Your home or business is only as secure as the lock on the door. Most doors have a traditional spring bolt lock. That lock will keep the door closed and secured, but it is also more vulnerable to being compromised, allowing a burglar to enter your home. Burglars are less able to break into your home if you also have a deadbolt lock installed on your door.
To be effective, the deadbolt lock must be installed correctly preferably by a locksmith.
Deadbolts are a proven burglar deterrent. In fact, insurance companies see deadbolts as increasing a home’s security to the point that many offer homeowners insurance discounts if you have deadbolt locks installed on all exterior doors.1
Deadbolt locks can only be opened by a key or handle, They are engineered not to allow retraction of the bolt itself, unlike a spring bolt lock which uses a spring to hold the bolt in place. That spring can be retracted when force is applied to the bolt itself.2
Most deadbolt locks are cylinder operated and are sold as either single cylinder or double cylinder locks. If the lock has a twist knob on the interior side, it is a single cylinder lock.
A double cylinder lock does not have a twist knob on either side. It only has key holes on both the inside and outside of the door. Because you have to have a key to open a double cylinder lock some municipalities have banned them as part of their fire safety regulations. Fire personnel recommend that if your municipality does allow double cylinder locks that you place a key near the door at floor level, which is the area with the cleanest breathable air in case of a fire.
Since single cylinder deadbolt locks have a twist mechanism on the inside of the door, this precaution is not necessary.
A deadbolt lock may not prevent a burglary, but it will certainly deter a burglar when they see you have a deadbolt mechanism, as burglars know it takes longer to get into a home with a deadbolt. If you are in the home, a burglar trying to get past a deadbolt lock will give you more time to take actions, like calling the police.
When you are buying a deadbolt lock, the more money you spend on the lock, the more noise the burglar will have to make to break-in and the more time you get to take action against the burglar.3
Two other factors can come into play to determine how fast a burglar can enter a dead-bolted door. These include the strength of the door itself and the strength of the door frame. Burglars’ preferred method of entry is to kick-in the door, rather than try to pick the lock, bump the lock, drill the lock or otherwise break the lock. In 2019, forced entry accounted for over half of all home entries.4
That is why your primary focus when buying a deadbolt should be on the strength of the deadbolt itself, not how easy it would be to pick. Some deadbolt locks come with an extra security feature — a frame reinforcing security strike which curtails kick-in attempts because the bolt is prevented from ripping through the door’s frame. The throw bolt, which is the stainless steel piece that moves into the door when the lock is engaged, should be no shorter than one inch. The screws that attach the deadbolt to the door are also important. They should be three or more inches in length so they securely affix to the door frame as well as the doorjamb.
You should also look for some industry certifications when purchasing a deadbolt lock. The first is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) grade 1 rating, which certifies that the lock has been tested for at least 250,000 open/close cycles and that it can withstand a minimum of 10 hammer blows.5 The second is an Underwriters Laboratory rating, called a UL 437 rating, which certifies that the lock can resist various types of attacks, such as drilling, picking, prying and hammer attacks. This rating is accepted as the standard for high-security deadbolt locks within the industry.
Clearly there are a lot of factors that go into selecting the best deadbolt and installing it properly so you get the best protection possible against break-ins. A professional locksmith can provide advice on which lock works best for your situation and can professionally install deadbolt locks. By engaging a professional locksmith you will have the peace of mind that your investment in a quality lock won’t be diminished by a faulty installation.
Action Locksmith can help with deadbolt installation as well as many other security needs. From door and lock repair, to installing camera systems and keyless entry we’ve got you covered. Our locksmith services are backed by experience and customer satisfaction and we are proud to be helping the residents and businesses of Michigan stay up to speed on their security. Call to schedule a security consultation with a plan of action and be settled for the Holidays!