After some advice.
We have a couple of sliding aluminium sliding doors that are the weak point in our home security. I want to get the locks replaced & fix this problem once & for all. Anyone got any ideas ?
Aluminium Doors - Improve security...
Yorkshire-Man on 24/06/2018 - 20:12
Comments
Yeah, the locks are shocking. Mine are glass skidding doors on an aluminium frame. Need to do something however
Yep, locks aren't impenetrable and if they were they'd just hit the windows. Best way to protect your house is with an alarm system.
alarms are useful if they can deter the thief from breaking something…
if you had sensors outside then great, sensors on the inside only, is useless
Trespassing charge isn't enough, we need robbery or attempted robbery for big leagues.
That's if they get caught… at the end of the day, you want to protect your property from being damaged…any attempt at breaking in whether successful or not will cost you money.
you need to do some research. very few break-ins do the break a window.
Alarms systems are best. Monitoring is a waste of money cops don't respond to alarms, and a single guard might turn up an hour later, unless you are going to pay serious money.
CCTV also. I have one above my door and a couple of others. I get a really good picture of anyone who knocks on my door.
Unless you're going to board up your house, the weakest points are the glass.
I've seen one or two houses in the western suburbs that have bars over the windows, like a prison. Shit is pretty hectic for Australia.
It will be even more hectic if the building catches on fire.
For our sliding doors i back up the locks with some wooden dowel rods in the tracks.
But yeah they can always smash their way thru…
Team this with the security film cimrak mentions below.
Make sure that the side frames are attached securely to the house wall. Otherwise, they can be easily jemmied and the door lock can be sprung. Put a bolt type lock at the top of the sliding door. Voice of experience - my partner's place was broken into in this way.
Most locks on sliding doors take less than 30 seconds to break & remove with a pair of pliers (plenty of youtube videos showing how as well), but you can buy new locks that are designed to remain locked if they are broken.
If you're worried about the glass itself, look at some of the 3M (or other brands) that offer an adhesive security film that helps keep the glass in-place even if smashed. Otherwise, you could look to some of the all-metal security doors like crimsafe or amplimesh.
Don't forget to consider the frame the door/s are in as well. Quite common for those to be attacked/leveraged to either pop the doors out or just removal of the frame (and door) itself from the building.
Do you need to lock them from inside or outside? If only from the inside, that is they aren't your entry point and you always lock from inside then leave some other way, then I think the deadlock push bolt style is good, push a bolt into the frame above or below and lock it in place.
This style of thing: https://www.sclkeeler.com.au/whitco-patio-bolt-w2206316d5-wh…
If you want keyed access from outside they wont work though.
Just inside… might look in Bunnings this weekend
The glass door locks are not too hard to replace yourself especially if you are good with tools.
What brand are your doors?No idea
The locks say ‘expo aluminium’ on them
That would probably be their 541 sliding door. It's not that difficult to replace the lock
for my sliding doors and rear windows I have roller shutters. great for weather and sound.
I have security screens over my aluminium glass sliding doors.
I would opt for some security screens. Installed SecureView screens on my property from https://www.safewaysecurityscreens.com.au/secureview-securit… they look much nicer than the old "grille style" screens and came with a lifetime break-in guarantee - basically if anyone gets through their locked screens (as opposed to coming through the roof or somewhere else) they will cover any out of pocket expenses you have. Thought it showed a lot of confidence in their product. Seems pretty secure to me and have been on for a year now with no troubles.
Aluminum doors aren't going to stop someone that wants to break into your house.