How to secure a sliding glass door

You love your sliding glass door for the abundance of daylight it welcomes in and the effortless access it offers to your backyard retreat. These entrances are valuable features for any Cleveland home, but also come with safety risks. See why they’re a target for burglars and what you might do to stop break-ins.

Why sliding glass doors are often targeted in Cleveland

As appealing as sliding glass doors are to homeowners, they’re also tempting to thieves. There are a few explanations. To begin with, they are generally made more for utility than security. Most don’t have deadbolts, and their locking mechanisms are typically easy to circumvent. They’re also placed at the rear of your Cleveland home, giving prowlers an improved chance to approach unseen. 

How do trespassers force entry through sliding doors?

When experiencing bright and sunny days and warm temperatures, your sliding patio door might be the most-utilized entry in your home. You may a habit of keeping it open so your children can effortlessly access the yard. Even if you secure the door, determined prowlers can bypass it. Here’s how:

• Manipulate the lock. Many sliding glass doors have standard locks that burglars can unlock with a common tool.
• Smash the glass. Prowlers are more likely to smash glass when they’re hidden from sight. The thin glass of numerous sliding doors is easy to smash.
• Pry the door from its track. Criminals may attempt to pry the door out of its track and move it away from the frame using a crowbar or another device so they can fit through.

Even though it’s not difficult to bypass sliding glass doors, it’s also easy to step up your security. Discover how you can make it happen.

Better protect your Cleveland home’s sliding glass door

If you want to improve the security of one of the most vulnerable entryways in your Cleveland house, here’s how you can do it.

• Install surveillance cameras. When potential thieves notice surveillance at your property, they’ll probably try to locate a less protected target. They won’t want to take the chance of being captured on camera. You can even find surveillance systems that actively scare off thieves with audible and visual warnings.
• Connect door sensors. Connect glass break and contact sensors within your integrated security system. The alarm will go off if a burglar attempts to come in or break the window. Modern systems will also notify you with communications to your home security cell phone app.
• Upgrade the lock. Reinforce your simple flip lock with a deadbolt manufactured for sliding doors. Foot bolt locks are fantastic solutions and straightforward to secure. You might also get a more robust, keyed deadbolt.
• Add a reinforcement bar. A door brace is a traditional approach that adds another layer to your protection. These are typically solid wood supports positioned within the door’s lower track. Make sure it’s measured properly for a snug fit.

Open the door to a new level of security with a Vivint smart home in Cleveland

Better safeguard your sliding glass door and all the entry points in your home with a fully connected smart home in Cleveland from Vivint. We offer all the devices you need, from window and door sensors to video cameras. If anything activates, you and your 24-7 monitoring experts will be alerted right away. Contact (216) 616-8604 today to learn more and book your professional installation.