Having large, light-illuminating patio doors can offer many benefits to your home. However, the design features of some types of patio doors can offer less security depending upon the type of your doors. In this article, we are going to explore different ways that you can protect your home with your patio doors with the latest innovations in home security. Let’s begin with common security issues.
Common security issues
Inward doors
Inward opening designs can be “kicked in”. Whilst often burglars will not actually kick this in due to noise and alerting the inhabitants, many sliding doors only have one latch that prevents intruders from accessing your property.
Outward opening doors
These often have exposed door hinges. This means the pins can be removed, and in some cases the door even dismounted!
Common Design flaws
If you have a door with a grid pattern of small window panes, intruders can bypass security measures by breaking the glass panes closest to the lock so the intruder can reach inside and open the lock. Similarly, doors with cylinder deadbolts that need a key on the outside but have a thumb turn on the inside can be breached by smashing the glass and reaching in to turn the latch. One of the easiest types of doors to breach is those that have a handle and lock in the centre. This is because they are only secured to each other and not the door frame as a whole. Euro cylinders for sliding doors tend to be easily snapped, and allow a burglar to enter your home in under 20 seconds.
We can see how easy it is to breach patio doors, so how do we protect them?
Lock your doors
Whilst this may seem very obvious, even homes in “safe” areas or with low crime statistics can fall victim to burglaries. ⅓ of burglary cases found that a burglar was able to enter as the residents were trusting enough to leave their doors unlocked or forgot to.
Consider a ‘padlock’
Very different from a padlock that you would use for a bike, for doors that have a central handle and a lock mechanism, you can find a unit that covers both the handles. If the frames of your doors are fitted within the walls, the only possible way for an intruder to enter would be to break the glass. When combined with our cutting-edge tempered glass, your home will be virtually impregnable. Due to the more durable nature of the glass, it would take repeated hits to try and force the window, buying you enough time to ring the police and make the intruder aware of their presence.
3 point locking systems
More specific to French doors as you have two that slide, one door is considered the ‘master’, the other the ‘slave’. The master usually has a secure lock to click into. 3 point locking systems are a combination of locks, such as top and bottom dead bolts, and/or shoot bolts on both doors.
Multi point locking systems
Typically found built-in to UPVC French doors or composite doors, multi-point locking systems are engaged as you lock the door and are built into it. For extra security, you could consider a 3 or 5 lever mortice design. This is essentially a pocket cut into the door so that when you turn your key to lock it, it is locked with a stronger bolt. However, if you are using a double-cylinder version where you have a key to lock the door from the inside and out, be sure to remember where you left them once inside. These are also popular for pre-1950 doors and can be easily installed in them.
Strengthen the door structure and glass
As mentioned with smashing the glass to thumb turn lock doors, you can make this increasingly harder by replacing the glass on your doors with a thicker material. This can also help retain the warmth of your home during winter and save you money on your energy bills. Alternatively, for sliding doors held in by pins, you could fit hinges where the pins are attached, which would make it harder to dismantle them. Every second that you can delay an intruder may be enough to deter them or give you time to make yourself known, or call the authorities. There are many types of glass that we can equip your doors with, including tempered, double glazed, impact resistant, and laminated, which are all considerably stronger and less likely to break upon impact.
Research other home defence methods
As an added layer of protection after strengthening your doors and glass, you could also consider smart sensors. Lighting up when they detect movement may wake you up if you are a light sleeper, but it will definitely show any prospective burglars that you have thought about your home’s security and may be enough to make them reconsider targeting your property. You can also install motion sensors with CCTV. Alternatively, you could also fit home alarm systems, or with smart devices such as Alexa programme a response for unauthorised entry, such as reducing your home’s lighting, playing a pre-recorded message that may scare the burglar or set off an alarm to wake you up. To summarise, there are many ways that you can secure your patio doors. Whilst smart devices, motion sensors and CCTV may deter a burglar, they are not failsafe options. Improving the structural integrity of your door frame, locking systems, and durability of your glass however, can be.
Contact Us
To have a free consultation about how we can improve the security of your home, please feel free to get in touch with us by either calling 01535 958 183 or by filling out our online contact form.
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