window and door security

[mekender]

moving into a new house in a couple of weeks...

couple of questions...


i have seen this stuff that you can put on windows that basically makes them shatterproof... has anyone used this stuff?

what methods are available for securing sliding glass doors without drilling or modifying the door? also i dont want to use a stick or the like because i have small kids that would just use them to beat each other...

any suggestions on exterior door locks that are worth a damn? i know that deadbolts are easy to get past with a swift kick, but i dont know that ill really need much more it is a really low crime city...

the garage door just has a simple turning latch... what methods are availble for securing such a door?

[princewally]

what methods are available for securing sliding glass doors without drilling or modifying the door? also i dont want to use a stick or the like because i have small kids that would just use them to beat each other...

You don't want to modify the door, but you don't want something removable? You're looking at contradictory requirements.

You either want a charlie bar or a door brace. The charlie bar does take drilling, but not extensive. It mounts in the middle of the door, which eliminates the leverage from outside.

A "big jammer" door brace is an adjustable metal stick to go in the track.

There are a couple of other options for track locks, but they are all worthless, IMO.

any suggestions on exterior door locks that are worth a damn? i know that deadbolts are easy to get past with a swift kick, but i dont know that ill really need much more it is a really low crime city...

A decent strikeplate and long screws on all of the door hardware go a long way towards stopping swift kick entry. ANSI level 1 deadbolts and level 2 doorknobs are good.

the garage door just has a simple turning latch... what methods are availble for securing such a door?

If it's an attached garage, treat it just like an exterior door. Put in a deadbolt and a good keyed doorknob. Not a bad idea for a detached garage, just to keep your stuff. On an attached garage, it's a safety/security issue.

[Erik]

i have seen this stuff that you can put on windows that basically makes them shatterproof... has anyone used this stuff?

I was recommended this by my locksmith when I did an overhaul of my door/window security some time ago. I havent gotten around to actually do it yet though, so I have no personal experience, just his description of it.

He said it's a cost efficient way to add some security, but it will not stop a determined intruder. What it will do is add a lot of time and noise to the entry. Instead of just smashing the window and reach inside to unlock, they will have to bang away on the glass until they get the whole thing out of the way. He said it makes it difficult enough that he had yet to see anyone keep trying after a few hits, instead they just leave and find another house. It's sort of like having an alarm going off in the house, most burglars leave because of the noise unless there is something they really want inside.

If you want better protection, you should replace the window glass, and maybe even add steel bars, but then we are talking higher costs. And steel bars aren't that nice to look at.

If you just want to add a little security for a fairly low cost, they're supposedly a good deal.

[Durham68]

any suggestions on exterior door locks that are worth a damn? i know that deadbolts are easy to get past with a swift kick, but i dont know that ill really need much more it is a really low crime city...

If you do want more than deadbolts, someone around here recommended this recently.

[Aglifter]

The film is usually called hurricane film, at least in coastal areas.

[Thomas]

I have been looking for the same thing, I think that on another forum they posted this site.... the video is pretty impressive....

http://www.djarmor.com/Universal-Combo- ... egory=-101

[Thomas]

doh... and I completely missed that someone already posted the site........

[D5CAV]

Remember the US Army maxim: "Make it too hard for the enemy to get in, and you can't get out."

Steel bars are not an option for me. I would rather duke it out with someone who gains entry into my house than be trapped in my house in a fire.

I know someone who put bullet-resistant glass on all the front windows in his house, but his house was facing a golf course (he paid extra for that -- both the windows and the view), and was a nice hook shot from the tee.

[Erik]

Also, steel bars are ugly, I'd feel like I was living in a bunker. I have some stylish decorative steel bars installed in my basement windows. They aren't burglar proof and look more like decoration than security, but they will make it a big hazzle getting past them.

I kind of take the approach of making it more of a hazzle to get in than it looks like it's worth. I believe that if someone really wanted to get in, they'd get in no matter what even if it takes stealing a bulldozer and drive it through the wall. With good quality locks and no easy entry points there are easier targets. And there's really nothing that stands out about my house to make it look lik it's worth it.

[mekender]

ok first, i was referring to the actual garage door, not the door leading from the house to the garage...

secondly, i know that i have seen locks that you can put up on the backside of a slading glass door that are supposed to work...