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Low-Tech SecurityBy Jim Sulski Summary: Before investing in an expsive security system, make sure your door and window locks are up to par. Jim gives you the basics on how to keep your home safe. With the growing concern over rising crime, many homeowners are investing
in extensive alarm systems, spending $1,000-plus to electronically protect their
homes. Unfortunately, these homeowners may be cheating themselves by bypassing the first line of defense against burglars and intruders: Strong door and window locks. For about $100, a homeowner can greatly improve the security of an average home fivefold with good hardware on windows and doors. With both husband and wife working, more and more burglars are breaking into homes during daylight hours when the house is empty. A burglar's first choice as a point-of-entry is an unlocked door or window. To secure a door, use a deadbolt with at least a one-inch throw. That's how far the lock's bolt protrudes into the frame of the doorway. High-quality deadbolts start at about $25 and run as high as $200, depending on how decorative the lock is. There are two types of deadbolts. A mortise deadbolt is installed into the door, with the bolt protruding from the side of the door and into the jamb or frame. A second type of deadbolt is the less secure, more noticeable surface lock that is installed on the surface of the inside of the door. If the entry door has no windows, the recommended deadbolt is a single-sided deadbolt, in which a key is used to open the lock from the outside, and a knob is used on the inside. If you have a glass window in the door or to the side of the door, a burglar could break that window, reach in, and open the lock of a single-sided deadbolt. As a result, the recommended lock for doors with windows is a doubled-sided or double-keyed deadbolt, which requires a key on both sides to open the lock. Another benefit of a double-key cylinder deadbolt is that if a burglar does get into your home, say through a window, they cannot carry things out of the entry door if the lock has been locked from the outside and the key has been removed from the inside. The downside to double-key locks is that fire departments frown on them as they can be a hindrance if you are trying to quickly leave the house in an emergency - especially if the key is missing. One solution to that is a double-key deadbolt with a capture key feature. When you lock the door from the inside, the key remains in the lock. The door itself should be a solid-core or steel-clad door, not a less expensive hollow-core door usually used on the interiors of homes. Burglars can kick their way through a hollow-core door. Also, be cognizant that the more decorative glass there is on a door, the easier it would be for a burglar to break through. The doorframe is also an integral part of a secure doorway. Home improvers can shore up their doorframes by installing three to five-inch screws into the strike plate, which contains the door lock's bolt when the lock is engaged. This ensures that the strike plate is anchored into the home's frame and not just the trim mold on the outside of the frame. In addition, you can install an elongated strike plate that offers a better grip on the bolt if someone tries to break into through the door. With the popularity of decks, many homeowners have added patio and French doors to the rear and sides of their houses, and these have made homes more accessible to burglars. Most of the locks that come with patio doors are inadequate, say police officials. Patio doors can also be lifted out of the tracks they slide in and out of. To secure a patio door, install a few screws that prevent the door from being lifted out from the outside. To accomplish this, open the door, and then install three screws into the inside top of the frame. Install the screws deep enough so that the door cannot be lifted out but that it can still slide by the screw heads. Another trick is to invest in a burglar bar or "Charley Bar", a device
that mounts to the door and locks it shut when not in use by jamming the tracks. © by Jim Sulski. All rights reserved. February 14, 2005. NOTE: This column is distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022. This column may not be resold, reprinted, resyndicated or redistributed without written permission from the publisher. © 2005 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate. |
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