Are PVC Doors As Secure As You Think? Is It Time To Upgrade ?

It is inevitable that burglars will always find a way or technique to break and enter a property.
If a locksmith can get in one way or another that technique will eventually filter down  to the scum who want to take away your prized possessions.





Timber Doors

Although timber doors were substantial in the way of being a solid core slab, they lacked a lot in actual security due to the poor locking options. A Yale snip and mortice lock were usually the only main options with the odd door having a night time shoot bolt. 

The problem is that even if you add shoot bolts all the way up the door frame they are only attached or chiselled in to the actual frame.
This makes the outer frame weak and very easy to force open. In fact the more locks on a door can make it even easier to force open. 

Most timber doors can be kicked through with no tools required as long as it is directly on the lock itself.
The actual  locks can also be picked, drilled and bumped if needed.

PVC Doors

The revolutionary PVC door provided the home owner with peace of mind that it never need painting treating and not sticking in wet weather like a timber door. 
It also gave a much cleaner image for the door entrance and offered endless new designs and options in glass not seen before in residential homes.



They also provided a draft proof environment with the added comfort of being more insulating than the old timber doors. They have held this advantage for around 20 years until the house breakers dropped on to the fact that there were possibilities of manipulating certain aspects of the doors depending on age and specification.


Some older PVC doors which may still be in working condition may look OK but are too tempting to a burglar. They can often be easily kicked in as the welds and profiles on 1st generation PVC was quite week. 2nd generation PVC windows and doors addressed many of the flaws created years ago.

Doors with some of the first panels to be introduced to residential installations were not up to good security standards either and could be kicked through as they had no reinforcing whatsoever.Where as newer ones have a core material of either steel or hardboard.

Locks on PVC Doors

Taking into account that the PVC door that you have installed is still within its 10 year guarantee and its a more modern specification then you still need to address what cylinder ( locking barrel) is in the door. 

The fact that the locking strip on the side of the door has  probably between 4 and 9 locking points on activation doesn't make it any more safe as the key cylinder can be eliminated and deactivate the whole locking system.




On destroying the cylinder using various techniques anyone can enter a property and in some cases not even leave a trace of breaking and entering which is a difficult scenario when claiming on the insurance.

Bumping

A burglar uses a self made key from a blank and uses it in certain way to bump the cylinder and access the door in the same way you would use your own. This is the most difficult technique but leaves no evidence of a break in. Video description here

Snapping & extraction

You tube is full of people showing the craze of snapping locks. It is a problem in northern regions and is easily copied. It is the quickest technique and can be as quick as 10 seconds and pretty quiet. Removing the outer part of the cylinder with hardly any tools and operating the lock from outside to gain entry.

Drilling

This is the noisiest technique and only used by people who are allowed access and don't want to damage the door but just remove the lock maybe because they have lost the key. The cylinder is drilled down the sheer line and each pin gives way. The lock is then extracted.

It is much easier to destroy a lock quickly rather than trying to force a PVC door open there fore  the more secure locks are needed to keep homes safe. The days of breaking glass has gone as DNA is left behind and it is far too noisy.

It is important to realise that it will normally be the rear door of the property that will be attacked for entry as it will be darker and more secluded around the back and the burglar will have more time to work.

Anti snap, bump and drill locks.

These locks are far more distinctive and have a side on key entrance and also use a dimple key as opposed to a traditional looking 5 pin key .These locks will act as a deterrent  even once a potential burglar sees them.



The overall security and strength of PVC doors has improved a lot over the years and there will always be a need for PVC as it is good value and does a job,  but the optimum  residential door security lies elsewhere with the new composite doors and Rock doors.

Composite and Rock Doors

These doors are the most secure doors that you are going to get and have the upgrading options of ultra secure locks and reinforced features.

Imitating a traditional timber door they Carry all the beneficial features that the PVC doors have but without the warping and swelling in the summer months. They also allow a choice of  aesthetically pleasing colours and designs not previously available with PVC doors.
They are a solid draft proof slab situated inside a PVC frame and come highly recommended by the police.

                composite doors description here                 Rockdoor description here



Company information

More technical information on varying types of doors, windows and conservatories can be found here as we have been collecting knowledge and giving the professional finish for 23 years. Contact us or browse our website @    Southport Doors & Double Glazing

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