SECURING DIFFERENT DOOR TYPES

Front door with glass:

A common way to enter a home is to break a glass window near a door and simply reach in to unlock the door. A double cylinder deadbolt, or a special deadbolt that has a removable thumb-turn, can offer protection against this type of entry. Be sure to check with your local officials to verify if either of these types of locks are allowed in your community before changing them.

Front door without glass:

A heavy duty tubular deadbolt or mortise lock provides good protection on a front door so long as it has at least a 1” bolt and can provide protection against picking, drilling, and other forms of physical attack.

Garage door:

Be sure to put a deadbolt on the door between your garage and home as many garage doors are easily opened by errant radio signals. Review the suggested requirements for the front door to determine the type of deadbolt to use.

Securing windows:

Windows should be secured with either locking hardware that utilizes a key for operation or with removable pins so that a burglar cannot easily force the window open.

Patio and Garden doors:

Many patio or garden doors offer a burglar the ideal opportunity for entry. Sliding doors should be secured with either a locking pin type lock or some type of auxiliary locking device that prevents the door from being lifted off its track. Garden doors often employ multipoint locking, which offers good physical security, but have an inexpensive cylinder that offers no protection against drilling, picking, or unauthorized key duplication. Retrofit cylinders are available for the door to allow the use of both the multipoint hardware AND a better cylinder.

Utility doors:

Any storage door or basement door should be secured with the same types of locks as the other doors on the home. A burglar can easily identify the least secure door on a home and will often use it to gain entrance. Typically these type of doors should be secured with a good quality deadbolt.

Out buildings:

There are two risks associated with unsecure utility doors. The obvious is the items contained within the out building could be taken. Less obvious is that a burglar could use the building as hiding place to further scope out an entrance to the main home.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top
Call Now Button