JZ's Crib

The illusion of safety

When you moved into your brand new house or apartment, did you have the locks re-keyed? Original locks may look “cute” and match your “décor”, but they are nearly always, always, unsafe. Modern locks can be refitted while keeping the original integrity of the house. A door that locks from the inside is great — but it needs to lock on the outside as well! There's no telling who the previous residents may have given a spare key to, or whether they kept one themselves.Just having a doorknob with a key is not good enough. You need a good deadbolt. Already have a deadbolt? Good for you, now let’s see if your locks match up to what you could and should have. These are some basic guidelines when shopping for new deadbolts.

The cylinder should have a steel guard. (The guard is the solid ring around the key section.) The guard should be able to rotate around the key section if twisted. This prevents locks from being forcibly twisted or turned.

Don't chintz out on a cheap lock! The cost of a lock is usually a good indicator of how well it was constructed and what materials were used.
Pick up the lock. Is it heavy? Good. The heavy weight of a lock is a good sign that it's made of solid metal. If it feels light, then it is probably made of cheap metal or worse yet, plastic. Put it back on the shelf!

Does it have a hardened steel bolt that protrudes at least 1 inch?
Good installation is key! Make sure you read the instructions carefully. If you don't feel comfortable with DIY, have a professional Install it for you, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone book and check the yellow pages. Install dead bolts with captive key locks on all doors located next to windows. These locks have removable thumb latches so that even if a thief breaks a window, he still can't reach around and unlock the door. But because dead bolts can also be a fire hazard, make sure they have a removable key on the inside cylinder for when you are home. When you leave, just remove the key and keep the lock bolted on both sides. To avoid being locked out of your house, secure a spare key in a combination or key lockbox on your property, or leave one with a trusted neighbor, I wouldn’t want you to have to break a window.Be careful who you give your keys to, and don’t forget about the windows, the best door lock won’t keep uninvited guests from coming through that unlocked window!

posted by Medula Oblongata @ 10:10 AM 0 comments