How to Secure Outside-Track Sliding-Glass Doors?


In matters of security, sliding glass doors generally pose a greater risk when compared to traditional doors. If you possess significant concerns for the safety of your home and family, it may be prudent to contemplate methods of fortifying the door.

For those with intruding intentions, lifting a sliding door right off its track might be relatively simple. This risk, however, can be deterred by inserting a dowel stick in the track. It's crucial to note that this approach is primarily effective only when the sliding door is positioned inside the building. What then, of sliding glass doors that operate along an outside track?

Research suggests that sliding doors may offer the least protection against intrusion as compared to other elements of a house. The regular safety locks on these doors often fall short in their protective functions, presenting an opportunity for easy disruption by intruders.

However, there's no cause for alarm, as we'll delve into effective strategies to bolster the security of your Outside-Track Sliding-Glass Doors. These protective measures can enhance your door security, thus alleviating concerns about unwelcome intrusions.

How to Secure Outside-Track Sliding-Glass Doors

The most important thing to avoid is keeping the door open. When there is nobody there to monitor the open glass door always keep it closed.

Some people prefer keeping the glass door open for ventilation, especially in the summer season. However, when is no one present to keep an eye on the door always keep it closed and secured.

Another thing you can do to increase security is to replace the weak existing latch on the sliding glass door with a tough lock. Glass doors are one of the most vulnerable entry points in your house.

Most of the sliding doors have a hook latch that can be easily pulled away when sufficient force is applied. Replacing the latch with an actual lock is really hard work but it’s worth the time and effort. Both the frame and door will be needed to be fixed but the door will be much reliable.

You could also consider situating a dowel stick between the door frame and handle. It's essential to ensure that the dowel is elongated enough to span from the door handle to the frame and situated high enough to impede movement of the door handle.

You can also use a house alarm sticker and intentionally keep it visible from the outside. Although it’s a bluff it will most likely avoid someone from entering through the door. Further, I have briefed the ways in detail so that you can decide on which is best suited for you.

How to Secure Outside-Track Sliding-Glass Doors

Make sliding door impenetrable (Using Barricade)

Using a barricade you can make the door unopenable. The concept behind this is that you put something between the door so that it cannot slide. Even if somehow can break through the lock he/she wouldn’t be able to slide it.

A commonly recommended tool for this purpose is the Door security bar, courtesy of Master Lock. This robust bar is designed to sit snugly on the sliding track of your glass door, blocking its opening mechanism.

The length of this security bar is adjustable so that you can change it according to your requirements. This is one of the best methods of protecting your outside sliding glass door from opening.

This is a very effective way and I use it at my home as well. The only downside I faced with this security bar is that you need to install/remove it again and again. When you are at home and want some fresh air you need to manually remove it and place it safely.

You cannot besides the door or else it will act as an obstacle for you. I know it is not that big of an issue but very often I forget it to place in the tracks before going to bed.

Already you have a lot of responsibility every day and adding up another is really hectic. But, it is the only downside and if you don’t have any issue with it you can always use it. It is quite reasonable as well as protects you. Check its current price here.

Nightlock Sliding Door Barricade is another option for the security bar. It protects you from unwanted visitors and it does the work of keeping them away very efficiently. Not only it works with glass sliding doors but also on other normal doors.

The company Nightlock is known for producing fantastic security products and you can always trust their products. This product is fairly popular and it has a good rating of more than 4.5 on Amazon. You can check the details about this product over here.

However, a complaint about this product is the same as the security bar. You have to manually remove it during the day and install it again at night.

But, the good side of this is that it is much smaller and less noticeable than that security bar. This product is mostly used due to its lightweight and smaller size. But, if you need rough and tough heavy-duty protection you can always buy the security bar.

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How to secure a backward sliding door (Lock Permanently)

Most of the sliding glass doors come with a latch which is quite weak. It can break easily and seriously speaking they are useless. And, all the other techniques do work but you have to do the hassle of installing/removing it.

The best method is to lock the sliding glass door permanently. But, for doing this you need some DIY efforts but they are worth doing. Do some efforts only once instead of daily installing/removing them.

You have two options which are pretty easy to do it. Either, get a good quality bolt lock and fix it on the top of the sliding door. Or use a double bolt sliding door lock.

For the first method fix the glass door permanently and you don’t need to touch it again. If you are okay with not opening that door again you can use this strong Patio Guardian Lock.

Despite having its merits, I find this method to hinder usual door operations, which might feel inconvenient. Rather, adopting a double bolt sliding door lock could offer robust security without curtailing the regular use of your door.

In this method, you basically attach the locking part at any height on the glass door and also fix the receiver at the same height on the frame. Whenever at night you want the door to be secured just put the two bolts in the receiver end.

Reinforce Glass

Security bars and double bolt sliding doors do work if someone wants to break the latch and enter in. But, what about those who want to come in y breaking the glass itself.

Yes, I know breaking the glass is not that easy and a double glass pane is pretty strong. Although, with the help of a tool it is very easy to break through any kind of glass either may it be a single or double glass pane.

Most burglars won’t do this as it really makes a loud sound on breaking and you as well as your neighbours would easily notice it. But, if you are living in a place where there is no one living close by you should strengthen your glass.

To make the glass more strong you can replace the existing glass with a more strong one or add a film over it. Changing the glass and replacing it with a stronger one can be very expensive.

Or you can entirely change the door along with glass and frame which will be even more expensive. So, the last option is to add a film over the glass which sticks it together even if it gets broken.

This option sounds cheaper and also is a way to keep your glass together. The burglars will have to make more effort to break the glass which will give you enough time to call help.

If you want to buy a glass film this BDF S8MC clear film which is 8 mils thick and the manufacturers say it absorbs the damage from break-in attempts and holds shattered glass together. It will take some time to install but it is worth the time and effort!

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Wrapping it Up

As a safety protocol, it's recommended to maintain covered glass on sliding doors, especially while you're away or at night. This can prevent prying eyes from gaining glimpse into your home and catching sight of valuables.

The sliding door is big enough for someone to peak in your house and plan the robbery. So, it’s better to always put on curtains and protect your privacy.

If the burglars cannot look inside the house they are very less likely to break inside and rob something. Windows coverings will not cost you much but can save you from burglars also keeping your privacy safe.

A sliding glass door, typically located at the back of a property, provides an ideal entry point for burglars, owing to its susceptibility to tampering. Enhancing it with a superior lock and equipping it with curtains or other window coverings can offer considerable deterrence to potential intruders.

You can choose either upgrading lock or putting a barricade to your glass door. You can also reinforce the glass if you are worried about your safety.

In matters concerning your home's safety and the security of your loved ones, view any related costs as crucial investment. Preventive measures, after all, are significantly more cost-effective than dealing with the aftermath of a security breach.

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Som

I spend each darn end of the week taking a shot at home tasks and trimming down the “nectar do” list. This is where I share the majority of the undertakings I’ve done and things I’m learning.

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