Door locks

[finallyME]

So, I just bought a bunch of property and am looking for like minded people who want to come live on it and practice survival. Anyone interested?



Just kidding..... It is that time of year....

Anyways, I did just buy a house.... in the suburbs. It is half a mile to the high school, junior high and elementary, and even a half mile to Walmart. My last house was in a quiet town. The neighborhood was more for retired couples or new families starting out. The houses weren't elaborate or huge. The new neighborhood is a little more pricey. My wife thinks it is great, but I see more of a target. I was planning on upping my security on the old house, but once we decided to move, I decided to wait for the new house. My first step, door security. Now is the time to buy new locks (because that is what you do when you move into a new house, never know who has the old key). However, I want to buy good quality locks. I am looking for recommendations on lock brands or models that are well known for quality and security. Eventually I plan to rebuild the entire door assembly. I want to make my own door that is both very strong (very hard to kick in) and looks nice (because I have a wife who cares). The door frame will also be redone and beefed up. But, that is in the future. Now I am looking for locks. Any thoughts? Thanks

[Tokwan]

Abloy locks have always been a good name in the security sector.

[madmax]

It's been decades since we bought our house. Our "go to" insurance guru said change them all to Schlage locks. Don't know it that has changed though.
Sounds like we live in a similar neighborhood. Schools and such. Most of the crime here has been the easy pickings. They have stolen bikes, kayaks, and clothes off the line (????? WE CAUGHT the tween walking down the street in my wife's clothes! LOL). They have cut the screen on a coupla windows and a door but failed entry. Max is well known and wouldn't hurt a fly but thieves don't like dogs.
Good luck with your prevention.

[alaskabushman]

If you want top security look for the ANSI ratings. There are 3 levels of security, top being ANSI 1. I recommend dead bolts on all exterior doors. These are tough to kick in and not easy to pick.

All lock systems can be overcome though, if someone really wants in. Plus, there are always windows if the door resists entry. Locks keep the honest people out. They do make things inconvenient for the non-honest people. Deadbolts, dowels in the window/patio door tracks and fake security cameras will go a long ways.

[hunter63]

Doors can be hardened, but most frame houses can be breached with a saw'all....
Most any lock will keep out the casual druggie and some kids.

If some one want your stuff...they are gonna get it
Best you can do is purchase locks and dead bolts...with inside striker reinforcement .

[crashdive123]

I prefer Schlage with a ANSI rating of 1 or a BMHA rating of A. Something to consider with doors though is many (most?) of the failures during a break in are of the frame and not the lock. To overcome this, drive 4" lag bolts through the frame and into the door frame cripples. This will make a much stronger presentation to somebody trying to break in.

[tundrabadger]

Abloy locks have always been a good name in the security sector.

I second that.... we got an Abloy deadbolt put on my mom's front door a couple of years ago. Good quality, very sturdy, but easy on the hands. Which, I grant you, isn't as big a deal if you don't have arthritis in your hands, but mom seemed pretty pleased.

[finallyME]

Thanks for all your responses. I will definitely move the Schlage with a 1 ANSI rating up to the top of the list. And, I will look at the Abloy. Like most of you are saying, any door can be breached, just a matter of time. But, I want to increase the time as much as budget allows. For my job, I am actually working on a door that is suppose to withstand a near miss (nuclear that is). 2 feet of concrete and a huge set of lock pins. We estimate the break in time for this door is 6 hours or so. Anyways, I just want to give myself, or my family, time to respond to someone trying to break in. Luckily, no sliding back door. But, the lower level windows do present an easy entry. Still trying to find the best solution to them. I don't want to put up a bunch of bars. Polycarbonate covers are an option, but the problem with windows is that people need to be able to get out in a hurry, in case of fire. It will be a process, like everything else.

[natertot]

Crash is right. I have trusted Schlage ANSI 1 rated locks. I work security and that is what my company and hospital uses as well. Crash has a good recommendation of 4" screws. You can also upgrade to a steel frame or reinforce the wood frame with a steel panel.

In my experience with my career, people want easy targets. Use good locks, have good exterior lighting, don't leave stuff outside, hide packaging of expensive purchases (especially in the trash), plant thorny or pokey plants around windows, and make your house look "bland".

[Graf]

I recently installed deadbolts on all my doors keyed on both sides, which I'm told is against the law but my house my rules same on garage. I also replace the striker plate and hinge screws with 3" screws. Any name brand 1" deadbolt should work for you.

