#3 Securing Doors

Illegal entry through the front door occurs more often than all other points of entry combined! All exterior doors should be of solid hard wood or steel reinforced. A good door does no good if the door frame is in bad shape or of inferior construction. Pay special attention to the door jams. Most, even in expensive homes, are made out of cheap pine. It doesn't take much force to "kick in" the door, even if protected with dead bolts, if the strike plate is attached with only a couple of 1/2 or 3/4 inch screws.

Take a few minutes and install 2-1/2 to 3 inch stainless steel or nickel plated screws in all your exterior door jams. Be sure the screws go at least 1-3/4 inch deep into the underlying framing lumber. While your at it, consider getting heavy duty strike plates or a door reinforcement kit sold in many larger home improvement centers. Be advised you may have to chisel out more of the door jam to install, but it's worth the effort for the greater protection provided. Another way to increase the chances of your door holding is to further protect it from being kicked in by installing a device on the floor that the door rests against on inside center when shut, and swings away when the door opens.

Any kind of sliding glass door is a favorite target. Guard against the door being lifted up and out by installing several screws into the door's upper track. Open and shut the door through its entire range to allow just enough of the screw's head protruding to allow free movement without allowing the door to be removed. Several devices can be installed into the door's upper or lower track that act much like a dead bolt by running a heavy pin through the door track and deep into the frame. Just having a length of old broom handle at a 45 degree angle in the door track also prevents the door from being easilyforced open and works nearly as well!

Your garage door is easy pickings unless you have a electronic door opener. Today these devices are fairly cheap (around $150) and make it practically impossible to force open the overhead door from the outside without breaking through the actual door panels. This is due to the high tension produced from the worm drive or chain device that makes the openers work. Yes, it is possible for burglar to punch in the right code and gain access, but with today's remote controls providing so many possible combinations, the odds are very slight, and the burglar won't waste the time trying all the possibilities.

A final bit of advice on automatic door openers. Do be sure to change the security code from the pre-installed settings which are almost always set to zeros. Also, if you notice your door open and you're sure you shut it, one of your neighbors may have set his opener to the same code. Take the time to change your setting; don't give a potential burglar a great opportunity to gain free access.

Next Tip

#3 Securing Doors

Related

Menu