A vault lock or sometimes called a vault release is a mechanism with a key lock that allows you to disconnect your garage door opener from the door the reason for this application or lock is for garages that do not have a second entry into the garage other then the garage door itself this is very common in apartment complexes detached garage is or even attached garages which baffles me I can’t imagine having a garage attached to my house without an entry from somewhere inside the house but believe me there is a lot of them out there it seems to be more common in older homes built in the 40s 50s and 60s. The most common use for Ewald lock is being able to access your vehicle or garage when you have a garage door opener attached to it and the power goes out and renders you locked out. Unless you have a garage door opener or with a battery back up for this reason you will most likely be glad you have a vault lock on your garage door and any home inspector or county official that and inspect homes will require it when they noticed that there is only one entry into the garage. Or if a tenant moves out of a unit and does not return garage door opener remotes the management will have a way to access the garage. Also you would not believe how many garages I go into that absolutely need a vault lock and do not have one installed and the homeowners had no idea what they were or why but when I explain to them what it’s for they absolutely want me to install one and are not very expensive. Installing a vault lock is pretty simple the only major tool you will need is a couple of drillbits one should be smaller than the other the small drill bit would maybe be 16th of an inch for the through bolts that anchor the lock to the door the other will be a very large drillbit it will have to be bigger then the barrel that you would see on the lock because that’s what slides into the door. The drillbit that I would use or do use to install a vault lock is what they call a unit bit it is shaped like a cone and you can drill just about any size hole into metal or wood the further you drill into The door the wider the hole will get. You can find them at most any retail hardware store but they are kind of pricey so be aware. The vault lock needs to be installed on the top garage door panel halfway up the section in other words smack dab in the middle of the top section would be perfect once you have drilled your holes and the barrel will fit through the door you can now install the lock. The vault lock will have a one and a half to 2 foot long cable attached to it you will need to feed that cable through the bigger hole you drilled in the door panel at the end of that cable will be what looks like an S clamp. No you will need to install the mounting screws they are usually pretty thin but very long they should be about 2 1/2 inches long the average vault lock will fit any thick list door up to 2 inches if your door is thicker than 2 inch then you will need a different kind of vault lock with longer mounting screws. Feed the mounting screws through the door and tighten down with the two small nuts and washers in the kit do not tighten down too much because it will start to dent in the door if it is metal from the outside so make sure it is just really snug not too tight. Once the lock is attached to the door you must now go inside and put the garage door down and the end of the cable with the Eskalith will need to slide into the hole on your emergency release mechanism on your opener this is where your red emergency release cord is tied into just put the S clip in and you might have to bend it with some pliers to close the open part tightly fastened to the emergency release. Once everything is in place you should tested put the garage door down with the opener engaged then put your key into the keyhole turn either to the right or left and a small barrel should slide
right out attached to the key then you will pull the cable through the front of the door and pull hard enough and it releases the emergency release that is keeping your door locked then you just open door by hand.
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