The Importance of a Deadbolt

It is a known fact that majority of home burglaries around the country happen as a result of forced entry. In spite of the fact that an alert system or even a dog might be useful to alert intruders, locksmith Salem companies say a quality deadbolt is the best force of resistance against home break-in. Most of the time, Intruders use force in order to break into a home. A deadbolt incorporate a steel bolt that stretches out into the door frame and the strike plate mounted on it which will make it much harder to break through using forced entry methods. On the off chance that you have deadbolts that are utilized and working appropriately, this will make your home a less desirable target.

The three essential parts of a deadbolt lock are a cylinder that is operated with a key, the bolt that goes in and out of the door frame when the deadbolt is locked or unlocked, and the thumb-turn that is responsible for controlling the locking status of the deadbolt from the interior side of the door. All deadbolt locks ought to be made of steel, bronze or metal. It is recommended to avoid die cast materials as they can wear out and break very easily.

There are two types of traditional deadbolts that are available in the market, a single and double cylinder types. A single sided deadbolt is the most commonly used to secure homes around the country. It is designed with a thumb-turn on the interior side of it and a key-way on the exterior side. The name "Deadbolt" comes from the fact that the bolt is "dead" and have to be retracted almost manually in order to control the locking status in contrast to a key-in-knob type lock which is spring loaded. Although it is much more secure than a key-in-knob type of lock, if placed on a door surrounded by glass windows, an intruder would still be able to break into your home by breaking the glass and unlock the door by reaching to the thumb-turn through the broken glass.

With implementing a double cylinder deadbolt, a burglar won't be able to take advantage of the fact your door is surrounded with glass windows as this type of deadbolt requires a key to be used from both sides of the door. However, some individuals lean toward not to utilize such deadbolt because of safety concerns where an emergency evacuation would be necessary and the key to the deadbolt won't be available.

On the off chance that you do utilize a double cylinder deadbolt, keep a key close by, however, out of reach around the entryway area. It's critical to note that before considering a double cylinder deadbolt, be aware of fire safety regulations in your city that may forbid such type deadbolt lock installation which require a key to unlock from the interior side of the door. The best thing to do is consulting a Salem locksmith before making any decisions.