Protecting Sliding Patio Doors
Sliding patio doors are a popular choice for home builders and we see them in most detached family homes, townhomes, and apartments. They provide a wide clear view outside, let in a lot of natural light, and allow easy egress to a backyard, balcony, or deck. However, protecting sliding patio doors from intruders and would-be burglars can be challenging even for seasoned security professionals. This article will discuss a few ways you can secure and protect your sliding patio doors.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please call/text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com. Our Gastown Key Store is located at 555 West Hastings St near Waterfront Station. Please note that our Key Store is transitioning to an online booking system due to staff shortages in the locksmith industry. Please visit the following link to book an appointment or to see when the store will be staffed: https://calendar.app.google/kV64JB9yHA8Y8UoL7
Older vs Newer Sliding Patio Doors
Before we start cutting old hockey sticks to jam into the track of the sliding patio door, it is important to see what kind of sliding patio door you have.
In my youth, most of the sliding patio doors I saw were the old aluminum ones with a single pane of glass and painted in that dark brown colour. Unless you are in your 20’s, we’ve all seen them. They’re light, the paint easily chips off to reveal the silver aluminum below, and for some reason they’re always drafty.
That’s what I remember about those old sliding patio doors. They were super hot, even to the touch, in the summer. In the winter, they just barely kept Jack Frost outside and would build up a thick layer of condensation which you could wipe off with your hands.
One aspect of the older sliding patio doors is that the track was on the outside. This means the sliding door could be literally lifted out of the frame given sufficient margin and those old frames were quite loose.
So if you have an older sliding patio door and you want to upgrade, you should first consider replacing the whole thing in the name of energy and fiscal conservation. If you have the money to burn, call/text me and we can give you a few options.
For the rest of us in the more modern era, let’s go over what makes newer sliding patio doors more effective and how we can make them better.
Tip #1: Single Pane vs Double Pane
If you live in a home with the old aluminum frames with single pane glass, it’s time to upgrade to a modern double pane sliding patio door system. Not only are the double panes more energy efficient, they also offer a higher level of security.
Double pane sliding glass doors are naturally heavier. As a result, the greater mass makes it harder to simply lift off the track. I’ve encountered various European models that weigh as much as 500 lbs! I feel sorry for the poor glazers who had to install that stuff.
In addition, double pane glass doors are designed with a pressurized inert gas like Argon in between the two layers. Plus, most doubles have a laminate layer on the inside that provides UV light protection to keep the home cool during the summer.
This laminate film is an important security and safety feature. Unlike older single pane sliding glass doors that used annealed glass, modern double pane glass doors used stronger tempered glass.
Cheaper annealed glass shatters into large pieces who could cause severe lacerations to anyone who steps on or reaches through a broken glass door. Meanwhile, tempered glass is not only harder to break, it also breaks millions of tiny pieces which are “safer” to touch. Most modern glass products in home, vehicle, and commercial applications used tempered glass.
So what does this mean in terms of security?
- Intruders will have to use much greater force to break a double sliding glass door.
- Due to the pressurized inert glass, there will be a loud audible “pop” when the first layer shatters.
- Because of the second layer, the thief will have to break the second pane as well.
- Due to the laminate film, the second layer will have to be knocked down as a single large piece.
In the old days, intruders would throw a rock, brick, or piece of spark plug at a glass door to shatter it. It was not unusual for homeowners and law enforcement to find blood splatters near the opening where people cut themselves.
These days, it takes much more effort. Most of the time, thieves will just move onto easier targets. Triple pane sliding glass doors are usually not even touched due to the time and effort it would take to break-in.
Warning: Just because tempered glass shatters “safely”, it does not mean that the tiny glass shards are 100% safe to touch. Homeowners should wear leather gloves or cut resistant gloves when handling broken glass at all times. Those tiny shards have little sharp edges that can cause little cuts like paper cuts. Not life threatening, but painful nevertheless.
Tip #2: Inside vs Outside Sliding Track
If you have never looked, take a gander on which side your sliding glass door slides back and forth. Is it on the outside track or on the inside track?
If that is confusing, is the rigid (the side that does not move) closer to the exterior of the home or the interior?
Essentially, modern sliding patio doors almost always have the sliding door on the inside track. In my experience, most older sliding glass doors are on the outside track closest to the exterior of the home.
I’m not sure why most manufacturers built them this way in the past. Perhaps it was cheaper to make or to install. Regardless, in terms of security, it is better for the sliding side to be on the inside of the track.
