It may seem obvious and a little strange to spend a blog talking about it, but it happens to almost everyone. Some extenuating circumstances cause us to rush into the house and forget about closing the garage door. You say “No big deal, nothing to worry about”… You’re wrong!
As a matter of fact, leaving your garage door open all night long, or even during the day for an extended period of time, may have you dealing with unfortunate consequences. Let us cover several arguments for why you need to routinely take preventive measures to ensure you close your garage door each time you come home.
Don’t make a burglar’s job any easier!
Despite the fact you say the garage door was open for only a few minutes, understand that even in the middle of the day, thieves are able to observe what you are doing and what valuable belongings you have stored in your garage. Excluding your car(s), there can still be some very costly articles such as a lawn tractor, snowmobile, mountain bike, snow blower or even your precious Harley. Even the value of electric and carpentry tools is nothing to laugh at.
If you’re lucky, you have homeowner’s insurance to cover their fair value, but the headaches involved in making the claim as well as explaining everything to your insurer make this an unpleasant task. As well, you will probably be out a considerable amount of money to replace everything with new versions. Even though you see your neighborhood as a nice and peaceful area, there is always the risk of a break‑in if you leave your valuable objects in plain view.
Don’t make it easy for small rodents (or even raccoons) to take up residence!
Especially, when winter is approaching. Case in point: you store a bag of sunflower seeds in your garage for supplying your backyard birdfeeders. Did you know that a chipmunk can detect the odor from a good distance away and be thrilled to jump in and fill itself up? Once they know where the buffet is, it will be hard to get rid of them. And if they get stuck in the garage, it’s not unheard of for them to gnaw a hole in the bottom weatherstripping to get out.
Mother Nature has her own ideas!
Even when the weather seems quite normal when you come home in the evening, things can change quickly from one day to the next. Leaving your door open overnight may set you up for an unpleasant surprise like water damage, hail or even snow in your garage.
So then, how can you be sure your garage door is indeed closed?
There are two sure means:
- A Garage Door Monitor (829LM)
This is a device that you install in your home, often in your bedroom. It will display the state of your garage door and allow you to close it.
Since 2013, the Chamberlain / LiftMaster company has offered MyQ technology which lets you connect your garage door opener to your smartphone, tablet or laptop via the Internet. The MyQ app sends an SMS message telling you if your garage door is open or closed… wherever you might be in the world.
What you should remember
It is never a good idea to leave your garage door open all night long. By not securely closing the door at night, you are unconsciously leaving your home open to unwelcomed thieves and rodents. So, add checking the garage door to your evening routine, in the same way you make your rounds to lock all access doors to your house.
For more information about the two monitoring devices mentioned in this blog, contact us at 815-692-6690. As specialists, we know garage doors better than anyone else. We will be able to advise you and explain the best choice to make based on your specific requirements and within your budget. If you wish, we can send you a quotation by email.
Another option is to come and meet us at our showroom. If you are considering a new garage door, why not use our Design Centre to picture just what is could look like. Want inspiration? Then look through our image gallery for many stunning examples.
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