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Part 3: Securing Doors
Illegal entry through the front door occurs more often than all
other points of entry combined! All exterior doors should be
of solid hard wood or steel reinforced. A good door does no good
if the door frame is in bad shape or of inferior construction.
Pay special attention to the door jams. Most, even in expensive
homes are made out of cheap pine. It don't take much force to
"kick in" the door even if protected with dead bolts,
if the strike plate is attached with only a couple of 1/2 or
3/4 inch screws.
Take a few minutes and install
2-1/2 to 3 inch stainless steel or nickel plated screws in all
your exterior door jams. Be sure screws go at least 1-3/4 inch
deep into the underlying framing lumber. While you at it, consider
getting heavy duty strike plates or a door reinforcer kit sold
in many larger home improvement centers. Be advised you may have
to chisel out more of the door jam to install but it's worth
the effort for the greater protection provided. Another way to
increase the chances of your door holding is to further protect
it from being kicked in by installing a device on the floor that
the door rests against on inside center when shut, and swings
away when the door opens.
Any kind of sliding glass door
is a favorite target. Guard against the door being lifted up
and out by installing several screws into the door's upper track.
Open and shut the door through its entire range to allow just
enough of the screw's head protruding to allow free movement
without allowing the door to be removed. Several devices can
be installed into the door's upper or lower track that acts much
like a dead bold by running a heavy pin through the door track
and deep into the frarne. Just having a length of old broom handle
at a 45 degree angle in the door track also prevents the door
from easily being forced open and works nearly as well!
You garage door is easy pickings
unless you have a electronic door opener. Today these devices
are fairly cheap (around $150) and make it practically impossible
to force open the overhead door frorn the outside without breaking
through the actual door panels due to the high tension produced
from the worm drive or chain device that makes the openers work
Yes, it is possible for burglar to punch in the right code and
gain access, but with today's remote controls providing so many
possible combinations, the odds are very slight, and the burglar
won't waste the time trying all the possibilities.
Final bit of advice on automatic
door openers. Do be sure to change the security code from the
preinstalled settings which are almost always set to zeros. Also,
if you notice your door open and you're sure you shut it, one
of your neighbors probably set his opener to the sarne code.
Take the time to change your setting, or you're giving a potential
burglar a great opporlunity to gain free access.
These articles are reprinted
with permission from Visec
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