High Security Door Locks? Bar the Door

[RedBlood]

I am interested in any first hand knowledge about door bar locks. I want to install a lock that is a impenetrable as possible.
I was thinking about a bar lock, such as a piece of timber that rests inside of large metal hooks or inserts into large metal staples. The type you might have seen used in old cabins in the movies. I have seen one manufacturer on the Internet with a device called a kati bar that looks like it may work. If any one can share what they do to secure their doors from the inside while they are in the residence, I would appreciate it.

Thanks

[GREEN_ALIEN]

Lock the doors? Hmmm I think I have a key around here somewhere but I couldn't find it on a bet....

Shoot if I locked em how could the neighbors get in and get something they need to borrow?

I can't help with the lock but I might suggest you could be living in the wrong neck of the woods pard...

Good luck

Ted

[rassd71]

I lived in an apartment in a rough area that had a steel fire rated door and a bracket that went across it and then a solid piece of bar stock that went into a brass anchor point in the floor.

My grandmother had her back door secured with three deadbolts. And her front door with one dead bolt and two sliding gate bolts.

The first question you have to ask... 'who or what are you securing yourself from?' Then 'what is the realistic threat?'

That's where you need to start with any and all security questions. Because if it's securing against the 'average' bad guy looking for a score, a simple dead bolt will do the trick. But if you're talking about securing against an armed assault complete with assault vehicle with a battering ram, that's an entirely different story.


Obviously, there are different answers for the gambit between those two points.

A lock is only as good as the door it's into. And then also extends to the wall. I've seen steel fire doors in apartments that were set into the existing wooden jams that were old and abused. So, a child could still kick those doors in. But a good solid wood door in a block wall, can kick a grown mans butt, even with a polansky!

Best of luck to you, keep you and yours safe!

[hillbilly_mom]

We have something similar to what you are describing in our storm cellar. The storm cellar has a wooden door, but it is backed with a piece of steel plate. There are bands of metal angle across the front of the wooden door with bolts through the door and the nuts are welded to the back plate. The frame around the door is made out of a metal I-beam. When the door is shut a 2 inch piece of pipe is slid into a bracket that my husband welded onto the I-beam. We figure it could hold up to a pretty bad tornado. So what you are describing IS possible. It just depends on what lengths you want to go for, and what you want it for.

We had dug the storm cellar into a hill and the top frame is made out of the same I-beams. Steel plate was welded to the I beams. Boulders and dirt were put on top of the plate and now it has grass growing on it. The front of the storm cellar has a rock wall, BTW, that is backed by the same steel plate. ;)

[Hogleg]

Green Alien,

I am moving to Elk North of Spokane, I expect to have a good relationship with my neighbors. Its the unexpected meth head, tweaker that I want to protect my family from when I am at work. My house will not be visible to my neighbors and I want the piece of mind, even if it is overkill.

Thank you Rass and Hillbilly Mom I appreciate your input and experience.

[tufhelp]

In addition to making the door(s) impenetrable to the average dope head or thug, don’t overlook the windows. In this day and age the sound of a window breaking won’t stir any or much attention much less any help. If they take the time to tape the window up, there won’t even be the sound of the breaking glass. Window bars with fire escape mechanisms on at least two windows are probably in order.

Her in the southwest, and most of the country now I suspect, sliding glass patio doors are standard fixtures – they are for practical purposes, indefensible. People go to all the trouble of putting in Murphy Bars (kind of a bar that is between the jam and the frame of the sliding portion keeping it from opening), and rigging screws in the top of the door to prevent the sliding door portion from being lifted high enough to get it out of the track –all to no avail. Anything of weight in the backyard can be thrown right through the glass and voila, egress!

Once when I inadvertently locked myself out, it took all of 2 minutes to get in. I had put a stick cut to size in the tracks holding the door from sliding open and the door was also “locked”. Got my cordless drill out of the truck and drilled a hole in the aluminum door frame and inserted a coat hanger wire and dislodged the stick, then I turned my attention to the locked door. I noticed a decorative cover about the size of a nickel in the outside portion of the handle. Took my knife and popped it out and look in the hole and low and behold there was a rectangular slot staring back at me. I put my knife blade in the slot and rotated it and poof, I was in!

All that aside, even the walls come into play. The average stick built house is penetrable simply by kicking/sledge hammering a hole through the wall. You might think that this would at least get the attention of the neighbors, in the city, not likely. They are probably not home (working family) or indifferent (don’t want to get involved).

Don't forget to train all the household members how to get out in case of fire or other disaster - panic and a complicated mechanism can be lethal. For instance, if you use dead bolts, keyed on both sides is the better choice, however, leave a key in the inside deadbolt when locked and people are in the house.

P.S. If you’re ever trapped/locked in a room in an average American home and you NEED to get out and you don’t have the strength to get through the door – go through the sheetrock, it is not substantial by any means, it will break with little effort.

[edward_4576]

At my place we use dual dead bolts. Each door has a locking screen door with sliding windows installed. All doors have at least one method of determining whose on the outside. All windows have storm windows and screens as well. All doors are well lit and in some cases covered by external cameras. A couple of things to point out, make sure that you have a key safe somewhere on the outside that is well conceled. On a couple of instances we have locked ourselves out and had a dickens of a time getting in (he he). One last item if your door has a window in it or it's withing three foot of a window don't keep a key in the lock as it's possible to break a window and get the key that way.

[rassd71]

Good point on the vulnerability of windows and all things glass. One solution is 'a security laminate. They make the windows themselves house armour. The more secure option would be shutters of some kind. In new construction, the roll up steel shutters can be built into cases above the windows and when up, they pretty much disappear.

Lights and noise are still your best first two security assets. A good dawg would be next, especially in a rural environment.

[edward_4576]

Rassd on that security laminate do you know of any product names or possible compaines? I would like to find out more about the products.

[tufhelp]

Hey Ed, I did a quick Google - bullet proof glass film - and got quite a few hits, here are a few:

http://www.shatterguard.com/home.html
http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/11428229/Bulletproof_Film.html

Testing laminated bullet proof glass:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/k84q2k45uw741161/