[pete lynch]

Schlage locksets are great. I've installed a lot of them and would get the A-series exterior locksets if they were for me.
The F-series are decent but they to have a "feature" where the knob is always unlocked from the inside even when the door is really locked from the outside.
People are always accidentally locking themselves out of their house with those.
If you get deadbolts, the interior thumb latch kind are OK unless the door has a window. A double-sided keyed-entry deadbolt is what you want.
When installing deadbolts always drill out the hole behind the plate deep enough that the bolt fully engages. Some deadbolts wont lock properly and can be re-opened with a screwdriver or knife tip.

[Antonyraison]

house break-ins and robberies are extremely common here.
Most people don't bother much with a lock and most are easily broken.. failing that they try the windows (we fit burglar bars i.e bars on the outside of window) the have been known to also grind them off or use a crowbar. failing that, they go through the roof... we have alarm systems, yup they also buy pass those or cut off electricity and wait for the back up battery to pack up (they monitor houses and know whom is away)
Loads of people have high walls, with electric fencing.. well.. a high wall makes it easier, they can break-in and be hidden on the other side of said wall.. electric fencing, the short it out, or throw a blanket over it... electric gates... they use a crowbar to pop them off the rails, steal the gate motor.
Very secure houses, they simply follow the owner home..and rob the place, steal the car tie up the owner.
I have been followed home and Hijacked, I also been tied up in a daylight robbery (when we where at my friends house, they just jumped the back wall and tied us all up had a look out and basically ransacked the place in 2 hours)
basically.. erhhm if people want something bad enough they find away to get at it.

[Rick]

Not to dismiss the door locks, they are important, but your goal is to make your house less attractive to a thief than your neighbors. It's sad but that's the truth. If they are going to break in then you want them to go somewhere else. Doors and windows are your main weakness. But despite how robust your lock is you have to actually use it. That's not tongue in cheek. The FBI annual reports show that most residential burglaries occur because the door or window was unlocked. For those that have security systems they were turned off. So get your family in the habit of using them and don't hide a key outside. The bad guys know where to look.

There are burglar alarm labels and signs that you can purchase on ebay or other sites on the net. Just the stickers may give someone pause to think about which house they should choose.

[natertot]

What Rick said. Had four vehicle "break ins" at work this week. Each vehicle was left unlocked. Average value of vehicle was $45k. Most expensive being a $60k range rover. Expensive unlocked vehicles make easy targets. Same with homes. Make the neighbors house more inviting than yours.

[Tokwan]

finallyme, I suggest you move next to Rick's house, and make your house less attractive. That way the burglars will see Rick's....

[kyratshooter]

And there is that old thing about locks not being of any benefit if you do not use them.

Lock the vehicles, and lock your house.

I know that might be difficult with a family and kids running in and out but there is something about the concept of sitting at you desk and looking up to see someone that has walked through an unlocked and unsecured door with the intent of robbing you!

Yes they are WRONG, but half the blame goes to not securing the house.

Locks might only slow the felon down, but the noise and the time they lose in the attempt to break the lock can give you enough time to react before they enter, and allow you to do something besides stick your hands in the air and surrender.

The last real home invasion with victims on the premises we had around here was a couple of years back when three cretins decided to walk into an old man's house in the middle of the night. He shot the first one as he walked through the door and the other two carried the dead body back to their car.

It's pretty calm around here.

[Tokwan]

I agree with Kyrat, Rick and Nat...break ins occur because of :
1. What attracts them
2. An opportunity exists..
3. Unavailability of controls...

That is what Security is usually built around of...

However, a house will always be attractive..so we need to remove the opportunity and put in the controls...if doors are locked, and the perpetrators find it difficult to enter and do their stuff, they would look elsewhere.

In Malaysia, almost all house have a fence and gate, with metal grills on doors and windows....but then again, a few were killed in fires as they could not leave the house, sometimes a whole family.

But still, controls such as locked doors and a simple alarm system, is a necessity.

[crashdive123]

Another big deterrent is motion activated security lights. With some of the new led technology they can turn your yard into daylight, scaring the bejeebus out of a would be burglar.

[kyratshooter]

Another big deterrent is motion activated security lights. With some of the new led technology they can turn your yard into daylight, scaring the bejeebus out of a would be burglar.

Motion activated lighting can be as cheap as $10 per fixture.

I installed motion sensor lighting around the chicken house to deter predators a couple of years ago. I have a big utility security light right by the house in the back yard and it glows all the way to the front

My next project is going to be installing wireless video cameras on the corners of the house. It will be for my own benefit as well as security since I have all the windows covered with plastic for the winter and you can not see crap outside with that stuff on the windows. Harbor freight has a system for $250

[alaskabushman]

I almost pity you guys. I haven't locked my car in months...I'm not eve sure where my house key is.