4 Common Sliding Glass Door Weaknesses and How to Secure Them from buzai232's blog

4 Common Sliding Glass Door Weaknesses and How to Secure Them

Did you know that it takes less than one minute for an experienced burglar to break into a home? It’s true, and with nearly eight million property crimes in the United States in 2015, now’s as good a time as any to review your home security plan.glass door lock

Even if you’ve already taken pains to reinforce or lock your front door and windows, your home could still be vulnerable—especially if you have a sliding glass door. These kinds of doors are often left unsecured, making them a favorite target for burglars. Here’s a look at four common weaknesses that make sliding glass doors easy targets—and what you can do to keep them secure.
1. They have simple latches.

Even if you’re good about locking your sliding glass doors, that may not be enough to deter an experienced thief. Most built-in sliding door locks are really more like simple latches, and would-be burglars can easily bypass them just by jiggling the door a bit.
Given how weak the inbuilt latches on most sliding doors are, adding an extra lock is a good way to reinforce security. This heavy-duty lock from Prime-Line is made of hardened steel and can be installed at the top or bottom of your sliding glass door. The setup will require a few tools, but the reliable loop structure will make it tough for any burglar to jimmy the door open once the lock is installed.

This lock is designed to prevent unwanted guests from jiggling a door loose. It bolts onto the sliding glass door, and the moveable pin locks into a base plate on the frame. It’s easy to install, and the keyed element provides a bit of extra protection—just make sure you know where the key is in the event that you need to make a quick exit.

Whether they’re installed in the back or on the side of a home, sliding glass doors tend to be fairly concealed. This means fewer prying eyes, which gives thieves the opportunity to enter unnoticed.While not a substitute for a lock or security bar, this GE alarm can quickly let you know if your door has been breached. In comparison with some other alarms, this model is extremely easy to set up, and it has a couple of alarm options that can be played when triggered. The sound of the alarm alone may be enough to scare off a burglar, and even if it’s not, you can reach out to the authorities as soon as you hear it go off.