The true is that, one of the most elegant additions to any home is a set of sliding patio doors with sliding glass. They act as large bay windows filling your home with natural sunlight. The most of apartments, condos, homes are pre-packaged with such doors because of their appeal and function.
Browse more door levers on Houzz
They’re great …only one drawback. For many people is a fear, they are not safe; they are easy to break through. Unfortunately, they are a favorite target of burglars.
If you are like most North Americans, you are concerned about the safety of your home and your community. By far, the most common threat to our home is burglary.
Ordinary household tools like screwdrivers, channel-lock pliers, small pry bars, and small hammers are most often used by burglars. Some doors can be lifted out of their tracks from the outside, even when closed. Burglars can also break the glass on a patio door but the most entries are achieved by breaking the lock or otherwise forcing the door.
What is the psychology of a burglar in house selection process? The burglar’s selection process is simple. Anytime he will choose an unoccupied home with the easiest access, the greatest amount of cover, and with the best escape routes. The burglar will simply bypass your home if it requires too much effort or requires more skill and tools than they possess.
For a home owner the best is to minimize the risk by making his home unattractive to potential burglars.
1.The first method of deterrence comes from the thick paned glass. The doors are made with a minimum of two, three-quarter inch panels of glass, meaning they are harder to shatter than going through your front door.
2. Add an interior metal bar. The safety bar, when in place, prevents movement from either side of the doors. Most safety bars are inexpensive and easy to install. If possible, choose a bar of solid metal or heavy metal tubing. But attention, safety bars cannot be used on some vinyl doors whose stiles lack rigidity.
3. Auxiliary Locks: There is a variety of locks available for use on sliding doors to supplement existing locks. Most of them use a slide or deadbolt of hardened steel and are easily operated with a lever or thumb-turn. They are designed to be mounted on the inside edge of the door on the frame or track.
4. Jimmy Plates: They are designed to be installed in the upper door channel. They prevent the door from being lifted out of its track by eliminating the vertical play in the door.
Other precautions would be:
1) Close and lock patio doors when you leave your home, and even if you are going to be out of the room for an extended period.
2) When you aren’t at home keep the drapes or blinds shut and a light or music on.
3) Keep the area around patio doors clear of bushes and structures that could conceal someone trying to break in.
Keep the doorway well-lighted at night. A motion light is a good idea.
Garage Doors & Electrical Openers Types – Considerations (howtobuildahouseblog.com)
