Choosing a garage lock: properties, types and characteristics

Garage buildings need to be reliably protected from robbers, as well as ordinary strangers. In order to protect yourself, and no one could open the garage lock, you need to choose a specialized design that only the owner can open. But before you start work on installing the lock connection, you should familiarize yourself with their full description and installation properties.

Types of garage locks: how to choose the best one for a garage

Garage locks — is it real protection against burglary?

Some people believe that installing a lock on their garage fully helps to protect all the valuable property that is inside. But keep in mind the fact that when mounting low-quality locks on the gate or gate, the possibility of hacking still exists. In this case, the owners of garage buildings will have to increase the degree of protection against burglary with their own hands. For example, in order to protect yourself from knocking out, you should choose and mount a specialized model that has bolts with a beveled back. For such types of structures, it is unrealistic to spoil the latch, which will be responsible for holding the door.

Lock structures that are installed inside garage doors are often drilled out. So that the robber could not drill them, a special protective ball is mounted inside. It prevents the drills from getting close to the latch and ruining it. The main disadvantage of this method is that it is suitable for a small number of locks.

Types of garage locks — how to choose the best one

Before you start installing locks on your garage door, you should study in detail the best varieties.

Mounted

Among the most popular models are padlocks with a specialized hidden shackle. In the days of the USSR, hinged types of structures were most often used. The advantages of these models include versatility, because they are installed on barn-type gates, barn doors and other similar products. Another advantage is the ease of use of locks, because they do not need to be installed on doors or gates. We strongly recommend that you buy mounted models, but only from steel, as they are as reliable as possible.

screw

People who are interested in reliable types of locks can pay attention to screw-type models. Such a device is made up of the following parts:

• The body is the main part in which there are other components.
• Shackle — such an element will be responsible for the process of screwing in the screw when the door closes.
• The threaded rod is an extremely important component that is required to unlock and secure the shackle.

Due to the complexity of the mechanism of a screw-type product, it is quite difficult to crack it.

Overhead and mortise

Mortise and overhead garage locks, which are most often installed on garage doors, are considered especially reliable. The main feature of mortise products can be considered that they are mounted on a specialized metal plate with a thickness of 0.3 cm. The metal plate should be placed near the gate leaf. If it is not possible to mount the plate, the shutter mechanisms are fixed to the sash. Overhead lock structures are installed in the upper part of the gate leaf frame. Experts strongly recommend using models that open on both sides with a key, because this way they will protect the building much more reliably.

Crossbar and rack

Not so often, internal rack locks are not used so often, because these designs are not the most reliable. The peculiarities of these models include the fact that springy rails with an unusual shape are used for locking. To control the bolts, specialized handles are used, made in the form of a screw. The advantages of rack types of structures include their low price, as well as ease of use. Crossbar lever products are much more reliable, and therefore they are used to lock the garage more often than rack ones. But they are quite large, and they are also inconvenient to mount on the door in the garage.

Main selection criteria

To choose the best quality and suitable shutter garage mechanism, you will need to familiarize yourself with the main selection criteria.

Mechanism reliability

When choosing a locking structure for locking a garage with a car, you should definitely pay attention to the features of its mechanism. The degree of protection of the garage space will also depend on its reliability. The most reliable are internal garage locks, that is, cylinder models that are difficult to crack. To crack products of this type, it will be necessary to use great physical force in order to knock out the core in the structure. Lever models, which are resistant to hacking, have also become reliable. They can only be opened with a specialized key.

Production material

The second factor that should be taken into account when choosing shutter-type products was the material of manufacture. In the manufacture of a locking device, it is worth using the following materials:

• Cast iron — products made of high-strength cast iron are distinguished by durability and high reliability. The main disadvantage of cast iron models was the deterioration in strength due to exposure to frost.
• Brass — models made of brass, as well as aluminum, will not rust or deteriorate from exposure to precipitation.
• Steel — among metal locks, steel structures are recognized as the most expensive and durable.
• Aluminum — products made from this metal do not corrode even at high levels of humidity, and therefore they work perfectly even in rainy weather. But at the same time, they are not the most reliable, because aluminum has a low level of strength.

Let’s consider another important parameter.

Dimensions

Each person planning to buy shutter mechanisms for a garage space should first familiarize themselves with its dimensions. When choosing the most suitable size, it is worth considering the size of the doors or gates on which the product will be placed. Castles are:

• Small ones are not suitable for protecting garage buildings, because they are installed on lockers, suitcases and caskets.
• Medium — they are purchased to protect small garages that are equipped with a door, not a gate.
• Large — large models are used for mounting on garage doors.

There are different types of garage locks.

TOP of the best castle joints for a garage

Let’s single out several types of devices that are most often mounted to protect garages from robbers. These include:

1. «Mottura». Mortise type of products that are used for installation in garage doors. The manufacturing company that produces locks provides a 5-year warranty period.
2. «Kerberos». Such products have a complex design, due to which 1 out of 5 million original combinations can be used to open the lock. The model can be attributed to devices with a high level of strength, because reinforced steel is used in its creation.
3. «RIF-1». This type of product is distinguished by an overhead mechanism, which is made of steel plates with a thickness of 0.4-0.5 cm. In addition, the device has powerful crossbars made of hardened iron plates. The advantages of «RIF-1» include the fact that such a device has more than 1.5 million secret combinations that make it possible to open the lock. When opening the gate, the key will need to be turned several times to the left until the first click.

And now for the installation.

The principle of installing garage locks

To install a lock on a garage door with your own hands, you will need to familiarize yourself with the main properties of installing different types of products.

Overhead

To begin with, it is worth carefully inspecting the product to make sure that the lock is intact. If during the inspection you did not find any flaws or problems, then you can begin the installation process. Overhead models are mounted on mounting plates made of metal. For this reason, a metal rectangular plate is welded to the gate. After that, a lock structure is applied to its surface and the area for fastening is marked with a marker. After that, in the selected places, it is worth drilling cavities and making a small hole into which the well will be inserted. After the gate is prepared, you can start fastening the shutter device with bolts.

mortise

Mortise-type products are installed in gates or doors without resorting to the welding process. To begin with, a metal box can be attached to the gate frame, in which the locking mechanism will be placed. After that, holes are made in them, through which the shutter mechanism will be fixed. At the preparatory stage of the main holes, the locking mechanism is assembled. To do this, you need to attach a larva with a lock to the groove, and then the assembled structure is mounted in a box.

What to do if the lock is jammed?

How to open a garage lock if it is jammed? There are times when the lock gets stuck, which makes it impossible to open it. When such a problem occurs, most people begin to apply physical force and even try to break the lock, but there are other, more effective methods. For example, you can pour machine oil into the mechanism so that it is slightly lubricated. Sometimes it helps to open locks with a key. You can also try to turn the key with pliers. If this does not help, then you will need to drill the lock and replace it with a new one.

Conclusion

For a high level of security and reliability of the garage, you will need to install a lock. But before you do this, you should familiarize yourself with the types of locking devices and the intricacies of the installation process.