How Do You Burglar Proof A Patio Door
4 Tips to Protect Sliding Doors from Burglars Why are Sliding Doors So Vulnerable? Sliding glass doors are use latches, not locks. Tip 1: Use Blocking Bars. Insert a metal or wooden bar along your sliding doors bottom track. Tip 2: Install a Security Pin. Tip 3: Apply Shatterproof Film. Tip 4: Get a Monitored Alarm System.
The Security Benefits Of Provia Patio Doors
We trust ProVia® patio doors to keep your home and family safe and secure. ProVia includes excellent, high-quality security features that add extra strength to each patio door, including:
- 20-gauge security plates that offer added sturdiness to prevent kick-ins and break-ins.
- 12-gauge hinge plates that do not bend and are welded onto your door for extra strength and security.
- Stylish, durable locks that are available from Emtek® and Schlage® and protect your home while adding aesthetic appeal.
- Two layers of tempered safety glass to make shattering your patio door a challenging feat.
An Optimal Solution: Security Screen Doors From Metalex
They look like regular screen doors to keep bugs out, but these also keep burglars out! Very secure and without the cons of the other options. These install in front of your existing patio doors in sliding and hinged formats.
The security grade high tensile strength stainless steel woven mesh protects against cutting, impact and corrosion. The frame and tracks are made of high strength aluminum to resist prying & brute force attack. Doors cannot be lifted out of the tracks.
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Extra Security Locks For Patio Doors
Even if you lock your patio doors at the end of each day, this may not make much of a difference if the latches are very simple. Patio doors are only as secure as their locks and upgrading the latches can help keep your home safe. As South Coast Home Improvements, we install doors that are fitted with the latest patio door locks and the most high-quality latches. So, you can enjoy doors that dont just look great but that also lock securely.
How To Secure Your Homes Front Door
Make sure locks and hardware are in good condition and check the quality of the door and the frame. The best lock in the world wont help if the door can be kicked in. If you have a smart lock, you can receive reminders if you forget to lock your door after a certain amount of time, allowing you to lock or unlock your front door from anywhere.
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Install A Concealed Lock For French Doors
The purpose of multi-point locks is to secure the door at multiple points around the frame. This will prevent a burglar from opening the door by applying force. Because even if one lock point fails, other lock points will keep the door in place.
I found a great flush bolt that can be installed on one of the french door leafs to provide better resistance against forced entry. Its best to install two of these, one on the top and one on the bottom part of an inactive leaf of a double door opening.
This is an affordable lock with a pretty simple setup. The required tools such as screws and surface strikes come with the package.
As the name says, its concealed and cant be seen from the inside or the outside. If anyone tries to break through by manipulating a lock or slamming through with sheer force, theyll be in for a rude awakening because the door will stay in place.
I dont consider this as a go-to method for completely securing french doors. As I mentioned when discussing the door barricade, if the house is vacant and in the middle of nowhere, youll still need to take extra steps like install an alarm or a camera to completely secure the door.
But its definitely a good addition that will derail amateur burglars, and it can be used as an alternative to a door barricade.
Address Your Home Security Concerns
Sliding glass doors are beautiful and functional features of a home. But they dont have to compromise your peace of mind. With a few simple preventative measures, your sliding glass door can be enjoyable and secure.
To ensure your residential property is as protected as possible, give Great Valley Lockshop a call at or request a quote online. Well be happy to discuss all of your security options.
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Tips For Increasing Your Patio Door Security
Theappeal of patio doors is no secret. They create a convenient point ofaccess between your home and yourbackyard, deckor patio, serving as a bridge between indoor and outdoor livingspaces. Their panels of glass invite an abundance of natural lightinto your home. They are often on the side or back of your house, andfrequently hidden from street visibility.
Fortunately,there are simple steps you can take to improve the security of yourpatio doors.
Home Security Alarm Systems
It never hurts to take all the necessary precautions. While some of the simple patio door security tips mentioned above are practical and cheap you can take the ultimate measure by installing a monitored alarm system.
What is nice about home security systems is that they not only protect your sliding door but all points of entry like the front door and windows.
At the end of the day, no security measure is completely foolproof, yet simple additions like a blocking bar or Charlie bar, security pin, and shatterproof glass film will eliminate most safety concerns. It all depends on how much youre willing to spend to ensure your familys safety.
