Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
Reply |
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
The front door on my house, which was built in 1997, is made of metal.
I'm not sure what metal exactly, but a magnet sticks to it. Although the door structure is metal the complete side edge section, where the lock protudes, is a wooden insert. Presumably there is also some insulation inside the door. The lock is stamped ERA, and looks identical to the 5 lever deadlock shown on their website he http://www.era-security.com/Mortice.html There are door handles on both sides, as shown. For slightly better security, there are also top & bottom rack bolts and a door chain. There are no hinge bolts, or London/Birmingham bars fitted, and it opens inwards. The one advantage with this arrangement is that it is impossible for me to accidentally lock myself out. The main disadvantage is that during the day, when the front door is unlocked, anybody can simply open the front door and walk in! Is there a simple method for me to solve this disadvantage and possibly improve the security of the door? DJ |
#2
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
"David J" wrote in message ... The front door on my house, which was built in 1997, is made of metal. I'm not sure what metal exactly, but a magnet sticks to it. Although the door structure is metal the complete side edge section, where the lock protudes, is a wooden insert. Presumably there is also some insulation inside the door. The lock is stamped ERA, and looks identical to the 5 lever deadlock shown on their website he http://www.era-security.com/Mortice.html There are door handles on both sides, as shown. For slightly better security, there are also top & bottom rack bolts and a door chain. There are no hinge bolts, or London/Birmingham bars fitted, and it opens inwards. The one advantage with this arrangement is that it is impossible for me to accidentally lock myself out. The main disadvantage is that during the day, when the front door is unlocked, anybody can simply open the front door and walk in! Is there a simple method for me to solve this disadvantage and possibly improve the security of the door? Personally I'd fit a simple Yale Nightlatch lock |
#3
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
David J wrote:
The front door on my house, which was built in 1997, is made of metal. I'm not sure what metal exactly, but a magnet sticks to it. Although the door structure is metal the complete side edge section, where the lock protudes, is a wooden insert. Presumably there is also some insulation inside the door. The lock is stamped ERA, and looks identical to the 5 lever deadlock shown on their website he http://www.era-security.com/Mortice.html There are door handles on both sides, as shown. For slightly better security, there are also top & bottom rack bolts and a door chain. There are no hinge bolts, or London/Birmingham bars fitted, and it opens inwards. The one advantage with this arrangement is that it is impossible for me to accidentally lock myself out. The main disadvantage is that during the day, when the front door is unlocked, anybody can simply open the front door and walk in! Is there a simple method for me to solve this disadvantage and possibly improve the security of the door? DJ David, Is this the sort of door that you have? http://www.igdoorsltd.co.uk/original_doors.htm Cash |
#4
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
On Jun 28, 4:48*pm, David J wrote:
The front door on my house, which was built in 1997, is made of metal. I'm not sure what metal exactly, but a magnet sticks to it. Although the door structure is metal the complete side edge section, where the lock protudes, is a wooden insert. Presumably there is also some insulation inside the door. The lock is stamped ERA, and looks identical to the 5 lever deadlock shown on their website he *http://www.era-security.com/Mortice.html There are door handles on both sides, as shown. *For slightly better security, there are also top & bottom rack bolts and a door chain. There are no hinge bolts, or London/Birmingham bars fitted, and it opens inwards. The one advantage with this arrangement is that it is impossible for me to accidentally lock myself out. *The main disadvantage is that during the day, when the front door is unlocked, anybody can simply open the front door and walk in! Is there a simple method for me to solve this disadvantage and possibly improve the security of the door? DJ A nightlatch would solve the immediate problem. Door security in more depth: http://www.wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index....=Door_Security NT |
#5
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
David J wrote:
The front door on my house, which was built in 1997, is made of metal. I'm not sure what metal exactly, but a magnet sticks to it. Although the door structure is metal the complete side edge section, where the lock protudes, is a wooden insert. Presumably there is also some insulation inside the door. The lock is stamped ERA, and looks identical to the 5 lever deadlock shown on their website he http://www.era-security.com/Mortice.html There are door handles on both sides, as shown. For slightly better security, there are also top & bottom rack bolts and a door chain. There are no hinge bolts, or London/Birmingham bars fitted, and it opens inwards. The one advantage with this arrangement is that it is impossible for me to accidentally lock myself out. The main disadvantage is that during the day, when the front door is unlocked, anybody can simply open the front door and walk in! Then use the door chain. -- Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk |
