Once the warmer weather finally decides to roll around, you may be tempted to leave your garage door open during the day or night. A little fresh air will do your dusty garage some good, right?
Wrong. Leaving the door to your garage open for an extended amount of time can be a costly mistake. Here are five reasons to make sure that your door is always firmly sealed.
1. Garage Door Security
Let’s start with the most important reason on our list. The safety and security of your family comes before everything else. Many homeowners across British Columbia spend thousands of dollars making sure their home is safe and secure, installing complicated alarm systems that prevent intruders from entering their homes. If you leave your garage door open, your security alarms could be useless.
In the average home, the door that leads from the garage area to the main home is often left unlocked. If an intruder is able to enter your garage, they can easily continue into your living space if the door is unlocked, or wait in hiding until someone comes in and out of the garage.
2.Theft Inside Your Garage
When most homeowners think of a robbery occuring in their home, their first thoughts usually go to their jewelry and electronics. Many criminals would be more than happily to pillage the interior of your garage, skipping the riskier televisions and computers that are stored indoors.
If you begin to calculate the value of all the items in your garage, you will quickly realize that there are thousands of dollars in assets up for grabs. Lawn mowers, snow blowers, and sports equipment are all tempting objects that will cost you thousands of dollars to replace if your garage was cleaned out overnight. A garage robbery only takes minutes to complete, which is a great reason to never, ever leave a open garage unattended.
3.Weather Damage
When the main door of your garage is open, the natural outdoor elements can easily enter the interior area and cause costly damages. If rain or snow is blown inside, valuable possessions can be damaged, along with potential long term issues of drywall degrading and mold.
Even if no major damages occur, leaving your door open to the elements, at the very least will result in a messy garage full of errant leaves and dirt.
4. Liability
When your garage door is open, you are leaving your possessions vulnerable to theft but you are also exposing yourself to unnecessary liability. As a homeowner, you are responsible for making your property safe to the general public. If a young child wanders onto your property and hurts themself in your garage with power tools, are you partially to blame? A judge might believe that you are.
There was even a case in Ontario where a homeowner was held 37% liable for injuries sustained to a criminal who stole a car from the homeowners garage. Don’t leave the decision in the judges hands- ensure your home is safe and secure at all times.
5. Animals
An open garage door is an open invitation to all the animals and pests that are wandering around your neighbourhood. This is especially true in the evenings when many nocturnal animals search for sources of food. If a pest such as a rat is able to access your garage, you could find yourself with a full on infestation in the main area of your home soon after. Check out the best ways to keep critters out of your garage with our blog “Garage Free of Pests in Nanaimo – A Simple How-To”.
The simple action of closing your garage door after using the space can save you thousands of dollars and ensure your family’s safety. The Alpha Doors Team is always looking for additional methods to make garage doors safer for homeowners. Develop a habit of always closing your door and regularily maintaining the moving elements such as the rollers and springs.