Sliding Glass Patio Door Locks

Sliding Glass doors might brighten up your home and bring a bit of the outdoors inside. Make sure your patio doors are secure at all home, by following these safety tips.

Sliding glass doors are one of those highly overlooked security pitfalls that homeowners seem to look past time and again.

Although often overlooked, home break-in statistics show that sliding glass doors are one of a home’s biggest security vulnerabilities since criminals use it time and again to break into homes throughout the nation. There are several reasons why patio doors locks are such a security threat to many homes: The generic home locks that come preinstalled on most sliding glass doors are super easy to break into with simple household items or basic tools from a hardware store.

Sliding glass patio door locks have been known to be broken into with crowbars, screw drivers, and even flathead screwdrivers. Additionally, since there are no hinges on sliding doors, they make very little noise when being broken into. Now that we know about the issues with these specific types of  door locks, the question is what can be done to improve the security of sliding glass doors?

Solutions to Sliding Glass Door Lock Issues

There are many ways to improve the security level of your patio door locks, and you’ll be happy to learn that many of the options available are relatively easy to implement and install. The following are some easy solutions:

Installing a Clamp Lock- Clamp locks are very secure but in order to install one properly, one must first take exact measurements of the door including the door’s thickness, how far the hook sticks out and how high the hook is. These locks are secure, and should ideally only be installed by a certified locksmith technician.

Installing a Foot Lock- Foot locks come in many makes and models and can be installed by a professional locksmith. They are one of the most convenient solutions for easy door locking and unlocking, as many of these locks can unlock the door with one simple tap of the foot. These locks are a very secure choice for your home.

Getting a Twist-in Door Lock- These locks come with a bolt that can be screwed or unscrewed into the metal frame of the door to prevent it from opening. It is very strong and can’t be fiddled with from the outside, making it a good option, as it is much less likely to be broken-into then the standard patio door lock. The best part of the twist in door lock is that the bolt insures that it is really secure, while at the same time remaining convienient to use on a daily basis. To have one of these locks installed on your patio door, you should call upon the services of one of our local professional locksmiths. 

Purchasing the Charley Bar- This is an adjustable security bar must be put into place manually and when in place, makes it virtually impossible for burglars to open the sliding glass door from the outside. Charley bars are also known as security bars, and can be purchased online or in any big box hardware stores in the country. For a really cost effective version of the Charley bar, you can cut a broom stick to size. The only downside of this option is that is must be put into place each time you want to secure your door, and it must be manually removed each time you want to unlock your door, which can get annoying over time.

Problems with Windowed Doors

If you can see out, your neighbors could see in.

Another issue that comes up with sliding glass doors and other doors with built in glass windows, is that they are see-through. Doors that are see-through are just too convenient for home thieves, as they can easily be seen through into homes. Glass doors show off things like big screen TVs, Xboxes, wallets lying around, and more. Perhaps more importantly even, they often give a direct view of home alarms, so that burglars could know when the alarm has not been set or even watch you as you disable it with your pin number. This problem is easily solved by blocking the view from the street with:

• Curtains
• Stained glass
• Blinds
• Window film 

For extra security, you can always go with more than one of the above options. Many homeowners call upon our services to install clamplocks which they use together with a charley bar for extra security protection. A licensed locksmith will be able to help secure your entire home and property as well as repair any damage done. It won't cost you a fortune of money to do, we can offer you a reasonable price with guarantee on all our residential locksmith services.

Call us today for more info!