How to lock and unlock a garage door from outside?

To be able to lock and unlock your garage door from the outside, you need to install three products:

  1. A side lock (SK7115), to lock the garage. Also known as slide bolts or locking side latches.
  2. An exterior handle (SKT9303), to lock the sliding bolt from the outside.
  3. A lock cylinder (SK278), to unlock the sliding bolt from the outside.

Components

The SK7115 is a universal sliding garage door lock, which is installed on the inside surface of a garage door. It has three levers: 

  1. The sliding bolt, which locks the door.
  2. A vertical spring-loaded release lever, next to the flat slot. This snaps into place when the bolt is extended blocking it in the locked position, and throws open the bolt when released.
  3. A diagonal spring-loaded operating lever, next to the square slot. This can be used to extend the bolt, either manually from the inside or using an exterior handle.

Locking and unlocking from the inside

If you install  only the SK7115, you can lock and unlock your garage door from the inside. 

  1. To lock it, push out the sliding bolt. You can also use the operating lever.
  2. To unlock it, push the release lever away from the track (towards the center of the door).
  3. The sliding bolt should automatically spring open. If it doesn't, you can manually retract it while holding the release lever in the open position.

To lock the door from the outside

To lock the slide lock from the outside, you need to install a lock handle, with the spindle inserted into the square hole next to the operating lever. 

Once installed, turn the handle 90 degrees to lock the slide lock. This will turn the operating lever and extend the bolt into the locked position. The door is now locked.

NOTE: The exterior handle alone cannot unlock the side lock. The bolt is now blocked in place by the release lever. The bolt cannot be unlocked from the outside without adding a lock cylinder to activate the release lever.

To unlock the door from the outside

To unlock from the outside you need to add a lock cylinder, installing it so that the spindle is inserted into the flat hole next to the release lever.. 

Once installed, insert & turn the key of the lock cylinder. This will trigger the release lever, and the bolt should spring open. If the bolt doesn't automatically spring open (often caused by friction between the bolt and the track), you can use the handle to retract the bolt while holding the key unlocked.

Summary: To lock and unlock from outside, you need three devices: A side lock, a handle for locking, and a lock cylinder for releasing/unlocking.

Warning:

If you've installed the lock handle or lock cylinder, DO NOT lock your garage door from inside if you don't have another exit door. You cannot manually unlock the slide lock if it is connected to a lock handle or cylinder.