Sliding glass doors are easy for summer barbequing, letting in fresh air and allowing in-and-out entry when having those summer pool parties. However, those same sliding glass doors make a sweet spot for burglars.
Due to the fact that sliding glass doors are usually located in the back and out of sight, the burglar tends to have more ease in getting into your house. There are numerous ways to secure your sliding glass door against potential intruders.
Sliding glass door image via Flickr
Prevention Tips
First, if you have an existing lock make sure that it works. If not, go to your nearest home warehouse store and purchase a lock to install on your door.
A lot of burglars like to lift the sliding glass door off the track. Keeping your door rollers in good condition can make it more difficult to a thief to accomplish this task.
Installing a pin that extends through the sliding glass door, and the one that remains in place, is another possibility to secure this from happening.
Put Something In The Track
Since glass doors slide horizontally, installing a piece of equipment in the track to prevent the door from being fully open is a good idea. You could cut a 2-x-2-inch board to fit securely in between the door frame and stile of the door.
If you don’t have that, placing a wooden dowel or metal rod into the track door is another possibility. Or if you went to get more serious, installing a charley bar that attaches to the door frame and extends to the edge of the sliding glass door would have the same effect. Not allowing the door to slide open is a good way to prevent a potential intrusion.
Install Security Film To Help Prevent Breakage
Another idea is to install a tough window film which would make it nearly impossible for a “window break in robbery” to occur. It would add additional reinforcement to your sliding glass door and reduce potential theft.
You should note that studies show fewer burglars want to smash in a window because of how much noise it will make. It’s much easier for the intruder to open the latch of the door, or lift it off the track, than to actually shatter the glass.
Consider A Home Security System
Even if you use the above prevention tips, it won’t keep out the more determined burglars who may simply do anything to get inside your house. If it comes down to it, installing a wireless home security system could be the last solution. Even though it is more expensive than the above suggestions, this is the only one that will notify police immediately.
Attach A Security Decal
A final, and cheap solution, would be to win at the psychological aspect and place a decal above the door handle informing thieves that there is an alarm in use or posting a beware of dog sign. Since these are only for psychological aspects, it’s not recommended to use for long-term solutions.
