How To Protect Your Apartment From Burglaries

Apartment buildings can be home to hundreds of people and may come equipped with buzzers, ID-enabled entry systems or doormen.

But those features may result in a false sense of security, says DeeDee Dalton, managing director of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC). After all, apartment buildings have multiple points of entry and a lot of strangers coming and going—from service people to friends of residents—so it can be easy for burglars to gain access and blend in, she says.

And when they do, they’re quick. “Most burglars want to be in and out in just a few minutes,” she says.

Here’s how to help keep apartment burglars at bay.

Lock Up

This may seem obvious, but 60 percent of all successful residential robberies happen through unlocked doors and windows, says the NCPC. Be sure to lock the door to your apartment, whether you’re at home or not, advises Dalton, and ask your landlord to install deadbolt locks (as well as a peephole on your front door). Remember to keep your windows locked as well, especially if you live on the ground floor or in the basement. And if you have sliding glass doors, invest in a dowel or steel bar you can slide into the door track for added security.

Safeguard Your Key

Upon moving in, request a lock change and monitor your spare keys. Whenever possible, avoid giving keys to anyone doing maintenance or renovation work in your home, says Dalton. And don’t let workers or other strangers into your apartment if you or someone you trust can’t be present.

Be Neighborly

Getting to know your neighbors allows for you to watch out for one another’s apartments. If you’re going out of town, hold your mail and have friends or a trusted neighbor check on your apartment while you’re away. And consider joining or organizing an Apartment Watch group so that neighbors in your building can look out for and help one another.

Play with the Lights

“Lighting is one of the best deterrents to nighttime burglary,” says Dalton. When you’re away for long stretches, consider using a timer to turn inside lights on and off. “This is where smart-home tech comes in really handy, as smart lightbulbs can be programmed and turned off and on from afar with a smartphone app,” says Emily Long, a home-security expert.

Consider a Security System

A wireless security system could be appealing as a renter; it’s more portable than an installed system, and your lease may prohibit you from drilling into walls and hooking up wires. “They are often simple and easy to set up yourself, and are available in basic packages for smaller spaces,” says Long. “Look for a system with 24/7 monitoring, which will alert help if suspicious activity, or any type of emergency, is detected.” Similarly, you can set up security cameras that can be monitored via smartphone and alert the authorities when triggered. Plus, having a security system could help save you money on renters insurance.

Ask Management to Help

If your building has a doorman or a front desk staff, be sure there’s a system to log visitors as they come in (if not, suggest it). If there’s no staff, ask to have a security camera installed in the lobby. Having these measures in place may help deter burglars, Long says. “Plus, the more security measures a building has in place, the more information tenants and landlords have available in case something happens.”

Hide the Good Stuff

Put cash, checkbooks, credit cards, jewelry, and other valuables in a safe place and store your laptop or tablet out of sight. “There are a number of clever options for discreet storage, like faux wall outlets, vents, and even cereal boxes,” says Long. But the simplest option is a home safe that bolts to a floor or wall, perhaps in a closet, she advises.

Dress Up Your Windows

If you’re on the ground or first floor, installing curtains or blinds could prevent burglars from peering in to scope out your space. “If windows are easily visible from the outside, close the blinds,” Long advises. “For windows that are less visible or on higher floors, leave the blinds open to allow timed lights to shine through.”

Be Alert

Always be aware of solicitors and delivery people lingering in your building; take note of suspicious behavior and alert the police and your landlord or management right away, says Dalton.

By Stacey Colino

Link to the article: https://www.geico.com/more/living/home-protection/apartment-security/

Related articles: https://stealthmonitor.wordpress.com/2017/11/17/apartment-protection-system-leads-police/

For further assistance in home securiy, click here for more: http://www.sanjacintolocksmith.net/

Article source here: How To Protect Your Apartment From Burglaries

Garage Door Spring System vs. Pulley System

If you are in Union City, GA and have questions about spring systems versus pulley systems, be sure to reach out to Garage Door Masters. There are so many different parts and terminology when it comes to how a garage door operates that it can become quite confusing. To put it briefly, extension springs count on a system that consists of garage door pulleys and cables to do their job, which is to safely open the garage door and of course to close it. This is the most basic information to consider if you are curious about springs and pulleys. But here, we will go into more detail so you have a better idea of how all of the parts work. It is good to know how your garage door works – this way, if something goes wrong, you will have a better idea of how to fix it. In addition, you might want to know more about actual pulley systems – this is something that some homeowners attempt to build on their own, and there is sometimes confusion when looking for pulley parts versus systems.

