7 Best Ways to Secure a Sliding Glass Door From Intruders
Sliding glass doors are a perfect addition to your home. They not only provide lovely views, but you can enjoy natural light with regulated ventilation.
Sliding glass doors are the first choice for burglars to enter the house as they are the easiest and weakest to go through as they do not offer much protection.
These doors use latches other than locks so it is easy for even inexperienced burglars to break the factory-installed latches.
Then, what are the best ways to secure a sliding glass door without compromising your interior design? We have some suggestions.
Sliding Glass Doors Vulnerability: Is it easy to break into a sliding glass door?
Well, the answer is ‘Yes’ in case no security measures are taken. Burglars are thrilled when they see sliding glass doors because these doors give easy access. The only thing burglars need to do is to lift the door off tracks, and it’s done.
This allows them to enter the home, even the door is locked. Apart from taking these doors off track intruders may also break huge glasses. The standard locks are only latches. The favorite tool of burglars to break sliding glass doors is the regular brick, just a stone throw and intruders are there inside your house.
7 Best Ways to Secure a Sliding Glass door from Burglars
Sliding doors offer various benefits but with a risk to home security. How to protect a sliding glass door? This is the first question that comes to mind when you are making it a part of your beautiful home. Below we have compiled some security hacks to protect sliding glass doors from burglars.
1. Use of Security Bar
The security bar is adjustable in length, and it is user-friendly. You can adjust the bar length as per the door size and place it in the track of the sliding door. The security bar freezes the movement of the sliding door. The bar is not bolted permanently with any screw so it can be removed when not needed and this protects free sliding. It is a cost-effective and simple way to secure doors.
2. Barricade
Barricade restricts sliding doors as it acts as a barrier even if the lock is broken. It obstructs the sliding panes horizontally. The barricade is screwed to the floor, and it does not require much space. Its installation is done by making some holes in the ground.
3. Invest in Good Quality Locks
A simple latch is used in most sliding doors that can be bypassed easily. So, what is the best lock for a sliding glass door? Let us have a look.
Double Bolt Locks
There are two pieces in these locks. One of the pieces is fixed to the frame while the other is attached to the sliding door. When the door shuts the lock piece on the frame, it gets seated inside the lock piece on the door. Lock piece on the frame has allows inserting a bolt to secure the door.
Audible Alarm Locks
Some locks are fitted with a battery-operated alarm that goes off in case someone tries to open the door without permission. This type of lock serves two purposes, the alarm notifies the person present at home at the time of invasion and in most cases, the intruders do not proceed further after hearing an alarm.
Security Bars
These metal poles are durable and fixed to the doorway and extend to the door to keep it in a proper position. Fold the bar and open the door when you want.
4. Double Panel Glass
In case the lock has broken, security bars and barricades work well to prevent sliding of panels, but intruders can enter your house after breaking the glass. Using double panel glass is a good option to counter this.
Installing a glass film behind the glass keeps it together even after an attack. Window film blends with the glass perfectly making it shatterproof and keeping the glass in place. Even after smashing, intruders cannot cross this film.
5. Use impact-resistant glass
Glass surfaces are the weakest and most favorable points for intruders to enter your home. There are various options when it comes to selecting the glass for sliding doors. They should be more durable to withstand the installation of impact-resistant glass and the security window layer.
Impact-resistant glass can be used in place of your existing glass. This glass offers more resistance but they are heavy and costly. The installation of the security window layer can also be applied to the glass. This works as a protective sheet and resists breakage.
6. Home Security System
Everyone takes security measures and precautions for protection against burglars, but the chances still remain. You cannot diminish the probability of intruders attacking your home, but some additional steps can be taken to minimize the chances. Receiving notification before a thief enters can alert you to take further action, and this can be done by installing a home security system.
The home security system uses sensors, which notify when anyone is breaking the glass or door lock and trying to open the door without permission. The alarm automatically calls the Security Company or informs residents about the intrusion. Consider installing glass-break detectors and door sensors.
Glass break detectors will trigger a home security alarm when someone breaks the glass and door sensors will trigger the alarm in case the door is opened to scare off intruders.
7. Use Glass Covering
It is necessary to cover the glass during the night or when nobody is at home. You must have spent a decent amount on locks and barricades to prevent intruders from entering your home, but glass covering is important because it offers an uninterrupted view of your home.
When these intruders cannot see inside, they get confused if there is anyone inside the house. This decreases the probability to attack. You can choose fabric drapes, blinds and glass privacy films as basic coverage options.
Final Thoughts
A sliding glass door adds to the beauty of your home interior and offers multiple advantages. They require a small space for installation and have a simple functionality. The wider entry space looks great! However, with the installation of these beautiful doors, you cannot ignore security risks and it becomes crucial for you to think about protecting your home from intruders.
Even with the security system, sliding glass doors can be the most favorable option for intruders to enter your house if its tracks and rollers are poorly maintained. This is because it obstructs the functioning and closing of doors properly.
It is important to clean the tracks on a regular basis and adjust the rollers. Installing a sliding door at your front yard or the patio is your wish. However, we recommend integrating the above-mentioned hacks and fearlessly choose the sliding glass door for your home.
