Deadbolt Locks

The most usual way to enter a home is through an external door, be that a front door, back door, side door or a door through from the garage. Doors are a very convenient design feature found in houses and apartments.

Unfortunately external doors are not only a convenient entry point for homeowners and their families, but also for burglars and other intruders.

Naturally it is the unlocked door that is the most convenient for an intruder, no effort, no noise, no sweat - just walk right in.

Most of us realize that leaving an external door unlocked is an open invitation, especially for the opportunist burglar, so we do lock our doors.

But how secure are the locks that we use? There is little doubt that the most effective locks for external doors are deadbolt locks.

Unlike a spring latch type lock a deadbolt does not lock when the door is pulled closed, it has to be physically locked by a key (or by a catch on the inside.) A deadbolt is easily recognized as it is, usually, rectangular in shape and has a flat – not beveled – end. It is not spring loaded and usually throws 3/4" to 1" in to the strike plate, the further the better.

Deadbolt Locks - the most effective locks for external doors.

Most spring latches do not throw into the door frame, instead the latch springs into a cup affixed to, but not set into, the frame. These types of locks can easily be forced, with a shoulder barge or a swift kick. Bang! - the door is open.

Also, spring latches can be sprung open with a credit card or other flexible implement, (yes, just like you see in the movies.)

On the other hand, correctly installed deadbolt door locks virtually can't be sprung open, and it would take the kick of an elephant to bust them open, that is why you absolutely need deadbolt locks on all your external doors.

With single cylinder deadbolt locks you use a key to lock and unlock from the outside and a catch, or a knob, to lock and unlock on the inside. The obvious advantage is that you don’t have to hunt for the key to open the door from the inside.

The disadvantage is that if your door has glass panels, or there is glass near your door, a burglar could break the glass, reach in, and unlock your door. The mail slot could be another problem, some burglars have been known to insert a device, made from wire and cord, through the mail slot and use it to operate the catch.

Double cylinder deadbolt door locks need to be locked and unlocked with the key both from the outside and the inside. This means that even if a glass panel is broken the housebreaker is unable to get in without the key.

A key will need to be kept near the door, (but out of any possible reach of a burglar) in case of emergency, particularly fire. And it is because double cylinder deadbolts may make it difficult to exit your property in an emergency that some local building codes do not allow their use.

It may be possible for a burglar to slip a saw blade between the door and the frame and saw his way through the deadbolt. This would take some time, but to make that job more difficult high security deadbolt locks are available that have internal anti-saw pins. The pins spin around with every stroke of the blade thus making the bolt very arduous to hack through.

No doubt about it, deadbolt door locks provide a high degree of security. But even the best locks fitted to a poor standard of door will be a waste. Likewise a good door and lock would be wasted in a weak frame.

Use high quality screws of at least 3” to secure the strike plate/strike box into the frame.

Electronic deadbolts are available that are operated by a keypad, a remote and even fingerprint recognition technology. However it is the deadbolt itself, and not the method of operation, that makes a deadbolt lock such a good deterrent against housebreakers.

Find Your Deadbolt Locks at Amazon.com

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