Why is a steel security door safe if they can break the glass, slide their hand in, and unlock the door?

Question

OK I had a hard time thinking of a good title but here's the gist of the problem/concern I have which I can't find an answer to anywhere online. Please note that this is a very specific but common circumstance so please read every detail of the post.

Many front doors have glass. That glass can be knocked in or shattered. From there the burglar can either squeeze through the hole where the glass once was, if it's a large enough hole, or the burglar can slide his or her hand in and unlock the door giving them access to the house. I am affected by this scenario because I have a wooden door with a large glass oval in the center and I don't feel safe with it.

I've been looking at steel door cages and steel window cages (since I don't technically need to cage the entire door I just need to cage the window part of the door). You can find examples here, http://www.homedepot.com/b/Doors-Windows-Doors-Security-Doors/N-5yc1vZaqqe.

The Problem:

Now yes, these steel cages will prevent the burglar from knocking out the glass and squeezing through the hole but it will still not prevent the burglar from knocking out the glass and sliding his or her hand through one of the gaps in the steel cage and unlocking the door. I can't imagine that I'm the first one to think of that flaw so what is the answer to that problem? Ultimately I'm looking for any suggestions someone may have. I understand that I could just buy a new door without any glass but that's my last resort because I love the look of having glass and I like the fact that it brings in more sun light. I also understand that I could get a mesh design steel cage but I honestly think that would look horrible and it would not match the neighborhood I live in. I'm actually in a very nice neighborhood and the house is pretty nice so I probably have no reason to be this secure but I feel like you can never be too safe.

Thanks to Bib's answer below I just purchased two of these Schlage B62621 Distressed Nickel B-Series Double Cylinder Grade 1 Deadbolt from the B-Series B62 from Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L1UD4M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00. I like this solution because it's simple and all I have to do is replace the existing Deadlock Bolt. I am a bit concerned about fire safety e.g., if there is a fire and I cannot find the key I will have to jump out the window from the second floor. I decided however that I can screw in a 12 inch chain to the wall and pin the other end to the key. This will ensure that the key is always present but that it's far enough away so that even if the glass is busted in the intruder will not be able to reach it.

I'm still open to other solutions and I think more solutions will benefit the community so please share!

Answer 1

You could consider attaching a thick acrylic or other plastic panel that covers the interior of the glass and is firmly screwed to the door. The edges can then be covered with molding.

Such plastics are shatter resistant. While they can be broken, they will not yield to the tools of most casual home intruders (unless they carry sledge hammers or blow torches).

No entry is totally burglarproof, but this would substantially reduce the risk (although many would consider it overkill).

An alternative is the use of double cylinder deadbolt. This replaces the interior deadbolt thumb turn with a keyed cylinder.

While this increases security, it poses a significant risk in case of emergency such as fire. If the key is removed from the interior cylinder, the occupants cannot get out of the house through that exit quickly. Some people using double cylinders leave the key in the cylinder when at home and remove it when they are away. Some also hang a key near the lock, but out of reach of the door window.

 Images and links are illustrative only, not an endorsement of goods or sources.

Answer 2

You could just chill out. Putting up bars or plastic on that door is truly ghetto.

Doors like this are not inherently unsafe at all. Your door is appropriate for your neighborhood. Your door would be unsafe or inappropriate for a bad neighborhood or an apartment building. Having this glass probably does not effect your chances of burglary by .0000000001%. Having a fake security sign in your front yard would probably be a better deterant by 1000000 times vs bars over the glass.

The fact is glass next to a door is hardly ever the easiest and most elusive way for a burglar to open a door. If you are in a nice neighborhood breaking into a house the last thing you want to do is break glass as that screams call the cops on me. For your door I would simply kick it in if I were not going in a window or something like that. Even with a decent deadbolt (less than 2 inches) it would be faster to kick in the door vs break glass as I can shut door after kicking it in and it looks "normal" vs what the hell is on the other side of the glass.

The point is spend your time on something else. You can get really good deadbolts, plastic your windows, stuff like that but that doesn't deter. A little 6" security sign, motion activated spot lights, getting rid of bushes and limbs that hide your house, not throwing away boxes for flat screen TVs at the curb, watching who you let in your house, not leaving a spare key in your yard, and so on are far more important than your door issue. You aren't the first person to think of this, it just isn't that important compared to everything else.

Answer 3

Nearly any door can be broken with minimal effort. The vulnerabilities are numerous. You are correct in identifying glass as one of them, but even with no glass, kicking in the door at the lock is another easy method unless the strike plate has been replaced with a special thick steel high-security model. Hinges can be another vulnerability if they're only screwed into the jamb, not all the way into the studs. Locked doors are mostly to keep honest people honest, and a heavily reinforced high security door will simply be ignored in favor of the next weakest method of entry for a home invader.

What problem are you looking to solve? Making your front door "secure enough" may be sufficient.

Answer 4

Lots of over-thinking for your solution.

Glass: Talk to your local window retailer about installing a shatter-resistant film on the glass. 3M and BurglarGARD films can prevent an intruder from breaking out the glass easily. Proper installation is a must. It's not as easy as adding window tint film. And an FYI: modern tempered glass for residential windows doesn't make the classic "breaking glass" noise. It breaks like autoglass into small pieces. You don't get the ringing sound of plain glass breaking.

