Sliding glass doors can be seen in many houses today due to their endless number of benefits. They not only enhance the beauty of a house but also let in natural light, save space and make it easy to get outside to the backyard, deck, and balcony. Apart from all these advantages, sliding doors have a major disadvantage which is the ease of access to your home that they provide to unwanted intruders.
How to Secure your Sliding Doors
Though most of the burglars enter houses through the front doors but 22% of them prefer the back doors which include sliding glass doors. To solve this problem, I have come up with some ideas that can make these sliding doors more secure but before discussing about them let’s have a look at the things that challenge the safety and security of houses.
1. Door tracks
Sliding doors operate on tracks that can easily be removed by thieves. It is often a simple task for thieves to lift the door out of its track using a crowbar.
2. Locking system
The locks on the sliding doors are nothing but latches. These latches are usually operated by moving a small lever and are very easy to open. So the locks in a sliding door simply fail to provide the amount of security that a deadbolt lock offers.
3. Outside view
One of the eye catchy features that make sliding doors a popular choice is that they let in a lot of natural light offering a great view of your home from outside. Unfortunately this allows thieves to see what you exactly have in your home and helps them decide whether to target your home or not.
4. Glass panels
This is another attractive feature of sliding doors that is counted among its weaknesses. The large single plates of tampered glasses are fragile in nature. A Tampered glass is a special type of glass as when it breaks it does not break into big sharp pieces that can harm someone. it shatters into small pieces which reduces the chances of an accident. This makes it beneficial for intruders as well, as they don’t get hurt when they enter through the broken glasses.
Effective ways to secure your sliding doors
1. Installing better door locks
As locks play a major role in ensuring security, while installing sliding glass doors make sure that you choose a locking system that provides enough security to your house. You can combine traditional sliding door locks with double bolt locks to ensure better security. One piece will be attached to the door frame and the other will be attached to the sliding door.
2. Apply one way film
You can apply a one way film sheet to the glass of your sliding door that will allow you to view the outside world from inside but the view will be restricted from outside. People from outside will get a mirror like a view. You need to keep in mind that this will only be effective during the day time hours. So when it is dark you will need to draw curtains to restrict the view from outside.
3. Door sensor
Although it is not an alternative to a secured door but the sensors attached to an alarm may scare off thieves and alert you in case of an emergency.
4. Use laminated or impact glass
Laminated glass is made of PVB sheet which is very difficult to break. It is easy for someone to break the glass but the PVB sheet remains intact even after breaking glass. The only way to break it is to cut the film which builds an additional step for the burglars to enter a house. This discourages them to continue trying to enter the house.
So if you love sliding glass doors do not step back due to its weaknesses as you now know the ways to turn its weaknesses into its strength. As safety and security are major concerns for every house. Do not hesitate to seek professional help in this regard. Always remember that the above mentioned techniques will only be fruitful if done right.