How Make Your Sliding Glass Doors More Secure

There is something about sliding glass doors. Natural light flooding in the room is enough to boost up your mood. And glass doors not only make rooms bright and cheery but also make cramped spaces look more open and spacious. But the problem is your regular sliding doors may compromise your home security in a lot of ways, unless you follow some tips to make them more secure.

So, what’s wrong with sliding glass doors, you ask.

1. It’s often seen that homeowners often forget to lock sliding glass doors.
2. The locks on these doors, essentially a simple latch, can be easily picked. Even if you remember to lock the doors, it is still very easy to unlock them by simply rattling the door a little bit. A burglar can even lift the door off its track using a crowbar.
3. These doors not only offer you a great view of outside but also gives burglars a perfect opportunity to size-up the belongings in your house.
4. Unless you have a reinforced glass or a shatter proof film, burglars can break your door to get in. Yes, it is that simple.

It could be an unsettling feeling to know that your favourite sliding glass doors could endanger the safety and security of your family. What can you do?

1. Install security bars

Install security bars to prevent the doors from opening by force. It is basically a high quality, strong metal bar that is installed across the width of the door. It is almost like a thick wood dowel placed in the door track. A security bar won’t allow an intruder to get an easy access by simply manipulating the latch or lifting off the door from its track. Some security bars come with alarm system for better security and peace of mind.

2. Wire in your door in your alarm system

If you have an alarm system in place, wire it with your sliding door. Any tampering with your glass door will sound an alarm, instantly alerting you to take action.

3. Install glass break sensors

As the name suggests, glass break sensors or detectors are devices that will sound alarm when the glass plane is broken. A burglar is more likely to stay away from your home if you have one installed on your door. It can be used in combination with door and window sensors that get activated when someone tries to open the doors and windows. Glass door sensors detect the frequency associated with breaking of a glass. That’s why you can expect some false alarms if you break some other item made of glass. You can overcome this by adjusting the sensitivity levels during installation.

4. Install clear film to strengthen the door

A high quality transparent film can add more strength to your regular glass door. This small investment allows your door to withstand high-force blows, making it tough to get through. If there is one thing a burglar wouldn’t like to deal with, it is getting too much attention.

5. Replace, if needed.

While you don’t need to go to this extreme if you have made your sliding glass door secure by following the above recommendations, you may still want to replace your existing door with a better option. You can install an impact-resistant sliding door, which will not only allow natural light to stream in but also provide protection against burglars as they are very difficult to break. Impact resitant doors also safeguards against weather elements and natural disasters like hurricane.

Remember, burglars don’t want any attention. They are looking for an easy opportunity. If you know what doors in your home present this easy chance, you can take care of the weak links. Racine’s Lock & Key can help. Our technicians can assess the doors and locks of your house and recommend what kind of locks would work best to give you best returns, both in terms of safety and money. Call us at (262) 509-0366 for a free estimate. Our residential locksmith services in Racine cover your every need; be it installing high security locks, give you a lock upgrade or installing digital peephole.