Sliding Doors No More A Security Hindrance

Sliding doors add grace to the entire ambiance of your home as they beautifully amalgamates the inside and outside environment of the house. At the same time, the security is also an important point of concern to keep the intruders away from home. However, there is a choice of deadbolts and latches in hinged doors; the question of security of sliding doors is not so easy to answer as they can easily be lifted off the tracks where they have been fixed or can also be forced to open. Glazing can also be broken. Doing away with sliding doors is not an option either. So, the bottom line is to secure the sliding doors. You can always look forward to replacing the ordinary glass installed on your door with plastic, wire-enforced, laminated glass or by plastic. Another option is to install parameter alarm system.

Another addition to the list to make the weak link of sliding doors a secured one is the employment of security bars. This ensures more protection as the sliding doors are kept locked when not used. There are mainly two kinds of security bars ? for sliding patio doors and the other standard doors. It is advisable to select the locking device that has a capacity to withstand at least a force of 1,000 pounds. Also, these security bars employed should be strong enough to avert the lifting of the sliding door from its track. There are myriad of locking devices that are made available for sliding doors. Track grips that can be tightened by a key or thumbscrew can be used to avert the sliding of panel. Metal stops which overlap with lower track by securing with thumbscrew or lever that fasten them at the right place can also be used.

Spring bolt that consists of a pin which snaps from the hole and drilled inside the edge of lower track along with bottom of sash, is screwed to the base track or sill. One of the easiest ways to avert the sliding of the inside panel is by dropping a tubing piece or dowel inside the empty space of lower track. You can cut it a quarter of an inch smaller than the space between the jamb and the panel. The old sliding doors can also be an invitation to the burglars as they are easily managed by them by lifting. This can be prevented by adjusting and keeping the rollers of the door properly and in a good condition. The visible decals can be placed close to the latch which indicates the alarm system. This alarm system will be a warning sign for burglars that they can be caught if they tried to intrude inside the home through the sliding door.

It is also better to have a secondary device for blocking the entry of blockers, so that if the first one fails you still have a backup to alert you about the burglars. Hence, security of the sliding doors can be ensured by these devises, you just need to make little efforts.

William I. Neil is an architect, providing information and directories about home decor, please visit Sliding Door Security