Check it out!

“Garage door springs” is a term that usually refers to extension springs or torsion springs. If you know anything about springs, you might know that they are connected to a lot of tension – they have to support a great deal of weight. Basically, your garage door is very heavy, weighing hundreds of pounds quite often – and the springs have to be able to support it. Therefore, they have to be in good shape, all of the time.
All parts work together in sync so that you can enjoy a garage door that stays in place, and opens and closes safely and smoothly. Some parts are more dangerous than others, however, if they break. Springs are critical to overall functioning.

Pulley System

If you do a search online, you can find videos on how to create a garage pulley storage system. You can find information on how to hang certain items from your garage ceiling. Let’s just say, things can get confusing if you are just trying to figure out how different components work. If you search on Google, you will find that Amazon has different options, like garage “gators” and platforms, as well as hoists. You will find parts that are meant to build a DIY pulley system. So, why would one want to create a pulley system, anyway? This is something that many homeowners toy around with because they need more garage space. Let’s face it – nowadays, people tend to acquire a lot of items, and space is limited. Unless you have a mansion that you live in, a shed to store all of your tools, a garage to store your cars, and then an extra storage unit, you likely will find yourself running out of space. Even if you do have all of these things, this is still often times the case! You can utilize the convenience of a pulley system to attach a platform to the ceiling of your garage, which will thereby create more storage space for you. Best of all, this storage space will not be in the way – it won’t take up any additional room in the garage. If you consider yourself a very handy person who has experience with DIY projects, then you might attempt to build your own pulley system. This will entail using lumber, a storage platform, 2 by 4s, wood screws, plywood and more. If you aren’t comfortable working with all of these different materials, then your best bet is to hire a professional service or contractor.

Garage Door Spring System

Spring systems can consist of the following terms: extension springs, tension springs, torsion springs, EZ set springs and more. When talking about spring systems, the reference is typically to any springs that make the garage door operate. The springs tend to be located either above the opening of the garage door or sometimes at the ends of the tracks. It all merely depends on the types of springs that your garage door is using. If you’re going to install a pulley system for storage, then you want to know how to work with springs, and you will want to know how important it is to cautiously work with them. For this reason, people often times turn to an expert when they have questions about pulley systems versus spring systems.

If you pull up spring systems online, you’re going to find terminology such as single Ez-set torsion spring replacement, OEM torsion springs, extension springs, Wayne Dalton torquemaster garage door spring, and more. This can make finding what you are looking for confusing, which is why it is always recommended that you speak directly to an expert. Most will offer a free consultation over the phone, allowing you to get all of the information that you are looking for, without any pressure to make a purchase or schedule a service.

Hopefully you have a better idea of how pulleys and springs work to make your garage door function smoothly – and it is our hope that you understand why people build pulley systems for their garage space. It is always a wise idea to turn to an expert when you are dealing with parts that you aren’t very familiar with. It is always best to leave certain things in the hands of experts who understand what they are doing, and who are licensed and insured to ensure your property is protected.

Thanks for checking out more information about spring systems and pulley systems. Remember to call Garage Door Masters in Union City, Georgia if you happen to be in the area and have any questions. Located elsewhere? Do a search through Google and pull up garage door repair and service companies in your city. You are sure to find a lot of options.

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Article source here: Garage Door Spring System vs. Pulley System

Identifying garage door spring issues

Have you ever wondered if you are having garage door spring issues? Maybe the problem is something else, like your opener unit or your cables. How can you really tell? Maybe you wanted to know but were hesitant to call a garage door repair technician because of diagnostic charges or the fear of looking “dumb.” Don’t worry; you are not alone. Here at Garage Door Masters we often get calls about possible spring problems and the homeowners often tell us that they are guessing due to not being able to pinpoint the actual problem. Union City, GA has many repair shops where garage door issues can be detected and fixed but you don’t have to call any of us to actually know about spring issues; we’ll tell you how to spot them right away right here on this post. So what’s the point of learning this? Don’t you still have to call for repair? Why not let your garage door repair experts find the problem and fix it like they are paid to do?

