When choosing new windows and doors as well as the larger sized bifolding doors for your home, security is an important consideration. Many of the windows and doors we fit for our customers are at the back of the house. As well as this, many houses have private gardens making security even more critical. So how secure are new doors and windows? In this article, we explain the security of today’s aluminium products, and give you some door and window security tips to help keep your home secure.
What Door and Window Security Options are available?
As you do your research around new windows and doors, perhaps visiting a showroom, you’ll see both windows and doors fitted with multi-point locks. Virtually all new windows and doors come with more than one locking point. Doors are even more important for security as they come with large glass panels opening up to connect with your outside space. Therefore, you want to be sure your doors are particularly secure.
The good news is, thanks to product and industry standards, such as independent testing and manufacturing certification, most new windows and doors today provide excellent security in your home. At North West Bifolds, we go further, only selecting products we know have excellent security.
For our aluminium windows, they come with internal glazing beads, multi-point locks and locking window handles. Our aluminium windows all come with either shoot bolt or espagnolette multi-point locks, renowned for their high security and reliability.
Importantly, while windows and doors come with multipoint locks, doors need special attention. Some cheaper doors fall short. Security is not just about the door lock. How the glass secures in the doors, the key-locking cylinder, door hinges and overall design of the door are also important things to think about. The cheaper the bifolding door, the more likely it has generic door locks, basic door cylinders and does not come with built-in security by design.
For instance, our Origin bifolding door range comes with an eight-point locking system. Other brands only come with a four-point system. The door hinges are another potential weak point with cheaper doors. Some are vulnerable to attack; others come designed to protect the doors where they meet in the closed position.
Glass security in windows and doors.
The glass must be safety glass in every door by law as well as any windows at low level areas. Virtually every door and window on the market comes with ‘glazing beads’ holding the glass in place. A well-designed product has these on the inside, not the outside. The better-engineered products come with enhanced glass security such as security clips as an extra measure. Moreover, our products have the beads locked in place until the inner gasket is removed first.
Therefore, check what security measures your windows and doors come with and always ask questions about how easy the glass could be to remove. Glass plays an important part in making new windows and doors secure.
What makes your new windows and doors secure.
What are some of the things to look out when thinking about security on your new windows and doors? We give you some tips and advice as well as some of the questions to ask.
Secured by Design.
The Secured by Design (SBD) standard is one trusted security specification. Most reputable designers of bifolding doors design these to have this trusted certification. Other similar standards include PAS24:2016 or Approved Document Q.
If your windows and doors have any of this certification, you have peace of mind they’ve had independent security testing. At North West Bifolds most of our products carry SBD or similar standards depending on their specification.
European systems such as our Schuco folding sliding doors have a similar WK European Standard. SBD also extends to many of our sliding doors, front doors and aluminium windows too.
Other applicable standards to windows and doors include the relevant British Standards and Kitemarking.
The door cylinder type and specification.
While a door may have a multi-point lock, always ask your installer about the door cylinder. Is it anti-pick, anti-drill and anti-bump? These three features are another additional level of security. Many cheaper doors only come with basic cylinders with several weak points.
Consider upgrading to laminated glass.
Most doors come with compliant toughened safety glass. Toughened glass is strong. However, should it even break, it shatters into thousands of blunt pieces. Laminated glass offers a better level of security. Laminated glass always holds together thanks to a plastic layer between each pane of glass. So even if an opportunistic burglar manages to break the glass, it will still hold together, preventing entry. In most cases, SBD certified doors have laminated glass to pass the test.
Windows not needing safety glass have the standard annealed glass. There is no reason why you can’t have toughened or laminated glass in your windows too.
Choose aluminium over uPVC.
Aluminium, by its very nature, is stronger than plastic. While uPVC products for the home do come with security certification, the stronger aluminium profiles offer you more security with more effort required to force the window or door open. Many sliding and folding doors come as standard with anti-lift features. Unlike hinged doors, bifolding doors also have intermediate hidden shoot bolts offering more locking points, more locks to have to get through. As a result, bifold doors provide extra layers of security.
Aluminium windows come with mechanical joints with strong screws, cleats and brackets holding window joints together. Again these form a strong window construction adding to the overall security of the product.
Contact us today to find out more.
At North West Bifolds, we only provide the best brands of windows and doors, coming with great security features and the best components. Get in touch today to find out more or book an appointment to view our range of home improvement products in our showroom.
