Issues with Locking Garage Doors

If you have a manually operated garage door, you probably have a keyed lock to secure the door when closed. This is a good security feature and you always want to make sure that the lock is working smoothly. However, if you later install an electric garage door opener, you'll need to disable or remove the lock --- if the opener tries to open a locked door, damage to the door or the opener is likely. It turns out that the opener is really the best door lock!

Maintaining the Garage Door Lock

If you are having trouble engaging the garage door lock, you'll need to make some sort of adjustment. Begin by ensuring that the floor is clear, with no raised parts around a crack and no stones or other obstructions. This can cause the lock bar to be misaligned. Next, check the door's bottom seal for any irregularities. If you've recently replaced the bottom seal, make sure it is seated correctly and level -- this could be the cause of the problem.

A Garage Door Lock Can Break a Garage Door

Whatever the cause, the fix is easy: simply unscrew and realign the lock. Follow the directions that come with the door or the lock, and make sure there are no rusted or warped parts -- if so, replace them. Perform any lubricating called for by the manufacturer.

Disabling a Door Lock

If you install an electric opener and fail to disable or remove the door lock, eventually someone will lock the door and cause major damage when you next engage the opener. There are several ways to disable a garage door lock, but the best course of action is simply to remove the lock.

Locking Garage Doors - Outer Lock Assembly

To disable the lock:
  1. Drill a hole through the lock rod.
  2. Put a screw or piece of wire through the hole to prevent the lock bar from assuming the locked position. If you use wire, wrap it around the lock rod guide.

Removing a Door Lock

The risk with disabling the door lock is that at some point, the screw or wire dislodges and the lock is enabled again. Maybe your curious six-year-old pulls the screw out to see what happens. Kids! The permanent solution is to remove the door lock.

If this seems a little too complicated, your Overhead Door technician will be happy to take care of it when installing your new opener.