When you install an electric door garage door opener, one of the parts you’ll see included is a red-handled cord that hangs down near the front of the door when it’s in the closed position. When pulled, the cord releases the door from the garage door motor and trolley.
When the cord is in the locked position it holds the door in place so that it can’t be open manually from the outside so it’s a security mechanism to keep people out and the door locked. If you need to manually open your garage door for any reason, you pull the cord down and unlock the mechanism.
Sadly, this convenience can offer up a way for thieves to gain entry to your garage. Below we’ll discuss how and what you can do about it.
How your garage door opener release cord can be exploited by thieves
Does your garage door have small windows at the top? If so, thieves can take advantage of this to gain entry into your garage.
By breaking a window on the door, they can then reach in and pull the red-handled released cord down to disengage the lock and open your garage door. Even if your cord is located well within the garage, thieves can find ways to snag the cord from a distance once they’ve broken the window, and release the lock.
The simplest way to eliminate this threat is to untie the cords from your garage door opener mechanism and remove them. If you need to ever use the unlock mechanism, you can manually tie them back on again.
What happens when you pull the red cord on a garage door?
Gently but firmly pulling the red-handled cord down towards the ground unlocks the door from the locking mechanism provided on the chain or belt that opens and closes your garage door. When you pull the rope down, a small latch unlocks which releases the door from the trolley.
It’s spring-loaded so when it’s time to lock it again (more on that below) it does take a bit of effort, but is fairly straight-forward.
What is the purpose of the pull cord?
Also known as the garage door pull rope, there are several reasons why you might want to use it:
- Your garage door opener has stopped working i.e. motor has broken.
- There is a power failure and your garage door model doesn’t have a battery back up option.
- There is a power failure and you have the battery back up but the battery has died.
- There’s an emergency that requires you to quickly open the door.
- You want to manually check how your garage door opens and closes on its own.
Once you’ve pulled the rope down though, you’ll need to lock it again at some point.
How do I reset my garage door after pulling the red cord?
Resetting the garage door pull rope is fairly easy and in some cases involves as little as pushing a button.
Some modern garage door openers enable you to simply press the opener button to close the door and as the pulley starts moving, it will eventually lock back into place.
If your garage door model doesn’t have this function, you have a few quick tasks to do. First, you’ll need to pull the lock release back into place. If you’re tall enough you might pull the cord in the correct direction to reactivate the lock. Chances are you’ll probably need a ladder to carefully climb up to push the lever upwards into the locked position manually.
Once you’ve done that you can then press the opener button and the door should open and close normally again.
Check your owner’s manual to see what situation you have before attempting anything so that you don’t damage your garage door or the opener itself.
How do I make my garage door theft proof?
To prevent thieves from gaining access to your garage, do the following:
- Remove all pull cords completely and only attach them if you need to use them. Most people will never need them anyways.
- Don’t leave garage door openers in your car if it’s parked outside as thieves may steal them to gain entry.
- Cover windows on your garage door with a view-blocking adhesive to deter prying eyes from peering inside to see the contents.
- If you’re going away, consider engaging any locking mechanism that your garage door came with such as a T-lock or side clamps. Some doors have slots where you can slide a metal or wooden bar in to prevent unauthorized opening.
- If security is a major concern, install a garage door with no windows.
When you lock your garage doors in place one way or the other with a T lock or clamps, even pulling the release cord won’t unlock them so it’s an extra security precaution if you’re away from home for a spell.
If you’re concerned and want to take an extra step, you can unplug your garage door opener when it’s not in use or switch the power off to the electrical outlet it’s plugged into. This will shut off the electric garage door opener’s ability to open and close.
However if your model has a battery back up, you might need to check your model to see if there is a way to temporarily disable that too.
Summary
The easiest way to remove the threat of someone breaking into your garage by releasing the garage door pull rope is to remove the rope. Just untie it and put it aside in case you do need to use it in the future. This is only an issue if your garage door has windows that can be broken to access the cord.
If your garage door has windows, you should cover them to block visual access to your garage. You might even replace the garage door with a window-free model if it’s important enough a concern because then the release cord then won’t have to be removed.
Modern garage door openers have safety features built in but depending on the garage door design that you choose, there are inherent weaknesses. If you have windows on the garage door, block them with an adhesive that will allow light in but keeps prying eyes away from peering into your garage to view the contents.
Don’t leave your garage door open for passersby to view your garage contents either.
Final thoughts
A few final safety points to remember: Use your locks. Even if you park your vehicle(s) inside your garage, lock the car doors when you exit the vehicle. If you accidentally leave your garage door open and vehicle unlocked, someone could steal a garage door opener and use it while you’re away to gain access to your garage.
Also lock the door leading into your house from the garage at all times too.
That way, if someone does gain access to your garage, they won’t be able to get into your vehicle or your house.