Secure Windows And Doors By Ralph Winn At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a house is only as strong as its most vulnerable point of entry. Windows located on the back of a house or doors that are shrouded by shrubbery or trees make attractive entry points for a prospective intruder. The same thing is true of inconspicuous points of entry such as garage and patio doors.

Protect your entire home by maintaining secure windows and doors.

Doors: Locks, and Latches, and Jambs – Oh My!

Is your home a fortress, or are you rolling out the welcome mat for intruders? There’s only one way to find out. Tour your home as if it’s the first time you ever walked through it. Make note of all the entry points – don’t forget garage and patio doors. Once you’ve created a list of all the entrances to your house, you can get to work making them more secure. In addition to installing sturdy locks, you should also:

• Install a steel plate on the back of your jambs. In many cases of intrusion, it's not the door or the lock that fails – it's the jamb. If a door is hit with enough force, the dead bolts and locks will eventually break through the back of the jamb. Installing a steel plate on the back of your jambs is an effective way to secure your doors and eliminate this threat.

• Reinforce sliding patio doors. Sliding doors make easy targets for potential thieves, since the glass can be broken and the latches are usually flimsy. Though shatterproof glass is more expensive than regular glass and needs to be installed by professionals, it adds a high level of security to sliding doors. Strengthen flimsy latches by installing a bolt lock on the top of the door frame.

• Replace hollow exterior doors. All exterior doors should either be solid wood or metal. “Hollow core” wooden doors – which usually consist of plastic and cardboard – are much easier for intruders to break down.

• Visually check who’s at the door before you open it. The most secure locks on earth are useless once the door is open. Make sure your doors have peepholes so you can see who is outside without opening the door.

Windows: Don’t Turn Them Into Opportunities for Thieves

The simple act of closing and locking your windows is the first step in making them more secure. Thieves avoid locked windows so they don’t have to break the glass – a noisy process that attracts unwanted attention.

Below are three common types of windows and ways to secure them.

1. Casement windows – These highly secure windows are opened by an interior crank. As long as they are closed and locked, there is practically no way to open them from the outside.

2. Sliding windows – The best way to secure these windows is by preventing the sash from being slid over. Situate a spring-loaded burglar bar between the side of the window frame and the sash so it can't be moved. Thieves won’t be able to enter your home through a window they can’t open.

3. Double hung windows – These common windows open up and down. Installing a tab on the top of the frame will add security and control to these simple household windows. When the tab is pushed in, the sash can be moved up and down freely; when the tab is extended, the window will not open.

No matter what kind of windows you have, you can secure them with a simple glass break detector. For around thirty dollars, these devices detect the sound of breaking glass and alert you of an intrusion.

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