False alarm

Surprise! Your problem may not be spring related at all! It’s nice to know whether it is or not. You might not need a service call from a local garage door repair tech at all! We’ll show you some fast and easy checks to see what the problem might be and then if you need spring repair or replacement, go ahead and make an appointment.

Do it yourself checks include making sure your remote battery is good, keeping items out of the way of your safety sensors and keeping your garage door tracks clear of debris and other items that may impede the movement of the rollers. You can do these checks quickly and easily and without incurring any cost at all. A run down battery in your remote can send a random signal to your opener or it can be too weak to send a signal at all. Since your garage door isn’t working, you might mistake this for a spring issue when it’s not. A clogged garage door track can send you’re raising or lowering garage door back down or up because the rollers cannot move all the way and this too might be mistaken for spring problems.

A little background

All garage door springs are not alike. They come in two main categories; torsion and extension springs. They do the same basic job; they lift and lower your several hundred pound garage door whenever you come and go. It’s not your opener that does the work; it’s really your springs that get the job done! Torsion springs are the ones most commonly used in new homes being built today. They last longer and are generally safer to operate and service. They also cost more but it’s not a huge difference. If you have torsion springs, they are located on the inside of your garage door, on top, and are mounted horizontally. They usually last about 15 to 20 thousand cycles with a full cycle being one opening and one closing of your garage door.

On the other hand, extension springs are the older variety. These are mounted vertically on either side of your garage door, on the inside, and since they extend or expand on use, they can be quite dangerous if they break. They cost a little less than the torsion variety and are usually only good for about half the cycles, too.

Warning indicators

As ominous as that sounds, there are signs that you are experiencing honest to goodness spring issues. Here are some:

Does your garage door start to go up, but only slowly, and then suddenly it starts to continue upward really fast?

When your garage door is closed, does it look lopsided or tilted to one side? This partially squashed look is due to one of your springs being damaged.

Did your garage door start to go up and then suddenly stop; about halfway up?

When your garage door is moving either up or down, does it look like one side is moving faster than the other? Is one side “struggling” to catch up?

When operating your garage door with your remote or with your wall button does it seem like one side is doing all the work and the other side is going along for the ride?

Is your garage door unresponsive when you tapped the remote or the wall button? Is your car seemingly trapped inside?

Did your garage door give off a loud snap or bang sound when you were attempting to operate it?

These are some (by no means all) of the symptoms of damaged garage door springs. If you’ve done the preliminary checks mentioned above and notice any of these signs, you most likely have spring damage.

Can I repair my own springs?

We don’t recommend you even trying. First of all, spring repair, installation or maintenance of any kind is flat out dangerous. Every year people are hurt or even killed by attempting to do this very thing. We understand that you might like do-it-yourself projects, or that you might want to save money over calling a repair professional. The fact is that you most likely lack the training, tools and experienced needed to service your torsion or extension springs and since both are dangerous, we recommend that you forgo the repair job, on your own. You can sustain injuries, void out your warranty and cause property damage all at the same time; not worth it at all!

Call a pro!

When you need a cavity filled, do you do it yourself? When your roof need re-tiled, do you do it yourself? You most call a professional and that’s exactly what you should do in this case. Spring repair or replacement should not be taken lightly. Get good quality springs, have them installed correctly and maintain them according to what your garage door repair specialist tells you. Your springs will repay you with reliable service and safe usage for many years to come!

Article source here: Identifying garage door spring issues

Maintaining the Life of Your Garage Door

Are you the proud owner of a home in Union City, Georgia? If you are and you own a home with a garage, did you know that there are some things you can do to preserve the life of your garage door? Have you ever seen those garage doors that are an eye-sore and they destroy the curb-appeal of the neighborhood? Make sure your home doesn’t become this home. If you want to maintain the look and functioning of your garage door, you will have to do something to make sure that it can and will. Most people go in and out of their garage never considering the maintenance of their garage door. At Garage Door Masters, we help many homeowners preserve the life of their garage door by assisting them their garage door maintenance. This is really what it is all about, maintenance.

