don't know the service codes, for
that seems so important, and
I have an alarm system, as does every other house on the estate, so presumably installed by the cheapest professional knob-jockey Persimmons could find. I never use it, and certainly have never had it "maintained".
I always answer, "no" to the alarm question. It never seems to make any difference to the premium.
I do appreciate that. They could break some glass or remove some roof tiles but these would involve considerably more risk of discovery than cylinder snapping which, having discussed security measures with local police, appears to have become a favourite method where windows and doors are locked. I can understand why this is having watched the quick and simple process online.
I would rather have someone, equipped to gain entry by cylinder snapping or bumping, try our locks, give up and go elsewhere where entry is straightforward.
Without reading the rest of the thread, why not try a different company?
We changed to NFU Mutual for our buy-to-let insurance because Saga's chosen company (this year) had all sorts of questions, exclusions and strange things in the Ts&Cs.
NFU Mutual were simple, straightforward, and competitive on price.
Also rated highly by Which? for customer service.
Cheers
Dave R
Interesting reading here
"Some look to standards to show the way but here it gets even more confusing. The EN1303 Kitemark test for cylinders up until 2012 did not include any real testing against lock snapping. Therefore the kitemark stamp on a cylinder offered no real value. With the introduction of the new TS007 Kitemark things got even more confusing. They introduced snapping tests to the kitemark approval system, if you passed you got three stars, but if you couldn't pass, you still got a kitemark, but one star. So even today if it's got a kitemark on, it's not guaranteed to be snap secure."
Our brand new back door has a very fancy key and the lock has a kitemark but no stars at all.
So no idea how secure it is.
Cheers
Dave R
+1. Goods stolen: 1 laptop worth bugger all and a watch I never used because it cost more to replace batteries every six months than I thought it worth. Insurance claim: c£2,000. not for the above but the replacement of two broken doors and the locks on three.
Unless you live in a particularly low crime area they'll quite likely apply a minimum standard of security clause in any case.
Don't give up on your apple trees yet. Ours have been here for decades, but this year no sign of leaves yet. They're in a bad mood with the weather.
Alex
apples will grow in wet soggy clay no worries - ours do
But in general you wont see any plant growth below about 5 degrees C day and not if night time temps are much below freezing.
Nothing is in leaf yet of the non-evergreen flavour, and a lot of my half hardy evergreens have frost damage to the extremities. Its been a tough winter.
Round here the onset of spring is usually marked by a 'green haze' over the hawthorn and blackthorn hedges. No signs yet, although buds are there and there are catkins on the hazels alders and similar species.
But windflowers are out - primroses and violets and a few wild bulbs like snowdrops. and there are some bumble bees and butterflies to pollinate coming out.
The later spring flowers like bluebells and cowslips are not yet apparent, but they are close.
Crops are holding steady. Nit springing to life, but not dying and rotting either.
Be patient. At least there is no drought yet, which is the biggest killer of freshly planted fruit trees. After deer anyway.
I'll give 'em another year or so to get over the shock.
Yes, even the lawn isn't growing noticeably yet. :-)
Same at home, and the same in the Netherlands at the moment, although they've got more "wild" daffodils out than us.
They're all about a month behind round my way.
A lot of them round here look as if they're drowning. I see many flooded fields that were dry last year.
That's one problem I don't have.
I'm not going to take them out until at least this Winter, anyway, unless they're not showing leaves and flowers by August...
--snip--
Wot he said.
And I recommend arranging it over the phone - you can often get extra discounts if you ask. You also don't have to worry about drop-downs with no suitable options. I always have to phone since no insurer lists SWMBO's occupation.
Is this something that can be retrofitted easily?
I fitted four Avocet ABS enhanced security cylinders last year - very simple to remove the existing (undo one screw and push the cylinder out) and fit the new. The important thing is to get the measurements right before ordering. The cylinders are referenced by the internal and external dimensions, measured from the centre of the retaining screw hole in the body of the cylinder with the first dimension being the internal and the second the external.
I bought my locks from
Thanks for the info. Are the sizes marked on the cylinders or do you have to measure them?
Just to underline the importance of getting the dimensions right (they norm ally come in 5mm steps) - the more the cylinder projects from the door the easier it is to attempt an attack by snapping; although the enhanced securi ty type are designed to stop the burglar gaining entry by snapping they may still be damaged and need replacement after an attempt, so you want to dis courage the attempt...
You will need to remove and measure the current cylinders.
There is a retaining screw in the edge of the door that lines up with the lower part of the cylinder, unscrew this and push/pull the cylinder out (you may need to wiggle the cylinder with the key a bit). Remember which is the inside and outside ends of the cylinder.
There is a hole through the lower part of the cylinder (across the width) that the retaining screw fits into, the centre of this hole is where you measure from to the inside end (eg 35mm) and outside end (eg
45mm) of the cylinder.Whilst occasionally both dimensions are the same, none of mine were. When you order the internal dimension comes first, 35/45 using the above examples.
BTW, as posted upstream, the lock mustn't be too long on the outside else it's easier to grip. If a compromise is necessary, then an extra 5mm on the inside doesn't really matter so long as the protrusion doesn't offend you.
Thanks again for the info.
Reading more about these locks - would there be a risk of not being able to gain entry if a burgler had attempted to break in?
Yes, it would undoubtedly require a locksmith to gain entry via the door in question, but if this was not the case there would be little point in using this type of lock.
Not a risk but almost a certainty,, but that would be the case with any good lock. If brute force methods are employed they are designed to fail secure.
Secure locks do not give unconditional security, they work by preventing entry for the amount of time necessary to bypass the lock.. If there is only one entry to the dwelling and that is protected by a secure lock then if attacked the lock should eventually fail in a locked state. A skilled locksmith will, in time, be able to open the door but it may take them many hours. It may be cheaper to break a window to get in. In many cases if you do this a secure euro lock (and other lock types) can often still be opened from within the protected area (you can open it from the inside but not the outside).
There is, as far as I am aware, no wholly mechanical lock which will both withstand brute force attack and always remain un lockable from the attacked side by a legitimate key.
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