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Can You Lock Double Sliding Barn Doors
The simple answer is yes. Interior barn doors can be locked using a sliding barn door lock. Some barn door privacy locks are only on the inside of the door, while others allow you to lock the sliding barn door from both sides. Being able to lock a barn door makes it a viable solution for any room in the house.
Get A Security Door Brace For French Doors
The beauty of French doors isnt just that they let in light but that they open wide for unobstructed views. But they can also pose unique challenges when it comes to security. Like sliding glass doors, the locking mechanism isnt always the strongest and the amount of glass surrounding the lock makes it easy for a burglar to work around.
The best way to secure French doors is to literally stop the doors from opening with a security brace. A brace can withstand a lot of force and pressure, and it will keep the doors from opening by simply holding them in place. Even if the glass is broken and the doors are unlocked, a brace will hold them in a closed position.
Door braces come with two main parts and are another easy install. One part screws into the floor at the base of the doors. It should be centered across where the doors open and lie flush with the molding on the bottom of the door.
The second part slides in and out of place and actually pushes up against the middle where the French doors meet. Its only about 3 inches high and 9 inches wide, but it gets the job done. When you need to open your doors, you simply slide the second piece out of place and set it on top of the door frame.
If you have a tile or stone floor, you might need a professional to install the brace because youll need special screws and drills bit to work through those materials. Most homeowners can install a security brace on wood or laminate floors without any problems.
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Maintain Your Doors Tracks
One of the best things you can do to have secure patio doors is to have a regular maintenance schedule.
Remember, sliding doors move back and forth on rollers. If these become damaged, it becomes easier for someone to lift the door from its track.
In order to maintain the tracks and rollers, get in the habit of lifting the door out of the track and cleaning out debris and dirt.
Clean tracks can prevent a thief from simply lifting your door off its track and bypass your locked door.
Dont Keep The Garage Opener In Your Car
A thief who breaks into your car can grab the remote for easy access to your garage. This isnt just a problem when your car is parked in the driveway the registration card in your glove box gives a crook your address.
So get rid of the remote on your visor and buy a keychain remote. You can easily take it with you every time you leave the car. Home centers stock only a small selection of remotes, but youll find more online. Start your search by typing in the brand of your opener, followed by remote. Heres why you shouldnt attach the ignition key to any other keys, as well.
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How To Secure Patio Doors: Advice From The Experts
Did you know that experienced burglars can break into your home in under a minute? If you do not have the right security measures in place, your home wont be properly protected and your homes security could be at risk. Patio doors are often left unsecured and this can make them a security risk.
Patio doors are a wonderful way to provide access and stunning views to your patio or garden. Not only do patio doors provide easy access to the outdoors, but they also let in plenty of natural light throughout the year. Making the right decisions regarding your sliding door locks can ensure your home security is not compromised.
Why Not Use Double
Although there are some who advocate securing double-cylinder deadbolts, others consider the locks safety hazards. Double-cylinder deadbolt locks require a key to unlock the lock even from the inside. While this does an excellent job guarding against burglaries, it can cause some serious problems if the key is misplaced. At best, a person is stuck looking for a key and being inconvenienced because they canât use the door. At worst, the door canât be unlocked when there is an emergency. Itâs best to deal with doors that offer advanced locking systems than to add double-cylinder deadbolts.
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Is It Easy To Change Sliding Doors
Doors and windows are usually only replaced in a full home renovation. This is because, while the task of replacing them isnt all that difficult, to do so, a lot of a homes interior is affected. Thus, its easy to see why the task of replacing sliding doors and windows is often pushed aside to the too hard basket.
How To Secure Outside Track Sliding Glass Doors
Outside track sliding doors present a greater security challenge than their inside track variants, as they are far more easily pried open and lifted off of their tracks.
When the sliding panel is on the inside, it is a lot harder to get tools between the panel and its tracks for prying. If you ever have the choice between the two styles, always go for an inside track sliding door.
However, many of the tips described above will work with an outside track patio door. You will not be able to use a security bar effectively, but you can still replace the weak latching lock on the door and should use more than one auxiliary lock to prevent both horizontal and vertical movement.
I would double or triple up on auxiliary locks because the door will be exposed to prying tools like crowbars, which can exert a lot more force than someone without tools.
