Security issues
concerning
motorised garage doors
As we are all no doubt aware, motorised doors
should provide better security than manual doors, at the very least,
and should not remove the security afforded by manual latching.
In
the early days of automation, garage door openers were conceived to
assist in the lifting of large heavy American doors. Some years later they began to be
marketed this side of the Atlantic, and were most often
used on the larger up and over doors such as purpose made timber
doors fitted with Henderson Ultra gear and those 'battleships' that Westland Engineers produced in the 60’s and
70’s. Security was not the issue that it is today and consequently doors fitted
with early chain drive or screw drive models that could simply be pushed open were
accepted as the norm! Early key switches also were
prone to opening the door if they became wet, and some early remote controls were
available with only a few pre-set codes, and as a
result were susceptible to all sorts of interference and ghost openings. Today
many garages provide access to the house and an alarm system
alone is not enough to protect the property because by the time
the alarm sounds the intruders will already be inside! Therefore, the
garage door must provide the highest degree of security as a first line of defence against
intruders.
Sectional
doors afford the best security when automated and there is no
real need for any additional devices although a drop bolt system would
provide the ultimate in security to the bottom panel of the door if
fitted preventing it being forced inwards. Canopy
Doors are usually held firmly closed by using a Bow Arm or Scissor
Arm adapter and a conventional opener. Alternatively, the Cardale AutoGlide
is good choice for certain canopy doors as it uses the
existing latches to secure the door. The merits and disadvantages of such systems could be
debated at length, but one fact is clear,
none of these solutions allow or in fact need
any extra locking to be fitted as they
already provide an acceptable level of
security.
The
largest problem arises with horizontally tracked doors.
Some modern door manufacturers supply
a de-latching option with their openers and
in some cases these kits can be adapted to
fit older doors. Without a de-latching system a
tracked door feels as if is could be opened. This
can lead to problems. To illustrate, one of our members had a situation where a courier was delivering
a parcel to an empty house. It was raining, so he thought he
would leave the parcel inside the garage door which 'felt open'.
The courier was also a body builder and with a sharp tug on the door he managed
to break the motor fixings and bend the door. The parcel however stayed dry! |
The
movement at the bottom of horizontally tracked doors provides a potential weakness,
as it is possible to force the door open using a lever such as
a crow bar, or in the case of the courier, (bodybuilder or not) to force
the door open manually.
There
are a number of devices on the market that enable de-latching to
be fitted to old doors, even to those with locking rods. Wherever possible
competent professional door installers should be specifying these
devices on as many installations as possible or at least be offering
the customer the option.
Whilst
there are many solutions on the market
to the 'loose at the bottom problem' on horizontally tracked doors one of the best that we've
seen
is Securi-Dor.
This ingenious device not
only integrates the electric operator to the original
manual latch system but can also be fitted
to lockup garages with no alternative pedestrian
access. This is achieved by adding
a standard cable operated release device
to the installation and the Securi-Dor will automatically unlock the
side latches when the external release device is operated. Securi-Dor
is compatible with all boom type operators including DC motor
variants with 'soft start & stop' and will activate the
existing manual locking
system on any make of one-piece retractable door including
those with sliding bar type locking. When fitted to current Henderson
doors the device will operate all four latches. An optional floor
bolt is available which can be used in addition to side latches.
Consideration
should be given to the ease at which motorised doors
can be opened by simply hooking the manual release cord with a
coat hanger through the gap above the door, a problem that can be eliminated
easily by fitting a door stop batten above the door. By
offering these additions or extras and familiarising ourselves with the latest developments we can
all provide a secure and versatile package
for the horizontally tracked door. The
manufacturers also might consider including de-latching devices on
standard automatic retractable doors. Another modification they might
consider, could be a plate or plastic moulding to blank out the handle
and lock holes in the door panel, making it obvious that the
door is automated and preventing anyone attempting to use a handle
for leverage.
Security
is also a problem on motorised side hinged barn doors, Operating
arms for this type of door have been around for quite some time
but until recently they only held the doors shut by the operating arms
at the top. The manufacturers of Securi-Dor have recently introduced
a side-hinged barn door operating arm kit that can automatically lock these doors
at the bottom when closed. |
01384 900 264
