Security 'chain' for uPVC doors?

[T i m]

Hi All,

I am considering fitting a security chain / device to the front (and possibly rear) doors so that I can leave both ajar over the hot evenings to get a through draught without having someone 'just wander in'.

Also it would be handy for generally answering the door to 'unknowns', especially for the wife and daughter ( < who generally won't answer the door less we are in anyway).

I think Mum has a solid metal bar type on her wooden door / frame and that seems quite 'positive' (ie, I don't think it could be cut through with bolt croppers or 'unhooked' *easily* (or possibly unhooked at all) through the door gap).

I *think* my DG doors have a steel reinforcement to the frame (if not also within the door itself) and if ordinary screws used from through the 'fitting' from the inside won't hold, I could inset some small coach bolts through the outside (under while plastic plugs etc).

So. any thoughts please folks .. (models, suppliers, approx prices / suitability etc)

All the best ..

T i m

and go on then Mr Bacon .. as you have been good for a while you can reply as well ... as long as it's not to tell me about alt.locksmiths.doorstays .... ;-)

[The Medway Handyman]

Hi Tim

Toolstation have some; 80111 and 45579 if you use the search function.

[Guy King]

The message from "The Medway Handyman" contains these words:

I've got the former and it's very good - mostly. It appears secure enough - certainly it'd be a deterrent, which is all you really can expect. The drawback is that the kids have a habit of flipping it as the walk past so the door shuts on it. Not a major problem since I've taught mine not to do it, but visiting kids just can't leave it alone[1]. The other minor niggle is that it's a bit loose on its pivots, which I got round by taking it apart and putting a small O-ring in the hinge.

[1] Likewise the catflap. You can almost guarantee the little sods will lock the cats out - or worse in.

[Owain]

CCTV is good for that.

You used to be able to get devices that fixed to the floor and had a peg that slid around a quadrant curve, at one end it was close up against the wall and out of the way and at the other end it slid in front of the door preventing opening past a certain point. No affixing to door or frame required, whihc might be a bonus.

I think mummy sent Crispy to bed without any internet.

Owain

[Mary Fisher]

Have they had a personal bad experience?

Both sets of our parents used to lock, bolt and chain doors, as children we couldn't understand the fuss. During our married life we've only locked our doors at night, unless it's cold the back door at least is ajar most of the time. Each door has two locks, they use just one key. We removed the latches and bolts.

I answer the door to anyone ... I suppose that's just because we're too laid back, our attitude is that no-one's gong to want to attack us and we've nothing to steal which anyone would want. If there was it wouldn't matter anyway ... people are more important than things. Ours is the only house in the street without a burglar alarm. Perhaps we're wrong.

Our next door neighbour has locks and chain on his door. When he goes into the garden he locks the door after him, when he takes rubbish to the dustbin he locks the door after him. I don't know what valuables he's protecting. When his partner comes back from work and has forgotten her keys she has to ring him to open the door, he can't hear a knock on the door or the doorbell.

The other next door neighbour has a drive gate which is locked all the time, as well as the usual door hardware and security gate which are kept locked.

Next-door-but-one neighbour was paranoid about locking her doors with bolts, locks and a chain. Then she had fitted one of those ugly 'security' gates and kept that locked all the time too, whether she was in or out.

During one night early this year she had to call the ambulance. She managed to open her door when they came but the security gate had to be unlocked from the outside, she couldn't reach round to do it and wouldn't give the ambulance crew the key. They had to watch her fall to the floor and die before the police arrived with the power to force an entry.

I think about this every time I lock our doors at night and wonder ...

Mary

[T i m]

Not that I know of?

Mine would only do so at night (but the front couldn't be opened from the outside without a key)

I expect *you* lock the doors to stop 'spouse' escaping Mary? ;-)

As do I .. but then I'm a big ugly bloke and often have one hand near some sporting equipment that may have been left in the hall ....

There's loads of dead folk who thought that Mary .. ;-(

My car was broken into because they 'assumed' there must be a radio hidden away somewhere, I mean, what car doesn't have a radio these days .. well mine ... (as they found out)?

Until you try to replace those 'things' and the insurance company says you hadn't provided sufficient security?

Perhaps you have been lucky?

'His' valuables .. and they needn't be 'valuable' in the commercial sense?

I can hear the doorbell when I leave the key on the inside of our front door and 'she' wants to get in. But with our multipoint locking you have to lock the door to stop someone just walking in anytime?

Wasn't there an old saying '.. better to be safe than sorry ..' ?

They made me take the laser canon off the front of our house .. ;-(

Life's a compromise .. like those who don't wear a safely belt because of the fear of drowning usually die when their heads hit something more solid than water .. like a bridge .. ;-(

Well there is that. But remember some of us are *obliged* to ensure the security of our houses .. and the reason involves the sorts of things I would rather not be on the wrong end of when I come home ....

All the best ..

T i m

[Mary Fisher]

So why the nervousness?

He could escape at any time he liked. He knows when he's well off.

Usually he locks the doors in any case.

Scrap buckets.

But, seriously, have you ever needed it?

Not as many as those dead folks who die on the road.

You don't drive, I take it ... ?

We've been known to leave our car keys in the car door (in those days of door locks) and in the ignition.

And this in a high crime area ...

No insurance. We've paid out thousands over the years, we decided that it wasn't worth it.

Or perhaps we don't have the things which people want.

Who would want 'uncommercial' valuables?

OI asked him tonight, in the light of this post, why he locked his door all the time. He said that someone might come in and take him away. He's a BIG man. I said they'd need a fork lift ... his lady laughed.

But who's going to do that?

Well, I'm not going to change. If I had a bad experience I might. But you say that your ladies haven't ...well, that you know of.

I wonder, surely you WOULD know?

Mary

[T i m]

Not all folk have to experience something first hand to be cautious / wary of it?

No, but that *could* be down to the fact that we don't answer the door to *everyone* ?

Tangent argument. In any case most of us wear our safety belts, drive safely etc etc. We don't *not* do these things because 'it may never happen to me' ?

Often (see above)

My car randomly unlocks (and more embarrassingly, immobilizes) itself.*Luckily* it isn't a car most folk would want to steal .. doesn't stop me trying to minimize the risk though?

As is this (Nth London)

I take it you don't drive then? no buildings or contents insurance?

People don't always know that you haven't got anything worth stealing .. and don't know that you would be friendly to them if you met them face to face in your house at night?

Who would want to key a car?

*I* don't know their names but the Police have a list of those who regularly do and a bigger list of those they want to find out about?

I wouldn't want them to take the chance?

So out of interest, are the Neighborhood watch, Security companies, the Police, Locksmiths, banks, CCTV system suppliers etc all wasting their time?

Like I said *I'm* obliged to maintain a reasonable level of security ..

All the best ..

T i m