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Post by cowgirlup on May 25, 2012 17:36:00 GMT -7
I put this under "Urban Survival" as it seemed to be the best spot for it... Situation: I have a new home and I am looking to make the doors more secure. I live in a residential area where I want to be sure that my family will be safe - especially if I am out traveling. My question lies specifically in door locks. What are the best way to secure the doors besides your standard deadbolt? I have a double front door (2 doors where one has rods that go in the top and bottom of the door frame and the other door deadbolts into that one). It seems like a weak door system to me. Any suggestions for better lock systems? Also - feel free to use this thread for general home security type of information (or maybe we need a spot for that type of discussion)
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Post by cowgirlup on May 25, 2012 17:38:33 GMT -7
RR:
The area to look isn't so much the quality of the lock as it is the door frame. 10 deadbolts held by wood is still just wood. Check local surplus stores for "hotel-room grade" steel frames. They require a battering ram to open. This would make the home non-firecode but making a door open towards you from the outside puts the stronger part of the frame to where it's needed.
Those are extreme measures...These are more practical. Making an L-shaped bolt that drops into a hole in the floor will render a door virtually unkickable as will a .50cent rubber door stop. Buy security stickers & Beware of Dog signs & place them on the doors. Place a security sticker on every ground level window. CL:When nightfall is there, turn on all inside lights. Go outside and see if all windows are completely hidden from outside prying eyes trying to scope any information as to possible break-ins. Sometimes sheer curtains or other window dressings are not as secure as you may have thought they were. Too sometimes blinds are not lowered completely and window dressings may be leaving gaps on either wide of window where they can be peaked in. This little observation may be an eye opener many haven't thought of.
Stairman:Im a trim carpenter and have hung thousands of doors. The double front doors you have is very common in Florida. The inactive door has a chromone bolt thru the header and threshhold. This is a pretty secure door system IMO. One thing people overlook is the deadbolt hole depth at the strikeplate. Be sure its deep enough. Alot are not and you think the bolt is secure because it stops when you go to lock it but it can still be carded if its not thrown all the way. One way to make a door more secure is to deadbolt the top and bottom. That way even with a sideways pry with a wrecking bar it cant be opened. Without a security system or at least security system signs, doors and windows can be breached. One system gaining popularity is the outswing door which is the most insecure ext door you can have.
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Post by cowgirlup on May 25, 2012 17:39:55 GMT -7
Start with replacing lock, strike plate, and hinge screws with 3" long ones. They go through the door casing and into the studs, alot of strength is gained there. If it is on the door frame and screwed,it should be done with 3 inchers. Don't know about locks but a call to a locksmith could yield alot of info I'm sure. Another thing is plant japanese burberry bushes in front of windows. They got some thorns!
Celticwarrior:Steel core fire-safe exterior doors with no window panes to break and reach inside to turn the locks would be a good start. Especially pre-hung on a steel frame. They aren't as pretty as a residential door, but they are a lot tougher to break in. Double the deadbolts (one above the handle, one below) to allow the jamb to absorb and dissipate more energy from blows to the door.
Getting a decorative wrought-iron-bar storm door that locks with a key as well would make ramming your interior door really tough from the outside.
You can also rig a 2x4 into a friction brace from inside. Notch the top to allow the handle of the door to snug into it and level out the bottom on an angle so you can place the board in position and kick it tight until the friction of the board won't allow the door to open inward from the outside. Same holds true for attaching deep bolts into the frame of the house alongside the doorjamb, with big U or J brackets to hold a steel rod or thick 2x4 as a crossbar. Lastly, putting an alarm screamer on the door that goes off if the magnetic couplers are seperated, can alert you if someone DOES get in the door at night when you are sleeping. Turn it off during the day for obvious reasons, but being battery operated, it would give you some piece of mind at night even when there is no power in the house.
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Post by cowgirlup on May 25, 2012 17:40:59 GMT -7
Baldninja:
Rattlesnake hit the nail on the head. My cousin is a lock smith and he has flat out told me that there's no use in bothering to change from the cheap generic locks I currently have until I put in a steel frame first, as the lock is only as strong as the frame it is being secured in and, unfortunately, standard frames aren't that strong. Your cheaper deadbolts will hold when your frame is splintered into shards, so upgrading locks without upgrading the frame would just be a waste of money. Once you get a steel frame, if you want to still upgrade your locks, which wouldn't probably be all that necessary, I'd go with a Schlage, my cousing can't stop talking about how great they are, though they are a bit on the high end.
Another great idea for getting around having to replace the frame, but I suggest that if you do this, you also get the largest diameter screws that you can get to fit through the hinges holes and still seat properly
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Post by cowgirlup on May 25, 2012 17:50:27 GMT -7
West Texas:
Lots of very good points here already. Just a few thoughts I've picked up over the years of remodeling, and some lengthy discussions with an ex-SWAT officer. Replacing the wimpy hinge screws is a definite must but still wont defeat a jamb-spreader type of entry, if at all possible install what's typically called fire-blocking from the king studs at your entry as far back as possible, hopefully all the way to a corner. That will prevent anyone prying the doors away from each other and allowing the latches to free up. Also, if there is a coat closet adjacent to the entry, you can use the door of it to swing back against the entry and then wedge it tight with whatever means you choose, I prefer the dropin steel rods that fit into a recess in the floor. Can't bounce them loose, and the harder you push, the tighter they wedge. Hope some of that helps
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Post by mud on May 28, 2012 19:49:30 GMT -7
Ahh you beat me to it... Was going to add a section on securing your BIL, BOL or home. Thanks CGU for getting it started.
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Post by swamprat1 on Jun 4, 2012 11:58:04 GMT -7
Steel bars on the windows seem to be a good deterrent as well. The house we live in is located in town and sat vacant for 5 years with no break ins. There is also an iron fence around the front yard. It's almost funny seeing people freak out when my dogs go running up to the fence.
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