Sliding glass doors

[tharlow514]

I'm no door expert but I arrested my share of burglars back in the day. Most of them didn't bother to carry many tools. They would open a sliding glass door by placing both palms flat on the glass and shoving upwards. The door lifts up and the lock disengages. I did this once for a friend who had locked his keys in his house. He had a stick and the door lifted right up and over it.

This is good information. I will have to try that on my door. Do you think French doors would be more secure?

 

[Naptown]

1" round curtain rod here. Keeps the honest ones out. If they want in, they can break the glass easily enough.

 

[a.bentonab]

Now, with that said.....MANY of the sliding doors out there are installed incorectly. Generally there is a hook that comes from the door itself and hooks UNDER a pin in the frame. Many times these are installed upside down so the hook goes VOER the pin. This allows the door to unlock by lifting the moving panel up a little. Most doors can be installed to open on either side, left or right. Because of this, the handles are installed after the door is installed.

I realize that it is old and simple, but how can a big stick be defeated? no way can someone pull the door hard enough. The door can be lifted (if unlocked) about 3/4" or at most 1", so if you get a stick with a diameter of 1"+ I don't see how this isn't a simple, cheap, effective method? That said, of course breaking the glass is a loud option. I remember watching "how to catch a thief" once and to prevent people from busting out small windows next to a door and reaching through to unlock the door, they used a spray or maybe "painted" something onto the glass. It was really amazing in that the glass COULD NOT be broken. I think he used a crowbar and couldn't break the glass. I don't know if this could work on a whole door or not.

I'm no door expert but I arrested my share of burglars back in the day. Most of them didn't bother to carry many tools. They would open a sliding glass door by placing both palms flat on the glass and shoving upwards. The door lifts up and the lock disengages. I did this once for a friend who had locked his keys in his house. He had a stick and the door lifted right up and over it.

So it seems that to make a sliding glass door as secure as possible, a stick or similar mechanism should be in place, drill some screws into the top track to prevent lifting the door out of the lower track, maybe some shatter resistant film, and make sure that the latch from the door secures under the latch on the frame. Sound good everyone? Again if someone wants it breaking the glass is easy enough, so spending a fortune to secure an unsecurable door isn't going to prove fruitful.

 

[360]

Cutting the stick a little too long and jamming it in place with the low end near the gap between the doors would seem to be an easy solution.

That's how mine are. The stick does not lay in the channel...it has to be pushed down, and it wedges the door pretty good. It takes some grunting to get it out.

 

[jblomenberg16]

When I bought my house I had been told by many people that these doors were almost an open invite to a person to try to break in. So I tried it myself. I was able to literally lift up and shake the normal locking lug out of the way and walk right in.


Immediately after that I installed a wooden block into the lower track that was made from a 2x4 that I cut down to fit perfectly in the track. It is also tall enough that the door can't be lifted up and over like some of the other posts mentioned. The door cannot move, and the wood cannot be otherwise moved out of the way from the outside without breaking the window. In which case they would already have entry to the house anyway.


Lets just say that sliding doors won't be in our next home.

 

[Astrocreep]

One of these locking bars seems to be a good idea / temporary fix:
Sliding Door Security Bar - Home Improvement - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at NexTag - Price - Review
(hasn't been suggested yet)

I think a large aggressive looking dog behind the glass might motivate a thug to pick another house...

I generally agree with the consensus that you should probably replace a sliding door with either:
1. High-end sliding door with security features and laminated glass (security film)
2. A different type of residential door.

I have installed and removed several sliding doors. They're basically junk but people like them because of all the light they let in.
Replacing a standard slider with a more secure and solid pre-hung door kit isn't that hard.
Most people with a power drill and a level can figure it out in an hour or so.
See:
How to Remove and Replace Exterior French Doors : How-To : DIY Network

 

[Magnum314]

Aside form the lock in the door/handle itself, I also have a steel bolt that is attached at the bottom of the door, that enables that bolt to be slid down into the metal frame of the slider istelf when closed. Also has a "half-cocked" position to bolt the door in the open position about 6 inches for fresh air. VERY sturdy and works great. You would have a better chance jsut breaking through the glass then messint with that lock.