Door Security Bar

[Don't smoke; eat well; exercis]

Talking about the bar that runs at a 45 degree angle from the doorknob to the floor, and which is supposed to prevent the door from opening.

Jus how much force will it withstand? I suppose it depends on the floor surface. If the entryway is stone, e.g., it would be more effective than if the bar rests on a thin carpet of some kind.

Any thoughts?

(PS-- Bought one of these bars several years ago after seeing a news item whereby an intruder inserted a special key in the front door keyhole and tapped it with a hammer, releasing the deadbolt. Scary.)

[Stormin Mormon]

No way to know, from here. About the time the make a better lock, a better burglar comes along. I figure do what you can, and make 'em work for their booty.

[recyclebinned]

It is stronger than any other lock per dollar cost.

[Gordon Shumway]

It is a function of the material of the bar and the strength of what the bar is resting against.

For example, let's assume one would have a bar made from several drinking straws taped together resting against the base of a concrete wall. We could conclude that the wall would be a nearly impossible thing for an intruder to move. We could also conclude that the drinking straws would be extremely easy to overcome.

On the other hand, let's say the bar is constructed of 3" diameter steel what the bar rests on an occasional chair. We could conclude that the bar is probably stronger than anything else in that area and won't fail. However, a small child would have little or no problem moving the chair.

Simply placing the bar on a tile floor would be a poor choice because only a minor impact could knock it loose. You would need a wall, or similar, to wedge the bar against to prevent it from moving.

[Jon Danniken]

What is it the rest of the time?

Jon

[Gordon Shumway]

The rest of the time it's...

.. .. .. .. \ / V

...a 3" diameter steel bar.

[DerbyDad03]

The "special key" is called a "bump key" and the technique is called Lock Bumping.

Lots of youtube's on how to make a bump key. Here's just one example:

[Stormin Mormon]

Did you hear about the boy who walked down the street, and turned into a store?