Patio Door Locks

A patio door is a marvelous thing to have. No other type of door or window can let in as much light and air and make access to your patio so easy. On warm days you can wander from inside to outside at will and on not so warm days stay snug inside and enjoy the view of the outside.

However when it comes to home security patio doors can sometimes leave a lot to be desired, patio door locks being only one of the weak points.

The good news is that these days patio doors usually come with better patio door security than was the case a few years back. Unfortunately many of the older doors that are still in use have very poor locking protection.

Sliding Door Locks When it comes to home security patio doors can sometimes leave a lot to be desired.

It was usually the case that patio doors were fitted with single point locks (that were often little more than latches,) whereas now you will often find manufacturers fitting multi-point patio door locks as standard. This alone is an important increase in security.

With older sliding doors where the jams have expanded it may be possible to lift the sliding section a little and detach the door from the locking mechanism, a boon for the thief, a nightmare for you.

Maintaining the door rollers in top condition and inserting a couple of flat headed screws in the upper track should prevent your patio door from being lifted out. The screws should not project so far as to prevent the door from running freely, adjust as necessary.

Perhaps the simplest thing to improve the security of a sliding door is to insert a length of thick doweling, or broomstick, into the lower track. If cut to size this simple ‘trick’ can prevent the door from being forced open even if your patio door lock is defeated.

Fitting patio door replacement locks may be an answer if you doubt the effectiveness of your existing locks. This is not always a simple task however, especially with vinyl or uPVC doors, if you are not that skilled at DIY you may want to hire a craftsman to fit the locks for you.

You should also be aware that drilling holes in vinyl or uPVC patio doors could possibly void any manufacturer's guarantee. It may be advisable to check with the manufacturer as to the appropriate place to fit your extra patio door locks.

Very popular is a foot operated patio door lock that almost anyone would find easy to use. Also available are patio door bolts that you can fit top and/or bottom to prevent the door being slid open.

A patio door security bar, or charley bar, is a device that fits between the sliding door and the jam. Many of these fold up out of the way when not in use but when ‘locking’ are highly visible. Any security device that is visible is a good thing because a burglar will often not attempt to defeat it, and damage your property trying, but look for a target that is less defended.

Another option for the burglar, rather than trying to defeat your patio door locks, is to smash the glass, after all the pane is large enough for him to simply walk in if he breaks it. In fact most burglars will not try this because the sound of breaking glass attracts an awful lot of attention. Next time that you hear the sound of breaking glass, even if it is just a dropped drinking glass or a bottle, notice the amount of attention it gets, much more than a bump or thud.

Added to the risk of someone hearing the noise a burglar also risks cutting himself and leaving his DNA. However . . .

. . .there is always a chance that a burglar may try smashing his way in through your patio doors and the more remote your property is the higher the chance. Double glazed panes are a lot tougher to break but if yours is single glazed you could replace with laminated glass or install window security film.

Enjoy your sliding patio door - safe in the knowledge that you have fitted patio door locks that will keep the burglar out.

Patio Door Locks from Amazon.com

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