Vault lock or release is a keyed lock that is in the middle of the top section of the garage door. This lock is attached to a cable that ties to your openers emergency release lever. When you turn the key and pull out the lock the cable that is attached will pull down on emergency release so you can open the door manually by hand. This is necessary to access garage in case of power outage or opener malfunction that won’t allow opener to operate garage door.

Do all garage doors need to have a vault lock installed onto them?

Not all garage doors need to have a vault lock installed. This lock is specifically for garages that do not have a second door or entry other than the garage door itself. Detached garages and garages in some condo or apartment complexes have 1 car garages that don’t have a separate entry. I have also seen a typical single family home that has a garage with no second entry point. I have

also had to break into a garage because the homeowner had one of these types of garage and no vault lock installed. That is a huge mistake for a garage door technician to miss. Not to mention it is standard building code to have a vault lock on one of these garages.

If you have one of these garages and see no vault lock installed. Call a garage door company ASAP to have one installed. Or there is a vault lock and the key is lost or not given to you when you moved into your home. Absolutely the day will come when you will need this vault lock. And if you don’t have one something is going to have to break or taken apart to open that door. It will be an unnecessary expense to you.