The maintenance of your garage door will ultimately determine how long your garage door will last. If you are experiencing too many issues with your garage door at one time, it can become unsafe to use. While you can begin attacking each problem, one at a time, you may not be able to use your garage during the repairs. This would be a huge inconvenience to you and your household. This is just one of the reasons homeowners simply opt to have a new garage door installed instead. However, what if you just love your garage door because you took the time to choose the exact garage door that you wanted that stands out from everyone else’s? You would certainly want to preserve the life of your garage door. It is absolutely possible to do so either if you allow our garage door service technicians to handle the job for you or you handle it on your own.
Since your garage door is likely the largest moving part of your home equipment, you need to be careful when it is starting to have problems. It is also made up of a lot of moving parts that enable it to run smoothly.

You don’t want to wait until you start to experience problems with these parts of your garage door. If you are going to preserve your garage door, you have to consider what you will do now to make sure you can keep your garage door functioning as long as possible. When you have regular maintenance performed on your garage door or you are performing regular maintenance, it is possible for your garage door to last for up to 30 years or possibly a lifetime. We have put together a couple of tips to help you maintain the life of your garage door as long as possible.

• Lubricating Parts

It is especially important to have the moving parts of your garage door lubricated. They suffer the most wear. You can replace many of these parts but if you can maintain your garage door, you won’t have to worry about doing this. The cables, rollers, panels and springs need to be lubricated regularly. This will prevent them from working harder than they have too and save you money by having them longer and not having to replace them.

• Clean Parts

Your garage door is an extension of your home and should be treated as such. Just like you would clean your home with soap and water, you would do the same with your garage door. You can take a mild soap from time to time and wipe down the parts of your garage door that are prone to rust. Scrub anything that looks like there is a lot of dirt on any parts of the door. The only problem is that you may not be able to get to all of the parts or know where they are located. This means that you may still have parts that will rust. Again, this is another good reason to consider allowing a garage door service to address your garage door maintenance needs. If you’re trying to wipe the outside of your door clean and it just doesn’t seem to be working, you might need to apply a new coat of paint to give your door the luster it once had.

• Evaluate the Balance

The longer your door is improperly balanced the worse the door will become. It will begin to function badly and puts undo pressure on the garage door opener. This is a good enough reason to check the door balance regularly or to have it checked regularly. If you decide that you want to handle this on your own, you will need to lift the door up about 2-feet up off the ground and step back to check the balanced. If the door closes by itself, you will know it is not balanced. When you have determined that it needs to be balanced, call on a professional garage door professional in Union City, GA, to handle the job for you.

• Check Safety Sensors

You should always be concerned with your safety sensors. Inspect your sensors to make sure they are working correctly. Again, if you decide to handle this on your own, close the door and but something in front of the beams. If the sensors of your garage door are functioning properly, the door will begin to reverse. You can also check the safety sensors by sticking your hands out to see if the door will reverse on its own. If the door continues to advance, there is a problem and you should bring it to the attention of a qualified professional, Even if you don’t want a professional garage door service to handle the maintenance of your garage door, it might be a good idea to ask for an annual inspection. The expert garage door service technician will tell you where you need repairs or what might be wrong with your door. Attending to this right away, instead of prolonging the repairs, will help to prolong the life of your garage door.

able garage door technician you can count on, such as a mobile garage door repair specialist on staff at Garage Door Masters.

Article source here: Maintaining the Life of Your Garage Door

Maintaining the Life of Your Garage Door

Are you the proud owner of a home in Union City, Georgia? If you are and you own a home with a garage, did you know that there are some things you can do to preserve the life of your garage door? Have you ever seen those garage doors that are an eye-sore and they destroy the curb-appeal of the neighborhood? Make sure your home doesn’t become this home. If you want to maintain the look and functioning of your garage door, you will have to do something to make sure that it can and will. Most people go in and out of their garage never considering the maintenance of their garage door. At Garage Door Masters, we help many homeowners preserve the life of their garage door by assisting them their garage door maintenance. This is really what it is all about, maintenance.

