_Locks keep honest people honest._ Make the nut tougher to crack and that will deter casual miscreants. Previous posts regarding jamb pins on the hinge side and carriage bolts through a back plate are right on target.
Yeah....that's possible, I guess.
I have a shed right behind my bedroom with five layers of security. One, it's next to the house where I sleep. Two, I have a dog that likes raw meat, preferably still on the ankle. Three, I have motion sensors that turn flood lights on all the way around my house. There is no angle of approach that will not trigger one of them. Four, I have a wireless motion sensor in the shed that rings a doorbell in my bed room and turns on *my* bedroom lights. You can even hear the doorbell ring from inside the shed. And five, there is a lock on the shed's door.
All of these things contribute to the overall security. I've never had a break in, or even an attempt.
As for the motion sensors when there's already a street light, what you want is a change to draw attention. That's why motion sensors are still a good idea.
Don't leave a trap. The classic case from so many years ago involved a fellow who set a shotgun trap at knee height after numerous break ins. When the bad guys broke in again, he was severely wounded. The property owner went to jail. If I'd been on the jury he wouldn't have, but I wasn't and he did. Don't join him.
Particularly in the hands of the homeowner. I don't call 911 either... until it's over.
Put a fence around your shed. Put an ill-tempered dog inside the fence.
I've got a few of those features, in that the shed is next to the house, and it is always locked.
Yes, I wasn't seriously contemplating a trap, certainly not one involving a shotgun. That wouldn't be a deterrent anyhow, it would only get the perpetrator after the fact, and get bloodstains on my shed. Same with the skunk/glitter thing - would cause more mess than it's worth, although it would cause me to laugh a lot. :)
I'll definitely be bolting the locks to the doors with bolts that go all the way through, and will also be investing in a motion detector light. Interesting idea to have something that will ring the doorbell when someone is lurking, but I think that's a bit beyond our DIY skills.
Thanks!
KD
Pet skunk, large dog, burglar alarm with motion detector or door trigger?
The lights also make the cops much more comfortable about entering the yard. It's helps if they're aimed correctly, which generally, they never are. Too many people face the floodlights straight out at the street, thereby blinding the cops when they arrive. Duh.
My neighbor has had a number of conversations with police and others because of recent problems. It seems as though you will be in significant risk of arrest if you shoot someone who is not threatening you with severe bodily harm. Shooting someone breaking into a shed is not likely to meet this qualification.
There are plenty of "rambo" types out there who talk rashly about shooting people for minor crimes. How many are now cooling their heels in prison?
Bob
Correct. Unless physically threatened, you can't shoot someone unless they're in your dwelling. At least that's the law in the lower 48. But, since law is based on the old "castle doctrine", from English law, your rules are probably the same. I suppose that even if you had videotape showing an intruder coming after you in your kitchen, with 3 knives, a shotgun, a flame thrower and poison darts, you could still end up with a jury who'd say you were naughty for shooting him, but hopefully not.
Yeah, but then you'd have a dog. Worse than being burglarized.
No it's not. I bought this thing at Home Depot. There are two parts: the transmitter is battery powered and mounted to a roof joist inside the shed with two little screws. The receiver is sitting on my bedside table and is plugged into the wall. the lamp is plugged in turn into the receiver.
Installation is about 5 minutes.
Model SL6030WH5
Price: $24.99/ea
Note: that's just the transmitter; you also need a SL 6012 WH5 indoor plug in lamp module with audible alarm. $19.99 at Home Depot.
If someone is breaking into your shed, you confront him and he raises his hand with something that looks like a gun in it.... around here you could shoot him and just say you were in fear for your life. If he has a screwdriver in his hand, you can't... unless he advances on you even after being warned you have a gun. In that situation you could shoot without fear of prosecution as well.
What you can't do is lay a trap. Frankly, I would much rather scare they bad guy off so he could go look for easier pickings at one of my unarmed neighbor's houses instead. That's why I'd use a pump shotgun as my weapon of choice. The alarm goes off, the lights go on, the dog barks, I grab the shotgun, open the door, rack a shell... an unmistakable sound.... and yell. No thief is going to hang around after all that. I mean, we're just talking about a shed; not a bank vault.
If you're not reasonably in fear for your life, you have no right to take another. It's off to jail with you.
MUCH SNIPPED
That idea of a motion sensor in the shed ringing a bell inside the house and turning on house lights is very good.
You said wireless?
What kind and brand of components did you use?
TIA.
Put a fake doggy door on the shed door. Run a big logging chain into the shed, attached to a pole outside. Set the biggest dog dish with the biggest chunks of dog food you can find in front of the shed. Maybe dig a couple of holes in front of and aside of the shed for effect. Of course none of this will fool the neighbors wherefrom comes the perpetrators probably.
Heath/Zenith. See my other posting for links to the specific products at Home Depot. No doubt other vendors sell them as well.
One thing I may not have made clear was the nature of the audible alarm: it
*sounds* just like a doorbell ringing but it is not wired into my door bell directly. It's still loud enough to wake you from a dead sleep. I know this because I discovered that the alarm goes off when the battery in the transmitter gets weak... and will continue to go off continuously until you either replace the battery or it finally goes completely dead.I feel pretty secure in having expensive tools out there.
Thanks for the info. Off to the Borg hive.
On Mon, 30 Jan 2006 18:38:03 GMT, "Doug Kanter" scribbled this interesting note:
I'm not a legal expert in this area, and I've never had to test the theory, but it is my understanding that in Texas, at night, you may use deadly force to protect life and property. That may be your life or the lives of you family members or the lives of your neighbors. The property is a bit different, and I think it must be yours or you must have specific responsibility for the protection of someone else's property.
Personally, I hope never to have to test this scenario.
-- John Willis snipped-for-privacy@airmail.net (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)
I've used a fair amount of the X10 stuff for reacting to whatever is going on around and in my house. The lights which automatically go on and off when you enter/leave rooms are a fine thing.
X10.com is annoying as hell, but they are cheap. There are other vendors who sell the X10 stuff.
You would need a chime module, a RF motion detector, and RF to powerline transceiver.
Visit the comp.home.automation group. Beware the route of home automation, it leads down the path of much playing. ;)
I hope not, either. I'd be hard pressed to justify shooting someone because they were vandalizing my car. But in the house, anything goes. The paperwork though....can you imagine?
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