When it’s on the outside, there is much more room and material for a would-be thief to manipulate. For example, one can grab the whole door and wiggle it back and forth and up and down until it can be shifted open. In fact, an intruder may be able to lift the whole door out of the frame.
Another downside to having the sliding glass door on the outside track is that you cannot use the old hockey stick method to secure the glass door. You have to do something different.
The future of sliding glass doors seems to negate this inside vs outside issue. In more recently built homes, I’m starting to see folding doors more than sliding glass doors. I guess architects like them because it can open up a large section of the home to the outside. When not in use, the folding doors act like an exterior wall.
I’m personally not a fan of folding doors. Not only are they more complex to maintain and repair, they also allow the public to see the entirety of your interior. Window coverings are a must, but then what’s the point then of large floor to ceiling glass walls?
Not only is privacy an issue, these folding glass doors also generate energy efficiency, structural, and security issues as well. When your home/building shifts due to gravity in the future, the whole folding door concept may become a liability. Plus, we’ve all seen news reports about some impaired driver ramming a car into a house. I think we’d rather be protected by a solid wall than just glass.
Tip #3: Single Point vs Multi Point Locks
If you are in the Vancouver home building industry or have read some of my previous articles, you will know what a multi-point locks system is and why I don’t like them.
MPLs are great for elevating home security and a home’s energy efficiency rating which is why most new single detached homes in Vancouver have at least one door with a Multi Point Lock. It’s usually the front door and the patio door.
Due to their higher cost per unit and additional labour to install, most builders won’t use them on all the entry points. Just the high traffic or most prominent ones.
The reason why MPLs are popular with new builds is that the frame and the door have to be specifically prepped for that particular brand and model. You usually cannot retrofit an existing door and frame to accept a Multi Point Lock. Even if you could, it would not be a clean and aesthetically pleasing finish without spending a lot of money on the project.
In terms of security, MPLs have at least three points of contact between the door and frame. On some models, there may be five or more locking mechanisms along three to four door edges that barricade the door into the frame. In comparison, the standard single point mortise lock only has one point of contact. As you can see, a MPL system offers much better security.
Combined with a dual or triple pane glass, a sliding patio door armed with a Multi Point Lock system is very difficult to bypass. The only point of weakness in a MPL is the Euro Profile Key Cylinder.
Most of these fancy MPLs use a basic keyway like the Schlage Classic “C” keyway because it is one of the most popular keyways in North America. In Europe, Euro Profile Key Cylinders are available in many different keyways and security grades. However, Multi Point Lock brands deliberately use a much older and simpler key system in North America simply because most Locksmiths and Door Installers do not have access to European Key Blanks nor the specialty pinning kits they require.
As such, if you have a MPL system in your home, ask your local Professional Locksmith in Vancouver or Port Moody Locksmith like myself on the different types of Key Cylinders you can use to eliminate this weak point. Having a key that is hard to copy is often not a bad thing from a security perspective. However, it may be inconvenient for the home owners who come after you.
Tip #4: Install Toe and Head Locks
If you have a Single Point Lock and want the additional security of a MPL (without getting a whole new door and frame), you can ask a locksmith to install toe and head locks. There are either spring loaded push button or sliding bolt types of locks that can be installed on an existing sliding patio door.
By locking the door into two additional places, you can greatly enhance the security of your patio door.
When installing a toe or head lock, it’s important to remember that this usually works only with newer doors with an inside slide track. There are a few versions that can be installed on a door with an outside slide track but the lock has to be mounted on the exterior or the patio door will not fully open.
The other consideration to take note of is that head and toe locks can only be engaged or disengaged from one side of the door. For example, if you install them on the inside, you will not be able to unlock them from the outside. This is why MPL are somewhat superior. They offer the convenience of a single mechanism to lock or unlock multiple locking mechanisms from either side of the door. For that convenience, you will pay more upfront and need to ensure proper maintenance to a long service life.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed some of the ways you can upgrade the security level of existing sliding patio doors and the importance of knowing whether the slide track is on the inside or the outside. We also covered why newer homes are opting to install Multi Point Locks (MPLs) and why you may consider installing one yourself.
Please note that all MPLs require an annual small dab of lubrication to ensure a long life and problem free performance. Consult your user guide or contact your local locksmith like myself. MPLs are very expensive to replace and most replacement parts must be ordered-in from Germany with very long lead-times. As such, regular maintenance is crucial.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please call/text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com. Just a reminder once again that our Downtown Vancouver Key Store is transitioning to a By Appointment business model. You can book an appointment or see when the Key Store will be staffed using this link.