The maintenance of your garage door will ultimately determine how long your garage door will last. If you are experiencing too many issues with your garage door at one time, it can become unsafe to use. While you can begin attacking each problem, one at a time, you may not be able to use your garage during the repairs. This would be a huge inconvenience to you and your household. This is just one of the reasons homeowners simply opt to have a new garage door installed instead. However, what if you just love your garage door because you took the time to choose the exact garage door that you wanted that stands out from everyone else’s? You would certainly want to preserve the life of your garage door. It is absolutely possible to do so either if you allow our garage door service technicians to handle the job for you or you handle it on your own.
Since your garage door is likely the largest moving part of your home equipment, you need to be careful when it is starting to have problems. It is also made up of a lot of moving parts that enable it to run smoothly.

You don’t want to wait until you start to experience problems with these parts of your garage door. If you are going to preserve your garage door, you have to consider what you will do now to make sure you can keep your garage door functioning as long as possible. When you have regular maintenance performed on your garage door or you are performing regular maintenance, it is possible for your garage door to last for up to 30 years or possibly a lifetime. We have put together a couple of tips to help you maintain the life of your garage door as long as possible.

• Lubricating Parts

It is especially important to have the moving parts of your garage door lubricated. They suffer the most wear. You can replace many of these parts but if you can maintain your garage door, you won’t have to worry about doing this. The cables, rollers, panels and springs need to be lubricated regularly. This will prevent them from working harder than they have too and save you money by having them longer and not having to replace them.

• Clean Parts

Your garage door is an extension of your home and should be treated as such. Just like you would clean your home with soap and water, you would do the same with your garage door. You can take a mild soap from time to time and wipe down the parts of your garage door that are prone to rust. Scrub anything that looks like there is a lot of dirt on any parts of the door. The only problem is that you may not be able to get to all of the parts or know where they are located. This means that you may still have parts that will rust. Again, this is another good reason to consider allowing a garage door service to address your garage door maintenance needs. If you’re trying to wipe the outside of your door clean and it just doesn’t seem to be working, you might need to apply a new coat of paint to give your door the luster it once had.

• Evaluate the Balance

The longer your door is improperly balanced the worse the door will become. It will begin to function badly and puts undo pressure on the garage door opener. This is a good enough reason to check the door balance regularly or to have it checked regularly. If you decide that you want to handle this on your own, you will need to lift the door up about 2-feet up off the ground and step back to check the balanced. If the door closes by itself, you will know it is not balanced. When you have determined that it needs to be balanced, call on a professional garage door professional in Union City, GA, to handle the job for you.

• Check Safety Sensors

You should always be concerned with your safety sensors. Inspect your sensors to make sure they are working correctly. Again, if you decide to handle this on your own, close the door and but something in front of the beams. If the sensors of your garage door are functioning properly, the door will begin to reverse. You can also check the safety sensors by sticking your hands out to see if the door will reverse on its own. If the door continues to advance, there is a problem and you should bring it to the attention of a qualified professional, Even if you don’t want a professional garage door service to handle the maintenance of your garage door, it might be a good idea to ask for an annual inspection. The expert garage door service technician will tell you where you need repairs or what might be wrong with your door. Attending to this right away, instead of prolonging the repairs, will help to prolong the life of your garage door.

able garage door technician you can count on, such as a mobile garage door repair specialist on staff at Garage Door Masters.

Article source here: Maintaining the Life of Your Garage Door

Identifying garage door spring issues

Have you ever wondered if you are having garage door spring issues? Maybe the problem is something else, like your opener unit or your cables. How can you really tell? Maybe you wanted to know but were hesitant to call a garage door repair technician because of diagnostic charges or the fear of looking “dumb.” Don’t worry; you are not alone. Here at Garage Door Masters we often get calls about possible spring problems and the homeowners often tell us that they are guessing due to not being able to pinpoint the actual problem. Union City, GA has many repair shops where garage door issues can be detected and fixed but you don’t have to call any of us to actually know about spring issues; we’ll tell you how to spot them right away right here on this post. So what’s the point of learning this? Don’t you still have to call for repair? Why not let your garage door repair experts find the problem and fix it like they are paid to do?

