Thursday, January 25, 2007
How secure is your front door?
It's funny how the news can be informative and still miss the real story.
In case you missed it, there was news coverage last year about low-tech, relatively unskilled lock picking using "bump keys". Basically, anyone with a metal file and a collection of key blanks can waltz through most residential locks.
Quite a few expensive locks are bumping-proof. Your locksmith is likely to recommend the well-engineered and heavily marketed Medeco locks. Ask whether there's anything just as good but cheaper.
Where the news reports missed the real story is that there's no need for a burglar to spend a few seconds picking a lock when they can get in even faster. The place where the deadbolt goes into the doorframe is usually so weak that a single good kick will tear the bolt out of the frame. Before you even investigate new locks, buy and install a reinforced "strike plate". Expect to spend at most $15 for each one, and some time with a chisel and a drill. The single most important thing to look for is long screws, at least three inches and preferably four, which will transfer the force of a kick to the framing lumber around the door. The ones I have on my doors use four screws. Predrill the screw holes.
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In case you missed it, there was news coverage last year about low-tech, relatively unskilled lock picking using "bump keys". Basically, anyone with a metal file and a collection of key blanks can waltz through most residential locks.
Quite a few expensive locks are bumping-proof. Your locksmith is likely to recommend the well-engineered and heavily marketed Medeco locks. Ask whether there's anything just as good but cheaper.
Where the news reports missed the real story is that there's no need for a burglar to spend a few seconds picking a lock when they can get in even faster. The place where the deadbolt goes into the doorframe is usually so weak that a single good kick will tear the bolt out of the frame. Before you even investigate new locks, buy and install a reinforced "strike plate". Expect to spend at most $15 for each one, and some time with a chisel and a drill. The single most important thing to look for is long screws, at least three inches and preferably four, which will transfer the force of a kick to the framing lumber around the door. The ones I have on my doors use four screws. Predrill the screw holes.
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