The Often Overlooked Danger of Leaving Your Garage Door Open at Night

You know you locked the front door, but did you remember to close your garage door? For most people, it’s not a big concern. But you’ve got a deadbolt, right? What’s the big deal? Actually, an open garage door is a bigger risk than you think. Here are 4 reasons why you should never leave your garage door open when you aren’t using it.

It’s an Invitation to Thieves

Think about the contents of your garage — lawn mowers, bikes and other exercise equipment, tools. Add it all up and you’ve got thousands of dollars of valuable possessions just sitting out in the open. An open garage door might as well be a garage sale for thieves. They look to open doors as opportunities.

Raccoons, Squirrels, Rats, Etc. Might Move In

Thieves aren’t the only ones who see an open garage door as an chance to improve their luck. Pests and critters will invite themselves in as well. Animals may be looking for food or shelter. And once they’re in, they might curl in and nest. It might be time to call an exterminator.

Storm, Wind & Other Weather

Sure, the weather’s beautiful when you tuck in for the night – but California weather can turn on a dime. Calm skies at bedtime can become a hurricane overnight. And when that weather blows in, your garage – not to mention tools, sports equipment, and vehicles are left in the open. Don’t turn your back on the weather. Always closes your garage door.

It Runs Up Your Heating Bill

Leaving your garage door open at night on cool nights in El Dorado Hills can increase your heating bill. If your garage is connected to the house, it can actually affect the temperature of the rest of the home. This can cause the furnace to work harder because you pay more to heat the house when an open garage door cools it off. Because a garage’s temperature plays such a big role in house temperature, we always recommend installing insulated garage doors, even in California. Keeping your garage door closed makes it easier to control the inside temperature of the house.

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2 Types of Opener Drives for Garage Door Trolleys

The carriage on your garage door, also known as a trolley, is the mechanism that moves back and forth across your ceiling rail to raise and lower the garage door. Carriage driven doors are either chain driven or belt driven. Chain drive openers look like a bicycle chain — although it’s not connected in a continuous loop. The trolley is attached to a motor that opens and closes the door, driven by the chain. The other type is a belt drive opener. These work like chain driven openers but instead use such as LiftMaster’s Premium Series 8355 model or Elite Series 8550 model. Belt driven openers are more expensive than chain — but much quieter. If you have a bedroom or a living room near the garage — or you just don’t want to drive the neighbors crazy, belt drive is definitely the way to go.