#6
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
David J wrote:
The main disadvantage is that during the day, when the front door is unlocked, anybody can simply open the front door and walk in! Then lock it when you've come in. Not that burglars go round trying front doors on the off chance - they go round the back. Only something like 4% of burglaries are through the front door. -- Scott Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket? |
#7
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
On Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:45:50 +0100, "Cash"
wrote: David J wrote: The front door on my house, which was built in 1997, is made of metal. I'm not sure what metal exactly, but a magnet sticks to it. Although the door structure is metal the complete side edge section, where the lock protudes, is a wooden insert. Presumably there is also some insulation inside the door. The lock is stamped ERA, and looks identical to the 5 lever deadlock shown on their website he http://www.era-security.com/Mortice.html There are door handles on both sides, as shown. For slightly better security, there are also top & bottom rack bolts and a door chain. There are no hinge bolts, or London/Birmingham bars fitted, and it opens inwards. The one advantage with this arrangement is that it is impossible for me to accidentally lock myself out. The main disadvantage is that during the day, when the front door is unlocked, anybody can simply open the front door and walk in! Is there a simple method for me to solve this disadvantage and possibly improve the security of the door? DJ David, Is this the sort of door that you have? http://www.igdoorsltd.co.uk/original_doors.htm Cash Yes, that's very similar to the one I have. Possibly the same. The developer would have bought scores of them in 1996/7. I'm not too sure how I would go about fitting an additional lock into a metal door. Is it still a chippies job? I thought about removing the external handle, and fitting some sort of blank end, but I'm not sure that they exist. DJ |
#8
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
David J wrote:
The front door on my house, which was built in 1997, is made of metal. I'm not sure what metal exactly, but a magnet sticks to it. Although the door structure is metal the complete side edge section, where the lock protudes, is a wooden insert. Presumably there is also some insulation inside the door. The lock is stamped ERA, and looks identical to the 5 lever deadlock shown on their website he http://www.era-security.com/Mortice.html Does your door have a lock like the top picture on that site or the second one? -- Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk |
#9
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
On 28/06/2009 21:21 Scott M wrote:
Then lock it when you've come in. Not that burglars go round trying front doors on the off chance - they go round the back. Only something like 4% of burglaries are through the front door. Heard something from the front door one afternoon a couple of years ago and got up to investigate. As I did so I saw a car outside the house with a couple or three yoofs inside it who, when they saw me, motioned towards what turned out to be a fourth on the drive. When I got to the front door it was off the latch and slightly open. Went outside and the car load asked a pointless question about the route to town. Pointless because the roads into our estate go nowhere but the estate. They left, grinning. Looks like they were after anything the could find in the hallway once they had opened the unlocked door: bags, car keys. A call to the police informed us they had had a bag from a house round the corner. We now lock the door when we're in. As an aside, previous 'events' with being locked out after a door with a Yale lock has blown shut has led me not to use them. -- F |
#10
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
On Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:00:10 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote: David J wrote: The front door on my house, which was built in 1997, is made of metal. I'm not sure what metal exactly, but a magnet sticks to it. Although the door structure is metal the complete side edge section, where the lock protudes, is a wooden insert. Presumably there is also some insulation inside the door. The lock is stamped ERA, and looks identical to the 5 lever deadlock shown on their website he http://www.era-security.com/Mortice.html Does your door have a lock like the top picture on that site or the second one? It's like the top one. But that picture does not show the 2 hardened pins - rather like the 4 shown clearly in the bottom pic. I reckon that the lock is secure enough. The security chain system looks a tad flimsy... DJ |
#11
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
On Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:48:05 +0100, a certain chimpanzee, David J