False alarm

Surprise! Your problem may not be spring related at all! It’s nice to know whether it is or not. You might not need a service call from a local garage door repair tech at all! We’ll show you some fast and easy checks to see what the problem might be and then if you need spring repair or replacement, go ahead and make an appointment.

Do it yourself checks include making sure your remote battery is good, keeping items out of the way of your safety sensors and keeping your garage door tracks clear of debris and other items that may impede the movement of the rollers. You can do these checks quickly and easily and without incurring any cost at all. A run down battery in your remote can send a random signal to your opener or it can be too weak to send a signal at all. Since your garage door isn’t working, you might mistake this for a spring issue when it’s not. A clogged garage door track can send you’re raising or lowering garage door back down or up because the rollers cannot move all the way and this too might be mistaken for spring problems.

A little background

All garage door springs are not alike. They come in two main categories; torsion and extension springs. They do the same basic job; they lift and lower your several hundred pound garage door whenever you come and go. It’s not your opener that does the work; it’s really your springs that get the job done! Torsion springs are the ones most commonly used in new homes being built today. They last longer and are generally safer to operate and service. They also cost more but it’s not a huge difference. If you have torsion springs, they are located on the inside of your garage door, on top, and are mounted horizontally. They usually last about 15 to 20 thousand cycles with a full cycle being one opening and one closing of your garage door.

On the other hand, extension springs are the older variety. These are mounted vertically on either side of your garage door, on the inside, and since they extend or expand on use, they can be quite dangerous if they break. They cost a little less than the torsion variety and are usually only good for about half the cycles, too.

Warning indicators

As ominous as that sounds, there are signs that you are experiencing honest to goodness spring issues. Here are some:

Does your garage door start to go up, but only slowly, and then suddenly it starts to continue upward really fast?

When your garage door is closed, does it look lopsided or tilted to one side? This partially squashed look is due to one of your springs being damaged.

Did your garage door start to go up and then suddenly stop; about halfway up?

When your garage door is moving either up or down, does it look like one side is moving faster than the other? Is one side “struggling” to catch up?

When operating your garage door with your remote or with your wall button does it seem like one side is doing all the work and the other side is going along for the ride?

Is your garage door unresponsive when you tapped the remote or the wall button? Is your car seemingly trapped inside?

Did your garage door give off a loud snap or bang sound when you were attempting to operate it?

These are some (by no means all) of the symptoms of damaged garage door springs. If you’ve done the preliminary checks mentioned above and notice any of these signs, you most likely have spring damage.

Can I repair my own springs?

We don’t recommend you even trying. First of all, spring repair, installation or maintenance of any kind is flat out dangerous. Every year people are hurt or even killed by attempting to do this very thing. We understand that you might like do-it-yourself projects, or that you might want to save money over calling a repair professional. The fact is that you most likely lack the training, tools and experienced needed to service your torsion or extension springs and since both are dangerous, we recommend that you forgo the repair job, on your own. You can sustain injuries, void out your warranty and cause property damage all at the same time; not worth it at all!

Call a pro!

When you need a cavity filled, do you do it yourself? When your roof need re-tiled, do you do it yourself? You most call a professional and that’s exactly what you should do in this case. Spring repair or replacement should not be taken lightly. Get good quality springs, have them installed correctly and maintain them according to what your garage door repair specialist tells you. Your springs will repay you with reliable service and safe usage for many years to come!

Article source here: Identifying garage door spring issues

9 Key Tips for Never Getting Locked Out Again

image from: tiphero.com

Is there anything more annoying than getting locked out of your house? No matter how it happened, realizing that you don’t have the right key and that you’re further away from relaxing after a long day is just an awful feeling. What’s worse, you’re left with very few options, none of which are very appealing.
You can shimmy through the kitchen window, break the sliding glass door, or call in for backup if you know someone with a spare and wait for them to cancel their plans and come to your rescue. That last option might seem best, but sitting out in the cold all alone while you wait? It’s not safe nor is it fun.

Read more: 9 Key Tips for Never Getting Locked Out Again

When seeking a reliable company to conduct top-quality garage door repair ~ residential or commercial ~ Garage Door Masters is located at 2151 Red Oak Cir, Union City, GA 30291.