Homeowners today have an ever growing concern in protecting their home and family and rightfully so. In addition to a monitored alarm system installed on your home, there are several things you can do yourself using items found at most DIY centers and at your local locksmith store to better protect your family and belongings. In most cases the following things can be accomplished using simple hand tools you most likely already have.
Sliding windows.
There are several things you can do to a sliding window that will make it more difficult for a thief to open. Most thieves can easily come through a sliding window by simply lifting out the window even if it is locked. You can prevent the window from being lifted out by installing anti-lift screws in the top channel of the window track.
Typically there is about a half inch of air space above the sliding window where an anti-lift screw can be installed. You should install two screws in this channel. See the following illustration below on the left. You can also choose to use lift-out blocks pictured at the right.
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Lift out blocks, just snap off the size required and screw in place. |
Use a self tapping sheet metal screw about 2 inches long with a hex head and screw into upper track (above left). Now back off screw until the sliding window hits the screw when closing the window. Now turn screw in opposite direction until window no longer hits the screw when sliding window is closed. The anti lift out screw is now adjusted. Cost of about 10 cents each.
Other products are available that will help prevent sliding windows from being lifted out. There are several pin style locks. Most of these locks require you to drill a hole in the face of the window frame where it can be
pinned (pictured right). Some window manufacturers have already installed an anti-lift device on their sliding windows.
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| Screw on sliding window lock about $1.50. |
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In addition to anti lift out devices, install some style of sliding window lock. The latching mechanism found on some older sliding aluminum windows are a poor design and can easily be disengaged from the outside of the window allowing the window to slide open. Installing a secondary sliding window lock will prevent the window from sliding opened and can be as simple as this screw type lock seen in the picture on the left. If you decide to install a pin style lock on the window where you have drilled into the face of the window frame you may not need to install a sliding window lock as some pin style window locks may do double duty as a anti lift-out device and a sliding window lock.
Deadbolt locks.
Good quality deadbolt locks are a very good investment against forced entry into your home. If you do not have these locks consider getting them installed or installing them yourself. One very important factor is if you currently have deadbolts on your house...good for you. If you have glass panels in the door or glass windows next to the door and the deadbolt is a single sided deadbolt (key hole on the outside and thumb turn on the inside), that's bad news. The reason for this is someone can break the glass, reach in and turn the deadbolt thumb turn and open the door. If you have a double sided deadbolt (key holes on both sides on the lock) and they break the glass but they
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Double sided deadbolts- key holes in both sides. |
cannot open the door
because it takes a key to actually unlock the lock.
(Do not leave the key in the lock at night or when you're away from home.)
If you have a single sided deadbolt on a door that has glass in or nearby the door, like a side window, replace the single sided deadbolt with a double sided deadbolt. You can have your local locksmith rekey the new lock to operate on your existing key, as long as you purchased the same manufacturers make of lock. Avoid leaving the key in the lock on the inside of the door. People do this to for convenience to easily and quickly unlock the door. This should be avoided as it defeats the purpose of having a double sided deadbolt on your door. Instead, find a place near the door where you can hide the key. Make sure everyone knows where it is. Some people keep the key in the lock when they're home and awake but when they're away or sleeping they remove the key. On my home I have the deadbolt locks on the inside of the house keyed different than from the key on the outside. The reason being is, if someone took the key from my house thinking they would come back when we're not home, they could not get into the house using that key, they could only get out.
Please understand...Security doesn't mean convenience. Those two words seldom go together! However, a couple of high security lock companies do have a removable thumb turn that acts like a key. Keep it in when you are awake and remove it at night or when away.
Sliding Glass/Patio Door
Much of what applies to sliding glass windows will apply to sliding glass patio doors. Install the anti lift out screws and some type of
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Key locking sliding door locks. The second hole is so you can open the door to let in fresh air in and still have the door locked. When the device is locked using the key it will not operate until you unlock it using the key, good for vacation. |
sliding door lock. You'll have many more choices for the sliding door locks than you will with sliding window locks. Find one that you're comfortable in using so that it will get used. There are key locking units like pictured on the right all the way to the simple security bars that lay in the track. The lock that comes built into the door that typically hooks into the jamb of the door to keep it closed is not a bad lock but it can be opened without to much effort; especially on older aluminum sliding doors. The newer vinyl cladded doors typically have good locks on them in that they can be adjusted to eliminate the side to side play in the door that causes a gap where the door meets the jam, it's this gap that makes it easy to open the door using prying tools.
Gate Locks
It should be mentioned that if you have gates to the backyard it should have a padlock on it to keep someone from easily walking
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| Changeable combination padlock. You can set the combination! |
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into your backyard where they can be out of view of the neighbors. If the bad guy wants in the backyard they will climb the fence. Don't make it easy for them by not locking the gate. You can get padlocks that can be keyed alike so you have only one key, or you can get padlocks that can be keyed to your house key. If you have a gardener or pool service and don't want them to have a key, get a padlock with a changeable combination so when you change services you can change the padlock's combination and re-issue the numbers. Most cities require that you have a lock on your gate if you have a pool.
