Sliding doors are a popular and attractive choice for patio doors. That is absolutely not a surprise with the beautiful enhancement they offer to the house exteriors. Additionally, they welcome the natural light into your house and allow you to enjoy the outside view. However, you would be disgruntled to find out who else finds the sliding doors to be advantageous. Sadly, it is none other than burglars who are ready to exploit the weaknesses in home security systems, which your sliding door can be a fruitful target for.
The biggest disadvantage to the sliding patio doors is that they often come with weak locks that are not durably capable of withstanding lock tampering attempts. This downside can allow intruders to pick, bump or bash the lock. Another addition to the vulnerability is contributed by the fragility of the glass, which can be broken by an intruder to gain access to your house.
However, these downsides certainly do not mean that it is not possible for the sliding doors to be secure. Quite the opposite! Similar to the French patio doors, your sliding patio door security can be very durable with the right steps taken. Learn how you can make the best use of the sliding door security measures to ensure that your sliding door is keeping your house safe, alongside contributing to the attractive aesthetics of your house!
Install a Robust Type of Lock
The prime weakness point that a burglar would be interested in is in fact a door lock easy to exploit. Unfortunately, sliding doors can hand that advantage to the burglars. This is because a massive concern posed by many sliding doors is that they come with locks that are not sturdy enough to withstand the lock tampering tactics.
These sliding door locks are often merely equipped with a simple latching mechanism and lack proper and durable mechanisms like deadbolts. The inbuilt latch can easily be taken advantage of by a burglar through physical force by utilizing tools like crowbar or lock picking. If your sliding door equips such a weak locking mechanism, then this is an extremely serious concern to not ignore.
Fortunately, this can be easily resolved by investing in a robust locking mechanism. A common type of lock recommended by expert locksmiths for sliding doors is the double bolt lock. It has sturdy steel bolts that slide into the frame when locked, which is a highly resistant and durable mechanism. They tend to be mounted either on the top or bottom of the door frame. You can choose a placement depending on your preferences.
Additionally, these locks tend to be mounted only in the interior. This is an advantage, but it can also be a disadvantage depending on your preferences. The advantage of the lock being hidden from exterior side is that it makes it quite harder for the burglars to compromise it. A potential disadvantage, on the other hand, can be that maybe you would prefer to be able to unlock and lock the door from the exterior side as well. Seek consultation from a locksmith for what might be the best fit for your preferences that can also fit good sliding door security measures!
You can install the lock on your own. However, keep in mind that it can be a bit of a complicated process. Make sure you know what you are doing, if you go for it! An improperly installed lock can pose a security risk, which is counterintuitive. If you are in doubt, then seek a locksmith’s services.
Mount a Security Bar to Block the Tracks
Another sliding door security option is to install a security bar. These are sturdy metal bars that can be mounted in the door tracks of sliding door at the interior side. This will prevent the movement of the door unless the bar is removed from inside. Hence, even if the burglar is able to get past the locking mechanisms somehow, the bar would not let the door budge. Certain security bars can be integrated with the alarm system, which can provide an extra security advantage.
Alternatively, you can make use of a dowel or a piece of wood to serve as the blocking bars.
Reinforce the Glass to Prevent Entry Through Breaking Glass
Even if you take excellent measures to prevent the door from being forced open, we need to address the elephant in the room. There still prevails another serious concern to consider, which is the glass and its potential fragility. A persistent burglar can not be stopped from simply breaking the glass and then unlocking the door.
Certain glass doors come with laminated glass to address this concern. It is a plastic and translucent film sheet that is implemented between the two sides of glass. It is highly durable and even if it suffers a high impact blow, its film sheet upholds the broken shards in place. This ultimately makes it extremely hard to break in, even after breaking the glass.
However, if you are stuck with a sliding door that did not come with laminated glass, the situation can still be fixed! You can install a security film on your sliding door. It is a vinyl, translucent sheet which functions similarly to the laminated glass. It protects the glass and keeps the broken glass in its place. It is mounted on both sides of the door.
Make Sure to Adequately Secure Your Sliding Glass Door From Burglars
Sliding doors are a beautiful touch to your house. However, they can initially come with several security concerns, including weak locks and fragile glass. Neglecting these security weaknesses can make it easy for burglars to break in and put your house into dire danger. Hence, you should be sure that your sliding door security is reliable and effectively deters break-in attempts. Installing a strong locking system, security bar and shatterproof glass are the key ways to secure sliding doors.
Give a call to our Vaughan locksmiths now so that we can inspect your sliding doors for any vulnerabilities that can be putting you and your loved ones in danger. We can utilize our extensive expertise to resolve any issues and implement robust security measures, including a durable locking system that is exactly right for your needs and preferences!