As we all know, home safety and security are very important as a means of protecting our own wellbeing and ensuring the safety of our possessions too. It pays for homeowners know enough about to subject to be able to keep their home security at a reasonable level. There are obviously many different aspects of home safety, but without any doubt, your door locks remain some of the most important. Let’s take a look at three of the main types of door locks and potential factors in determining which is the right one for the doors in your house.
Spring hatch
Spring hatch locks are generally not as strong as the other lock types on discussed below. The mechanism is essentially fitted into the doorknob itself, not allowing it to be turned or rotated, and thus keeping the latch in place. Spring latch locks provide minimal security and are likely the easiest to unlock without a key. They are quite prone to lock picking, as turning over the small, rather lite latch in the doorknob is much easier than doing in the case of a deadbolt. Further, kicking in the door is much easier.
While we wouldn’t recommend relying solely on a spring hatch lock to keep potential intruders out, it can act as an extra bit of security when combined with a deadbolt lock; this combination is quite common particularly on front doors. Further, spring hatch locks may and often do suffice as a lock on the back door or the tool shed.
Deadbolt
One of the most common types of locks and most likely what you already have at home. The deadbolt lock works by holding the entire door in place by preventing it from being pushed or pulled out of its frame. When locked, the bolt extends usually inside the door jam or behind the frame, with the key being used to pull the latch back towards the door itself and out of the jam.
The bolt will usually extend about an inch inside the door frame and sometimes more. It is thus quite difficult to break through this system. Kicking the door it will require a great deal of force to literally push the bolt through half of the frame, or break the bolt off the door itself. The bolts on a good lock are usually made of strong metals like bronze or steel, so they’re very sturdy.
Vertical deadlock
While deadlocks combined with spring hatch locks can difficult to penetrate, it can be done with the right set of tools and know-how. Take to a horizontal deadlock with a crowbar and if you’re dealing with a less than a sturdy door, you can probably eventually just pry it open. This is significantly more difficult and oftentimes impossible with a vertical deadlock.
For extra protection and security, a standard horizontal deadlock can be combined with a vertical deadlock, which works in much the same way however they are mounted on the top of the door. This makes it virtually impossible to ‘jimmy’ the lock with a crowbar. It is also fitted with a locking ring that ensures it cannot be simply pulled out of the door, essentially keeping it attached to the door at all costs.
This article has discussed some of the most common door locks and how they work. There are however many other features and variations that have not been discussed here. It would be well worth doing your research if you’re in the market for new locks. Merit is a proud manufacturer and supplier of locking rings that are found in some of these products and many others. Feel free to visit our website or give us a call for more information.
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