couple of broom shafts into the runners of our garage door. Certainly a cheap way…

Very nice thread, i’ve been debating doing more to our place as well. Ta!

Yes, it can be seen that even with the now weathered lock covers

If you paint the covers the same colour as the door you’d need to get pretty close before you noticed them.

Dibs, that would mean having to paint the entire door 😆