Crime statistics have proven that most burglars use front doors in order to enter homes. When you’re enhancing your security around your home, you should concentrate on your front door as a priority. Here’s a guide to some essential door security basics, as prepared by the residential lock and residential security experts here at SOS Locksmith.
Importance of Locks
It’s a common fact that when burglars are researching an area to commit theft in, they concentrate on how to get the job done as fast and silently as possible. They prefer not to have the job stalled by an impenetrable door, as the longer they are there, and the more noise they make trying to get in, the higher the likelihood is that they will get caught.
If you’re working with a small budget, invest your money in thick doors. Even just seeing a protected and secured door will operate as a deterrent for the burglar, telling him to go and find a new home to break into.
Another fantastic place to invest your funds is in devices that have psychologically deterring effects on any potential criminals. Some examples of objects that operate as deterrents for burglars are:
-
Fences
-
Window Bars
-
Video door phones
-
Security Cameras
-
Yard signs that advertise a security company
-
Fake surveillance cameras
-
Motion sensing outdoor lights
Strong Design makes a Stronger Door
For any door to be considered truly strong it should be made of metal or solid wood – other materials like plywood, USB, or wood composites usually are weaker. They don’t have the same sorts of elastic qualities that solid hardwood or metal do, and can easily succumb under strain or force. The door should not be less than 2 inches thick, and the frame should be made of the same material as the door. Frames should have the same amount of strength as the door; and remember that you don’t have to sacrifice aesthetic attractiveness for solid construction and security.
Door Chains
Door viewers (aka peepholes) are common security features along with chains. Chains are rudimentary but crucial devices that allow you to communicate with people outside your door without allowing them direct access into your home. The chain is attached to one side of the door frame, and on the other end, is connected to the door with a sliding rail hub, which limits the amount the door can be opened to just a crack of a few inches. Door chains are worth it for these reasons:
-
The chain works as a secondary barrier
-
Chains make it impossible to open a door from the outside
-
Chains allow you to receive packages or talk to strangers outside your home without opening your door
.
All exterior doors should be evenly secured with strong locks. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) rates locks according to their strength and quality according to a scale between 1 and 3, 1 being the strongest. Grade 1 deadbolts are our recommendation for perimeter door locks – whether they be single or double cylinder locks. Single cylinder locks have a single keyholes on their exterior end, while the other end has a rotating handle that allows you to open it from the inside – this type of door can be a security risk if it’s combined with glass door panels. If your door has glass panels, you’d be better off,and more secure, working with a double cylinder rather than a single cylinder lock.
