Many of today’s homes, apartments, and condos have sliding glass doors, and their commonality is only matched by the range of door lock options from which homeowners and tenants can choose. It’s important to choose the right lock for budgetary and security reasons. Before exploring some ways to make sliding glass door locks more secure, this guide will discuss some problems inherent in sliding doors and locks. If you don’t find what you are looking for during your sliding glass door troubleshooting contact us for professional advice. Most things are easy fixes but other may require a new door.
The Locking Mechanism
While the lock is the focus of this guide, it’s one of a sliding door’s weakest elements. As such, it’s most likely to become a target for burglars. Sliding door locks are meant to prevent unauthorized access, but most are simple latches that offer minimal security. They can easily be defeated by bumping, picking, and other bypass strategies, and most aren’t built to withstand the force a deadbolt can.
The Door Glass
To understand a sliding door lock’s weaknesses, it’s important to look at more than the lock. As mentioned previously, glass presents its own challenges, and if they’re not properly considered, the glass can be the weakest part of the door. Glass gives burglars an open view into the home, and it is easily shattered. When the glass is compromised, even the strongest lock is rendered useless.
Obscurity
There’s nothing burglars like more than the ability to work unseen. Although sliding doors are typically used as secondary entry and exit points, they don’t have the same visibility found with a main entry door. Not only does this allow an invader to bypass the lock without being caught, most homeowners are left unaware that the locks are being attacked.
Security Methods for Sliding Door Locks
As said before, securing the home’s sliding door locks doesn’t mean breaking the bank. Rather, by making minor changes and building around them, the locks will be made more secure. Below are a few steps to take.
Installing an Auxiliary Lock
Most sliding doors have simple latches that are easily defeated. While changing the locks may get expensive, it’s a worthwhile investment. As the lock is the door’s first line of defense, it’s important that they’re up to par. Homeowners can contact a sliding door installation specialist or a locksmith for new lock installation. With the installation of an auxiliary lock, homeowners get more security at a reasonable price.
Using a Rod to Stop the Door in Its Tracks
Some of today’s sliding doors are equipped with metal rods for additional security, but they’re only beneficial if they’re used properly. A rod helps to reinforce the door and prevent unauthorized entry by lock pickers and others, and if the door doesn’t include one, it’s simple and cheap to add a thick dowel or a broomstick though it shouldn’t be necessary with a professionally replaced sliding glass door from Milgard.
Using Motion Sensors
A motion sensor alarm addresses the obscurity factor and it lets homeowners know how well their sliding door locks are doing. Many believe that motion sensors and alarms are costly, but they’re becoming more affordable. When these products are installed in the right places, they provide a secondary security layer for sliding door locks.
Installing Shades
The beauty of a sliding glass door lies in the aesthetic appeal provided by the glass. It allows natural light into the home while giving homeowners a scenic view. As great as these benefits are, though, they become disadvantages when used by burglars. It’s easy for someone to peer in and figure out how to undermine the lock, and with the installation of shades, that becomes harder.
Most homeowners know that privacy has an enormous effect on the level of security they enjoy. As such, buyers should work to ensure that their sliding doors don’t leave them vulnerable. This is where sliding door shades and shutters become useful as a secondary security measure for door locks. Although installing a shade or blind may not keep burglars from targeting the home, it makes it harder for them to determine which security measures lie inside. A local sliding glass door installer can offer pointers on making these doors more secure while keeping their aesthetic appeal.
Final Thoughts
While sliding glass door locks may be just a small part of a comprehensive home security package, they’re an important one. Hopefully, the passive and active measures listed in this guide will help homeowners build thicker security layers around their sliding glass doors. Making these locks more secure helps homeowners actively defend against whichever measures burglars may use. By remaining proactive on lock maintenance and repair, customers will keep those locks functioning at an optimal level.
.jpg)