Window and Door Security Locks

Locks for Sliding Doors and Double-hung Windows

Introduction:

Home break-ins are on the rise in all areas of the country. These home burglaries are attributed to the current high unemployment and economic situation. There are many people that are desperate for cash. In many cases the easiest way to get it is from your home. Even if you don’t have cash around the house there are many items that can be quickly converted to cash such as jewelry and electronic equipment.

Keeping these intruders out of your home is an important concern for homeowners. Installing widow and door security locks is an absolute must to provide at least the minimum security for your home. Ordinary hinged doors are relatively easy to protect with proper latches and deadbolts. Windows and sliding glass doors are not so simple to secure. Windows and doors that slide on a track can be forced open or lifted off their tracks quite easily. Standard window locks that come with windows are very poor security locks.

By installing locking devices you can improve your home security and by replacing all ordinary glass with tempered, laminated, or wire-reinforced glass with help in deterring intruders.

There are several off-the-shelf devices that are available to make prying open a window and or removing a sliding glass door from its track more difficult. The right locking device to choose will depend on whether you need to secure a sliding window, sliding door or a double-hung window.

A trap grip will keep a door panel from sliding. The trap grip is tightened by a thumbscrew or key. A spring bolt is another alternative. The spring bolt is screwed to the base of the track and has a pin that snaps through a hole drilled into the edge of the lower track and the bottom of the sash. They are an excellent door security device.

The easiest way to keep an inside panel from sliding is to drop a dowel into the empty portion of the lower track. Make it 1/4 inch shorter than the distance between the door panel and the jamb to facilitate removing it.

Double-hung windows can be secured with wedge locks, key-operated latches, or locking pins that go through one sash and into the next.

Installing window and door security locks and lock devices such as a door security bar will go a long way in protecting your home from burglars.

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