If you only read one thing out of all the information I am sharing, I hope it is this article because sliding doors are my absolute least favorite home feature from a security standpoint. In fact, if you are building a house or putting some resources into a remodel, my recommendation would be to replace the sliding door with nice solid French doors with strong bolts at the top and bottom of each door. This would give you a large opening through which to carry furniture and appliances without the inherent security weaknesses of a sliding door. If your time and money are currently occupied elsewhere, as mine are, then read on.
The vast majority of sliding doors are “secured” by a latch…not a lock. In order to facilitate installation and removal, there is a space left above most doors so the sliding portion may be lifted out of the track. This is especially true of older doors. This gap creates wiggle room where someone so inclined can, in almost no time at all, lift the door enough so that the latch releases. With only a few more seconds and a simple auto body suction cup applied to the glass to create an additional handle, some of these doors can be lifted right out of the track, even from the outside. This of course defeats any bar type lock, such as a broom handle cut to fit to prevent the door from sliding open. If that weren’t enough, sliding doors are commonly press fit into the opening, and if the door is held in place by more than the surrounding trim, it is often just a few small nails. I have heard of determined criminals, also using the aforementioned suction cups, pulling the entire door, frame and all, right out of the wall! My eBook (coming soon) contains a story I heard years ago about just that, with a scary, if somewhat amusing (since no one was hurt) twist. That’s three different ways to get in a “locked” sliding glass door, without the noise and attention that comes from simply breaking the glass!
Now that I’ve told you how horrible your sliding door is, let’s take a few minutes to fix it. Get your credit card warmed up and prepare for sticker shock, because you need to go shopping. Other than some very common tools you need…wait for it…ten screws, approximately three inches long, and a wooden dowel. That’s it! In fact, ten might even be overkill but that’s what I do. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have screws in the bottom of your toolbox already, and an old broom you can cut to length for the dowel. Tremendous home security improvement, possibly without even leaving the house! If you are purchasing the dowel, don’t go much smaller than the thickness of a broom handle…it has to resist the unwanted opening of the door and also not get tucked under the door. Don’t see why it has to be round either….one by two inch lumber would be fine as long as it sits securely in the track. I actually have two, one a few inches shorter to allow a slight opening for a breeze but not an intruder. The tools you need to have on hand include: tape measure, screw driver, drill, and a drill bit sized for the screws you selected. I also highly recommend you wear safety glasses, as I am unable to provide you with replacement eyeballs or a Seeing Eye dog.
Start by grabbing your tape measure. Determine the length of the dowel you need to hold the sliding door closed, and then mark three locations on each side frame to drill: One near the top, one near the bottom, and one near the middle. Precise location is not really necessary, but I like things nice and neat so I measure eight inches from the top, eight inches from the bottom, and the exact vertical midpoint. Examine the wall around the frame of the door and try to place the screw holes near the center of the stud. You want plenty of wood front and back…these screws are to prevent the door frame from being pulled or pushed out of the wall. Across the top of the frame, position one hole so it will be located approximately six inches in from either end of the door in the closed position. The screws placed in these holes will be left protruding so that the door barely clears them when sliding back and forth. This will prevent the door from being lifted from the track. Some newer sliding doors have a removable spacer installed either in the track or on the door to accomplish the same thing. If you have been counting, you should have two remaining screws. These also are spaced along the top, but are screwed all the way in to more securely attach the doorframe to the wall. And that’s it. If it takes you more than an hour to do I’ll be surprised. If the kids are home, add six hours to the estimate to account for the extra “help.”
For an even more secure sliding door, check out some of the security films available. In addition to making the glass shatter resistant, many also improve the insulation value helping to offset your security upgrade cost with some energy savings.
For more easy and inexpensive home security tips, please select a topic and commence applying Crime Deterrent to your home, family, and life.