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Replace Your Old Sliding Door
Sometimes all the precautions and extra measures you take are not enough to secure your sliding glass door. Over a decade old door will probably start creaking and falling out of the tracks. Plus, plastic rollers may get stuck when you open the door.
When that moment comes, your sliding door wont be secure anymore, and you should replace it. Dont forget to take the opportunity to choose better quality glass and heavy-duty tracks secured along the entire length of the door.
The overall costs of the sliding glass door replacement will depend on many factors. In most cases, the average price ranges from $1,500 to $4,000, with labor costs included.
Safety Issues With Sliding Patio Doors
You might not realize that your sliding patio door is one of your homes most significant vulnerabilities.
Patio doors are usually in low-visibility areas, like the side of your home. The large glass panels and your doors location make it easy for burglars to evaluate the contents of your house to plan their robbery without a passerby or your neighbor noticing them.
More importantly, sliding patio doors are often secured with spring-loaded locks. Unfortunately, these locks are incredibly breakable and easy to disengage.
Heres the quick process a burglar can use to break into your home through your sliding door with a spring-loaded lock:
If the spring-loaded lock fails, a burglar can always break the glass, grab your valuables, and run within seconds.
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How Do You Make Your Doors More Secure
To burglar-proof your glass doors, use the strategies listed below.
Security Systems and Alarms
If you do nothing else, purchase a security system of some kind. This security system should have a few key components:
- It should contact the authorities immediately after triggering.
- It should include a motion alarm. This should frighten a burglar away before he or she even touches the glass. Even if it doesnt, it will make him or her feel stressed and careless while breaking in.
- It should include a shatter alarm. Since motion alarms may go off when a cat or a tree branch gets too close, the authorities may not respond as quickly. However, a shatter alarm will signal that you really need help.
Reinforced Glass
You should also consider installing cameras around your glass doors. You can install small, unimposing ones so you dont alarm customers or guests. Just keep them in plain sight so burglars know you mean business. Post signs about your alarm system around your property as well.
Consider adding a film to reinforce the glass in your door. You can also purchase reinforced glass, which also includes a film. This film holds the glass shards together even after they shatter, slowing an intruders entry. Strong reinforced glass may keep burglars out completely. The longer it takes to break into your home, the more likely a burglar will give up and run away.
Security Bars
Dowel Rods
Install A Smart Lock System
Most burglars like to enter a house through the sliding glass doors because most of the time, the homeowners would forget to lock them up. This type of doors is usually installed at the backyard, and thats what makes the intruders love breaking through it even more. The backyard usually has more spots for them to hide, and so, there is little chance for the neighbors to spot or hear any glasses broken.
Thus, installing a smart lock system will help you to know whether the sliding glass doors are locked or not. And If its not locked, you can always lock it remotely as soon as you are leaving the room.
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Common Weaknesses Of Sliding Glass Doors
- Simple latches and locks are relatively easy to circumvent. This often takes no effort because many homeowners forget to lock their sliding glass doors in the first place.
- People can see into your home through the large glass doors.
- Intruders can smash the glass.
- Sliding glass doors are often located in the backyard. After a quick hop over the fence, an intruder has privacy to work on breaking through the door.
Slip In A Security Bar
Want to keep those doors from being forced off their tracks? A security bar that fits right in the track could do the trick. Thin enough to nestle in the track, a security bar provides resistance when someone attempts to pry the door open by bracing agains the door frame. Priced around $20, these bars can be easily removed when youre home and awake to make opening the door a snap. If you dont have time to hit the hardware store, look around your home for a short broom handle or long wooden dowel to fill that track until you can make the trip.
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Can Sliding Doors Be Locked Securely
The standard factory locks installed on sliding glass doors arent usually of the highest quality. On some door models with vinyl frames, the fastener and the bolt mechanism dont even pass through the sturdier wood or metal frame to provide adequate security. A locksmith can help determine if it provides a sufficient level of security. The lock may need additional reinforcement or to be replaced.
Enjoy The Peace Of Mind Of A Safe & Secure Home
Its important to keep in mind that because every home is unique, theres no one-size-fits-all, guaranteed solution when it comes to burglar-proofing your home. However, start by following these steps and speaking with a security professional to ensure youre installing the best system possible for the style of your home. For safety tips like these, and more information on everything home, smart security, and innovation, visit the CPI blog today.
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