Very good on adding longer screws to your doors. These need to be in the hinges as well as the strike plates on the jamb. Better is to install the steel reinforcing kits for the door jamb. When you do that, also add a brass shield around the door knob's bolt and deadbolt if you can. The weakest portion of the door is where the bolt protrudes into the jamb. At that point your security rests on about 1/4-3/8" thick bit of wood covering the bolt of the lock. The brass shields prevent this part of the door from breaking away and letting the door open. Kicking the front door is the most common form of entry in many places and these steps will make it much harder (and noisier) to kick it in. If you have a back door with a window or sliding glass doors in the back of the house, the shatter resistant film is highly recommended there too.

Answer 5

I think you might be going about this the wrong way.

I saw in comments on your question about using a double-cylinder deadbolt on your front and rear entry doors. This is a bad idea, and may even violate local building codes, depending on whether your state/county/local authority has adopted the International Residential Code(IRC).

According to the above mentioned IRC(Emphasis mine):

R310.1.4 Operational constraints:

Emergency escape and rescue openings shall be operational from the inside of the room without the use of keys, tools or special knowledge.

Source

But who even listens to these codes, anyway?

They exist as a minimum safety standard to keep you, your family, your dog, your goldfish, and everyone else you care about alive and intact.

but the point is if there is a fire I can use the garage door...

Unless the fire starts in the garage. This is especially problematic if you store fuels in your garage, like Gasoline, Butane, Paint thinners, Linseed oil, Turpentine, and so on.

What I'm saying is, relying on being able to get out of your house in the event of a fire through the garage is a dangerous assumption.

Heck I'll even dive out the window.

After doing some reading here, as well as elsewhere online, it would seem as if it's not so much a question of "how high", as it is "how hard of a surface are you landing on", "what position you are in at the moment of impact", as well as other factors that can't be determined beforehand. In a nutshell, a very risky move.

Although it's anecdotal, I feel compelled to share; I've jumped from heights close to seven feet and emerged unscathed, while my brother stepped off the sidewalk (less than 6 inches) and broke a bone in his foot. Jumping out a window that's at least ten feet above the ground could leave you unscathed, stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of your life, or anywhere in between.

As far as your safety is concerned, be it burglars or a house fire, I would seriously not recommend the double-cylinder deadbolt. Perhaps instead, a floor deadbolt?

Image source

Online images suggest that there are some floor bolts available with cotter pins in them, to prevent the bolts from being lifted by a crafty thief armed with a grabby-claw-on-a-stick.

Image source, in case you just can't live without one of these.

Answer 6

Polycarbonate is used for bulletproof glass in passenger trains. You don't have to worry about cinder blocks coming at you at 125 mph, so you don't need it 7/16” thick. Does the door have a normal glass panel in addition to the stained glass? If so, replace with polycarbonate. If not, alter the window molding to fit it. Nobody but you will even know it's been done. If you want a thicker panel than the door can handle, you can use a router to mill the edges down - that's what railroads do for retrofits.

Answer 7

There is shatterproof film for glass, 3m makes one that increased break in time on a sliding door from 10 sec to 160sec.

You can also purchase ez armor for doors. Several commented on kicking a door in. Your deadbolt is only contacting thin wood. You can attach a steel strip the length of the 2x4s making up your door frame. Use 3 inch screws. Noe, instead of half or 1/4 inch thick wood to kick theu, they have a steel strip anchored by 6 feet of door frame.

Answer 8

The glass oval insert on my front door is large. Breaking the glass would allow a person to just enter and exit through the oval. A double deadbolt useless in that scenario. I considered the Armor Door reinforcement on jamb, hinges and around knob. But if kick breaks glass insert, all that armor useless.

My concern is not a burglar breaking glass oval door insert. It is a home invasion by thay means while I am home.

My backdoor has glass panes about 6" square. Breaking one pane by knob allows a hand to unlock deadbolt. But I am not willing to risk being unable to exit in case of fire with double cylinder deadbolt.

And those who keep key on inside of deadbolt while home allows easy entrance for home invaders after breaking glass and reaching in to turn key. Not what you want to happen while sleeping.

BTW. International building code doesn't say the egress in case of fire must be a door. Windows that open for exit fulfill that requirement.

My solution will be glass-breaking sensor on glass insert and windows with DIY wireless home security system. And sensors to detect opening of a door or window.

If your concern is so great that you consider bars over glass insert, you probably need to buy new door without glass inserts or door with small 6" diameter inserts at top panels of the door to allow some sunlight in. Or just add security door with iron bars in front of your fancy oval glass insert door. (your neighbors won't like it).

Burglars don't usually enter home at front door where easily seen from street. They prefer a door or window out of sight of the street like backyard or side of house camouflaged by bush/tree.

Answer 9

I know it's been a while since someone has posted in here, but my husband and I have a semi-simple solution that I don't believe was mentioned (although, I did not read every post in detail).

We live in Washington, DC and it is common practice to have an exterior security door with your standard wooden door. Ours wooden door is very similar to yours, but as far as the security door goes, ours has no glass. My husband thought about it and paid a welder to actually weld a steel cylinder over the dead bolt lock (the kind with the switch on it, not the fire hazard kind) on the inside of the security door, which butts all the way up against the wooden door. That way, the intruder can reach in between the metal bars, reach for the dead bolt lock, but find that it is not accessible because it is completely covered up and welded shut. Problem solved!

Answer 10

I have the same door and same concern. I use door armor with the night lock kick plate. Intruders can unlock the door but not reach down to remove the plate. All doors are are blocked in this manner when we are home. One is left unblocked but locked and deadbolted when we are not. A good alarm will determine most intruders or at least make it easier to articulate why you felt threatened and put two rounds center mass. If you aren't home, your home owners insurance will cover it provided you have kept appropriate records. Take sensible precautions but don't stress over it. Just my two cents. Good luck.