randomly hit a keyboard and produced: The front door on my house, which was built in 1997, is made of metal. I'm not sure what metal exactly, but a magnet sticks to it. Although the door structure is metal the complete side edge section, where the lock protudes, is a wooden insert. Presumably there is also some insulation inside the door. The lock is stamped ERA, and looks identical to the 5 lever deadlock shown on their website he http://www.era-security.com/Mortice.html There are door handles on both sides, as shown. For slightly better security, there are also top & bottom rack bolts and a door chain. There are no hinge bolts, or London/Birmingham bars fitted, and it opens inwards. The one advantage with this arrangement is that it is impossible for me to accidentally lock myself out. The main disadvantage is that during the day, when the front door is unlocked, anybody can simply open the front door and walk in! Is there a simple method for me to solve this disadvantage and possibly improve the security of the door? This is one of the jobs for which I need a round tuit. I've bought the night latch lock, and read up how to fit it from t'interweb (http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/d...cut/metal.htm). Now all I need is the courage to attack my door with a hole cutter! In the meantime, I always as a matter of habit turn the rack bolt. This might not work if you're not the only one living in the house. If so, you could lock the mortice lock from the inside if someone's out, and take the key out of the lock (so that someone else can open it from the outside). -- Hugo Nebula "If no one on the Internet wants a piece of this, just how far from the pack have you strayed?" |
#12
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
David J wrote:
On Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:00:10 GMT, "The Medway Handyman" wrote: David J wrote: The front door on my house, which was built in 1997, is made of metal. I'm not sure what metal exactly, but a magnet sticks to it. Although the door structure is metal the complete side edge section, where the lock protudes, is a wooden insert. Presumably there is also some insulation inside the door. The lock is stamped ERA, and looks identical to the 5 lever deadlock shown on their website he http://www.era-security.com/Mortice.html Does your door have a lock like the top picture on that site or the second one? It's like the top one. But that picture does not show the 2 hardened pins - rather like the 4 shown clearly in the bottom pic. I reckon that the lock is secure enough. The security chain system looks a tad flimsy... Can't see what the problem is. "The main disadvantage is that during the day, when the front door is unlocked, anybody can simply open the front door and walk in!" So, leave the chain on or leave the key in the lock, in the locked position. That way nobody from outside can get in but someone inside can get out (in case of fire). -- Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk |
#13
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
On Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:42:31 +0100, Hugo Nebula abuse@localhost
wrote: On Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:48:05 +0100, a certain chimpanzee, David J randomly hit a keyboard and produced: The front door on my house, which was built in 1997, is made of metal. I'm not sure what metal exactly, but a magnet sticks to it. Although the door structure is metal the complete side edge section, where the lock protudes, is a wooden insert. Presumably there is also some insulation inside the door. The lock is stamped ERA, and looks identical to the 5 lever deadlock shown on their website he http://www.era-security.com/Mortice.html There are door handles on both sides, as shown. For slightly better security, there are also top & bottom rack bolts and a door chain. There are no hinge bolts, or London/Birmingham bars fitted, and it opens inwards. The one advantage with this arrangement is that it is impossible for me to accidentally lock myself out. The main disadvantage is that during the day, when the front door is unlocked, anybody can simply open the front door and walk in! Is there a simple method for me to solve this disadvantage and possibly improve the security of the door? This is one of the jobs for which I need a round tuit. I've bought the night latch lock, and read up how to fit it from t'interweb (http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/d...cut/metal.htm). Now all I need is the courage to attack my door with a hole cutter! In the meantime, I always as a matter of habit turn the rack bolt. This might not work if you're not the only one living in the house. If so, you could lock the mortice lock from the inside if someone's out, and take the key out of the lock (so that someone else can open it from the outside). Thanks for the heads-up about making the hole in the metal door. I might go for this solution myself now. DJ |
#14
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Front door security
On Jun 28, 9:21*pm, Scott M wrote:
David J wrote: The main disadvantage is that during the day, when the front door is unlocked, anybody can simply open the front door and walk in! Then lock it when you've come in. Not that burglars go round trying front doors on the off chance - they go round the back. Only something like 4% of burglaries are through the front door. -- Scott Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket? My front door is around the back and my back door around the front. Does that make me largely immune from burglaries???? Mark |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
how much to fit a new front door? | UK diy | |||
Fix Security Chain to UPVC Door | UK diy | |||
Garage Door Security | UK diy | |||
Security Door | Home Repair | |||
security door install problem | Home Repair |