Door Viewers
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This unit has a built in door bell, when used it will turn on, take and store a picture of who was at the door. You can also take a picture from the inside too. |
This is a very simple device that requires you to drill a hole in your door and insert a door viewer. If you have no way to look to see who is knocking at your door without opening it, then you may want to install this simple device. It's around $12.00 on the low end up to $200.00 for a very sophisticated digital door viewers with a camera in them like the one pictured on the right. Easy to install.
Security Door Strike
Installing heavy duty security strike plates is another area that can make great improvements in home security without spending a lot of money. Like the deadbolt, these strikes guard against forced entry. A good quality deadbolt and a security strike would be tough opponent for the would-be thief against forced entry. In most cases you're going to need a sharp wood chisel and a hammer to install the security strike properly. The wood chisel needs
to be sharp to cut the wood cleanly. A dull chisel will crush the wood causing it to splinter. On the right is an example of a security strike. There are many types of security strikes to choose from. Installing these strikes correctly is the key to getting the maximum protection from the device.
The diagram below illustrates the correct way to install the strike making sure that the 3.5 inch screws are installed into the 2x4 wall studs. A locksmith can install the strikes for you if you feel the task is beyond your comfort zone.
This is an overhead view of the typical wall construction of most homes where a door opening exists. The security strike will be located under the two screws shown in the example above. It's most important that the 3.5 inch screws reach the 2X4 studs in the wall; this is what will hole the security strike in place during an attack.
Automatic Lighting
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Motion light socket |
Automatic lighting is a very simple thing to
do. Add motion sensor lights to the outside of your house. Several models are available to the do-it-yourselfer. The most popular models are the ones that screw into the existing light socket and then you screw your light into the sensor...done. A couple of examples of motion sensor light sockets can be seen on the right that the homeowner can purchase and install in a few minutes.
consider is indoor timers
(pictured left)
that you can plug into
a lamp and set
it to go on and off several times a night making it appear as if someone is home when you're actually away.
Door Safety Chain
DO NOT INSTALL THIS TYPE OF SECURITY CHAIN ON YOUR DOOR...IT DOES NOTHING TO PROTECT YOU!
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| NOT SAFE! |
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All it does is give you a false sense of security when you open the door to speak with a stranger. Once you open the door they can very easily kick the door and the screws will rip out of the wood and the door will be opened. Most of these style of locks can be defeated using a rubber band and a push pin. A better option is to install a door viewer, that way you don't need to open the door to a stranger. If you must have something on the door like a security chain use something like what is pictured below. Install using longer screws and be sure that the screws are into the 2X4 Wall studs if possible.
You could install a intercom
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A better choice than a security chain but with reservations. |
system or have someone install it for you. You can talk directly
to the person at the door and not even get out of your chair. Some of the units, like the one pictured below, come with a camera built into the unit so you can see a picture of who you're speaking with. This unit below would be great for elderly people who are not very mobile and need to answer the door from time to time.
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| This unit is wireless so installing should be easy. |
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Some of the higher end models have a button on the control panel that when pressed will unlock the door. These models need to be installed by a professional as specialized locking hardware will need to be installed and wired to the control panel that makes the door release.
Hide A Key
The Hide-A-Key products are not designed as a security product but do come in handy when you're locked out of your home. At one time this seemed like a good idea and it worked. However, as they became more popular thieves began looking for them and got very
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Homemade Hide-A-Key |
good at finding hidden keys outside of the home. Use caution when considering purchasing a Hide-A-Key device. Criminals familiarize themselves with commercially made Hide-A-Key products. Instead make your own, many homeowners have made very convincing hide-a-key devices that would be hard to detect using an empty medicine bottle with the plastic cap and some glue. They would glue the cap to something they would find outside the house and put the key in the bottle and stick the two together (pictured on the right).
You could make a spare key and keep it in your purse, wallet or glove compartment of your car. You could even give a copy to a trusted neighbor if need be.
Above are two examples of commercially made Hide-A-Key products, the lawn sprinkler head and the rock.
Another option would be to bolt a Key Safe to the outside of your house. One thing about a key safe is that if you come home and its opened, you know someone is or has been in your home before you enter.
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| You can set your own combination to this lock. Another plus is that if you need someone to enter your home while you're not there, give them the code to open the key safe to get the key and when you get home, change the code on the key safe to a new setting. |
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Another style of key safe, this one works like a padlock. This style is similar to what realtors use when they need to show a house. |
Well there you have it. Something to keep you busy over the next few weekends. These are simple things you can do around the house that will better protect you, your family and home against thieves and other criminals. If you've already done this...good for you; you're ahead of game of most people.
If you need help, give us a call at 714 633-1499 we can answer all your questions regarding home security.
or
Visit one of our retail stores in Fullerton or Orange, M-F 8:30am to 5:00pm
