Why Your Garage Door Should Always Be Closed Behind You

Doors are meant for opening AND closing, and this is especially true of garage doors. Though we might think nothing of opening a garage door to take out the trash cans or leave home by car, if we neglect to close it right afterward it can lead to a lot of problems.

Whether that door is accidentally left open for hours, all night or even just a short period of time, the list of potential repercussions is surprising long. Let’s look at them and figure out what you can do to reduce the risks posed by a wide‑open garage door.

Neighbourhood Pests

Every neighbourhood has its busy bodies and “pests”, but there are far worse individuals around, too. Burglars or would‑be burglars are always on the lookout for a chance, and the garage door open for ten minutes or ten hours is just one of those chances. Whether it is midday or midnight, a burglar sees that open door as an invitation to gaze inside, measure up what is worth taking and even figure out if it would be easy to get inside the house through the garage.

Just the contents of your garage may be worth a return visit. After all, there are cars, but also tools, lawnmowers and other gear, fun things like bikes or motorcycles, snowblowers and more. You may even have tubs of items you store in the garage that have value. And while insurance may cover fair value of any goods stolen, it means the hassles of filing a claim, and the costs of replacing all that was lost.

Four‑Legged Neighbourhood Pests

Burglars are bad enough, but at almost any time of year your garage might be an appealingly cool and shaded or warm and cosy spot for the four‑legged pests of the area. And if you are someone who feeds birds and keeps a lot of birdseed in the garage, it is an almost irresistible spot for everything from raccoons and opossums to chipmunks and mice. Neighbourhood pets may wander in, and lots of bugs, snakes and other critters may take up residence! And if they are stuck, they may chew themselves an escape through a garage door’s weather stripping.

Weather Has a Mind of Its Own, Too

No matter where you live, weather can kick up a fuss and make a real mess of the yard and even the home, itself. If you leave a garage door open for a few hours or overnight and a weather event occurs, you could find everything from water and loads of leaves to all kinds of debris and damage as a result. And if temperatures are extreme, it means the wide‑open garage causes the house to be less comfortable!

Never Leaving the Door Open Again… The Easy Solutions

So, how do you make sure you always close the garage door? There are actually several simple solutions.

• Garage Door Monitor (829LM)

  Just install this gadget in your home and connect the little monitor in a convenient spot (we think your bedside table is the best). Then, before you fall asleep each night, just check to see that it is displaying the “closed” signal for the door. If not, give it a click and the door closes without even asking you to get out of your toasty warm bed!

• LiftMaster’s MyQ Technology

  You can also turn to the solution offered by the Chamberlain / LiftMaster company. It makes the MyQ technology available, and this links your opener to a laptop, tablet or smartphone via the Internet. The app sends you an SMS message to let you know the status of the door, and from anywhere in the world, you can close it with a tap!

Just try to always remember to click the door closed each time you have opened it. It doesn’t matter if it is evening or morning, leaving the door open is like leaving the entire home open to pests of all kind. A good habit is to do a quick check of door locks AND the garage door every night!

If you like the idea of the two monitoring devices mentioned in this blog, contact us. We are garage door experts and can advise you about all of the right products for your home or property – and always for your budget and actual needs. We can also just send out a quotation by email.

Don’t forget that we also have a full showroom or you can test out our Design Centre and see what your home would look like with a brand new door! Want inspiration? Then look through our image gallery for inspiration.