Door Hardware to Keep Your Home Safe |
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| By: Anna Woodward | ||||
Choosing the Right Hardware These days, a deadbolt is essential for keeping your home secure. Regular door locks that function inside the knob just can't guarantee the protection you need. They can be easily broken by force. The thick throw bolt of a deadbolt is nearly impossible to break through. There are two kinds of deadbolts; single cylinder and double cylinder. The difference is that single cylinder deadbolts have a knob or thumb turn on the inside, with a key only on the outside. With a double cylinder, you need a key for both sides. If you are getting a deadbolt for an exterior door, it is usually best to get the single cylinder variety. This is a safety issue. If there were an emergency inside the house, such as a fire, the occupants could risk being trapped inside or slowed down by having to use a key. A single cylinder and a regular doorknob locks will offer enough protection to the house, and also allow anyone inside to get out. The only exception to this is a door with windows. If there is glass on the door, it would be easy for an intruder to simply break the glass and reach through to the deadbolt's knob. It is usually best to consider safety first and go with the single cylinder, but if your house has inner and outer front doors, you can use both. Don't Forget the Windows You might wonder, what's the point of installing window locks? After all, if a burglar wants to get in, they will simply smash the glass. This is true, in Hollywood. But actually, most burglars are opportunists. They want to break into a house with the least amount of bother, and it would be much better to slip in through a window than to break one. You should definitely have window locks, and make sure that each one, downstairs and up no matter how small, is covered. Even the tiny one in the bathroom should be secured. An experienced burglar can slip through just about anything, and slip right back out again with your stuff. Whether to use key or thumb turn locks is the same issue we dealt with earlier. If the burglar chooses to break the glass, they can simply turn the thumb knob; if you use a key mechanism instead, they would have to continue breaking out glass and risk getting cut up coming in. Even a cheap window lock will work wonders in protecting your house from intruders. Make sure it is one that is visible from outside. Most burglars would rather move on to another house than deal with any kind of difficulty getting in. Keep in mind that locks work not only to keep your house safe, but as a deterrent for would-be burglars. In the same way that security guards deter theft by just being there, having good, solid, visible locks on your doors and windows will keep most burglars looking for an easier house. Another thing to remember is that you can never have too much home security. It is a good idea to keep a safe, in addition to the other safety precautions you place in your home. |
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| Article Source: http://home2garden.co.za | ||||
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