How to Make a Sliding Door Security Bar

It seems that you can’t turn on the news without hearing of another home break in. It really doesn’t matter if you live in a house or an apartment in a major metropolitan area or in a rural area, there seems to be no escaping the surge of home invasions. A little bit of prevention can go a long way in securing your families safety and home security.

Unfortunately in many of these home invasions by uninvited guests, the intruder just simply walks into the home through unlocked doors. As the economy worsens what were honest law abiding people have had to turn to a life of petty crime to survive.

As homeowners become more aware of the threat to home invasions they are seeking ways to make their home more secure. Sliding glass doors are probably the easiest break in point in any home. The locks on sliding doors are simple latch locks that can be easily broken with a common tool called a flat bar. The intruder simply insets the end of the flat bar between the outside door casing and the door and pries the door open by breaking the locking mechanism. It only takes a few moments for an intruder to break into a home through a sliding door.

As a result the door is damaged and the intruder has full access to your home. To make matters worse sliding doors are usually located on the back of the home providing access from a deck or patio area where neighbors are less likely to see them.

You can prevent home break-ins through sliding door is by simply installing a security bar anytime you are not home at night. The most commonly used bar is an old stick that does absolutely nothing for your homes décor. Not only are these sticks unattractive they are often difficult to remove because they fall in the track area of the door. As a result homeowners are reluctant to use them.

I designed a safety bar that is easy to install and when removed it can sit on the floor next to the door without being an eye sore. The safety bar is made from two pieces of wood that are cut to fit the space behind the slider. The pieces are fastened together with nails or screws and painted to match the interior paint scheme of the room. A handle is attached to the top to make it easy to lift out and install.

With the bar installed there is no way the door can be opened. It also protects the lock from being broken because the door cannot move. The worst case is that the outside door trim may be marred from an attempt to break in.

If you have sliding doors and you are concerned about break-ins during the night or when you are not home, I recommend that you make a sliding door security bar similar to the one in the picture and use it anytime you are not home and at night time.

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