“07th August 2015”

The importance of Bifold Door Security

This time of year tends to fly high in terms of the burgling season, since in the warmer weather, people tend to leave their doors and windows open more often, and more building work and home improvements tend to take place. As a result, there are more opportunities for thieves and opportunists to sneak into a property.

That said, there are plenty of ways in which you can secure your property. The following guidelines outline how you can ensure the security of your French doors and bi-fold doors.

French Doors Security

According to the Metropolitan Police website, French doors (or French windows) are less secure than single leaf doors and, as a result, tend to be less popular. However, they recommend the following security measures:

Firstly, both doors should be fitted with mortice rack bolts, fitted at a 90 degree angle to the grain of the wood, to prevent the wood splitting under pressure. Mortice rack bolts are rack bolts that are fitted within the door and operated internally by a threaded key.
An alternative to the mortice rack bolt would be to use surface-mounted locking bolts. A surface-mounted bolt requires a push to lock it and a key to open it.

Because most French Doors open outwards, a hinge bolt should be added about 100-150mm (4-6″) below the top hinge and a similar distance above the bottom.

UPVC French doors are generally not suitable for retro-fit security devices. This is because the material is not strong enough to support devices that are fitted with steel screws, unless it is secured into the internal metal framework. Because this process would change the original design, it may invalidate an existing warranty or possibly damage the integral locking assembly altogether.
At Bi-Fold Doors UK, we only offer premium, high-quality hardwood, aluminium and timber bi-fold doors and, as a result, offer more secure doors than those made from UPVC.

Bi-fold Door Security

There are a few ways in which to ensure the security of bi-fold doors. It may indeed mean that your doors are slightly more expensive but should provide peace of mind, as well as greater home security.

It is generally agreed that the most secure bi-fold doors feature a high-quality multi-point locking system.
Bi Fold Doors UK provide bi-fold doors, with on leaf heights of 1934mm and over, with a standard multi-point lock (with 2050mm frame height on standard setup). That said, the lock size changes at certain door leaf heights though, and door or frame heights below this will have a smaller, single-point lock.

The lock on the doors from Bi-fold Doors UK is activated by lifting the handle, then turning the key. It is unlocked by turning the key, then pressing the handle down. This operation is the same from the inside and outside. The external lock can be omitted if required, but this would mean that there would be no access possible from outside.
Finally, all the doors from Bi-Fold Doors UK feature 28mm double glazed units which is further beneficial to security.