Going on a long trip can lead to a relaxing vacation. Unfortunately, it can also let clever burglars break in through your overhead garage door. Here are a few ways that you can avoid this danger and come home to a safe and secure house.

The Way Burglars Get In Through Your Overhead Door

Smart burglars have cased out many styles of homes and have inspected the safety latch that is installed on most doors. This latch is designed to open the door if the opener fails and is usually located at the back of the garage door opener. A well-prepared burglar may note that you have an overhead door and take steps to open it by working a wire between the panels and pulling the release.

Thankfully, your overhead door is typically sturdy enough to withstand other types of burglary attempts, such as attempting to break through the panels. This means that you can easily adapt your door in a way that prevents burglars from triggering the safety release and getting into your home or garage.

Locks Are Essential

The scary situation here is that thieves can take advantage of your overhead door by unlocking the safety latch. That said, it is possible to avoid this concern by taking advantage of a high-quality padlock. Place this lock on your door to hold it shut while you are gone. It may not be a bad idea to install two or more. No matter how hard the thief pulls the switch, it won't do any good.

Another tip here is to stuff up the cracks between your garage door panels with some kind of insulation. Taping these panels down on the inside can help prevent anyone from slipping a wire in through the door and triggering its emergency release. This should be a good start for keeping your garage door safe from clever burglars.

Boarding Up Windows Can Also Help

Some burglars may actually break the windows in your garage door to get access to the security panel. While this is a little less subtle, determined burglars may take this step if they feel your possessions are worth it. Thankfully, you can board up your windows from the inside to keep burglars from getting at your wires. You don't need to nail the boards directly to your overhead door here.

Instead, you can create a system of pipes and boards that press tightly against the interior of your windows. Think of a large metal frame attached to angled metal beams. On the end of these beams, you can nail boards that will go over your windows.

Then, you can place sandbags behind the legs to hold this item in place. The burglar may be able to get it to move a little but shouldn't have the strength to leverage it totally out of the way. Creating a modular system of connecting pipes help you take this security device apart quickly when you get home.

As you can see, keeping your overhead door safe is a relatively easy process. Performing these simple tasks will scare away most burglars and keep them away from your home. Even better, they will prevent the door from opening up until you get home. For more information, contact a business such as Anderson Door Co Of Michigan.