Why do I have a T handle on my garage door?

These locks use a T-handle on the outside of the door and need a key to unlock. When you turn the handle it pushes or pulls a bar thru the track of the door locking it down or releasing it to open door. The other kind of T handle lock will use cables on the inside of door to release the locks to open the door.

Opener installed in your garage

Warning, if you have an opener installed in your garage you have to always make sure the door is not locked when you operate the opener. This is a common situation and it happens all the time. The result is damage to the top section of the garage door. When I install garage door openers and the door has a manual locking mechanism I always ask the homeowner if they would like me to disable it to prevent any damage to the door.

T handle locks

T handle locks are usually installed on garage doors that do not have an opener installed in the garage to keep the door from being opened from the outside by intruders. This is common on brand new homes where the builder does not put openers in garages unless the new homeowner requests that option. Every time I install an opener on a garage that has a T handle lock I warn the homeowner of potential damage and disable or remove the lock.