As promised at the end of part 4 of this series, in this section I will deal with Patio Sliding Glass Doors. Quite often homeowners install sturdy locks on their front doors but leave their patio doors and sliding glass windows "wide open" to illegal entry.

Burglars love these because they are so easy to open. Usually, sliding doors and windows are at the side or rear of the home so they are more secluded than the front door, this makes a perfect place for burglars to hide and enter.

There are two main risks that need to be protected against.

1. Forcing the lock.
The standard lock that is fitted to most sliding doors and windows is very easy to pry open, an additional stronger lock should be fitted to give more security. Something as simple as lying a broomstick in the runner can offer some protection provided it is a good fit.

However Dead Locks are much better, they will prevent the burglar from using the door or window to remove stolen property unless they smash the glass and that is a very noisy and risky thing for them to do.

2. Lifting Out.
Many sliding doors and windows can be lifted out of their tracks from the outside. You can prevent this by putting two metal screws through the track above the sliding part of the door or window, the screw will need to be adjusted to allow the door to operate correctly.

Double Hung Windows
To lock a double hung window, you will have to drill a downward sloping hole into the top of the bottom window, and through that into the bottom of the top window being careful to avoid the glass unit, if you have any doubt about your DIY abilities get a professional tradesman to do it. Once the hole is drilled a pin can be inserted, locking the window shut.

To use the window for ventilation, you should partly open it (less that 4 inches) and making a second set of holes, the window can then be used for ventilation.

Remember, open windows and doors, even if secured, should never be left unattended while you are gone or asleep.

This section is quite short but I thought the information was important enough to deserve a section of it's own. In part six we will be dealing with Burglar Alarms.

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