door resistance to attack

[JohnD]

I have a 6ft gate in my back garden wall, it opens onto a "B" road and there is a bus stop nearby, so a modest amount of foot traffic. It is a 44mm softwood LBF made for me by a local joiner, with 450mm hook and band hinges, and a BS deadlock, so I thought adequate.

Yesterday I was applying preservative, took the lock out while working, refitted it loosely (no screws and keep not fitted) overnight while drying off.

After dark I observed that someone had given it a good kick. Today I saw a big scuff in the fresh preservative, and a slight crack near the lock. Where the thick metal faceplate of the lock is rebated into the door edge, the lip around the rebate has a partial crack or split.

The lock is 1/3rd from the top, and the scuff is near the bottom. I have fitted a padbolt near the bottom to reduce movement and take some of the load if it is kicked again.

I have a Kickstop steel plate reinforcer I can bolt over the lock, and am thinking of putting mortice rackbolts near the top and bottom.

What else can I do? I will assume it is some local ne'erdowell trying his luck, perhaps hoping I had left tools around.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

CCTV camera to catch him again, and hang him upside down and pull his pants up.
not much else you can do and metal /steel reinforcing around the lock should see to more kicks coming its way.

 

[JohnD]

reinforcing around the lock should see to more kicks coming its way.

typo?

 

[Mikefromlondon]

"should see to more kicks coming its way" meaning it would now be able to withstand further abuse. Where is the typo?

 

[JohnD]

thanks

I have one of these, in black, on a dusty shelf. I shall probably paint it to match the door, sludge green.

never done much burglary.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Fit 2 of these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302146309...49&var=600973555194&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Andy

 

[Mikefromlondon]

or If this garden door doesn't require access from the outside you could use a couple of barrel bolts or shoot bolts from inside, plus your keylock. One on top and one at the bottom and your lock in the middle.

As for your lock reinforcing, i had thought of more like a couple of large size rectangular steel plates, roughly 2mm thick over the area of the lock on both sides , nut and bolted together sandwiching the lock insert. Drillings for Keyhole etc.

 

[KenGMac]

JohnD, good evening.

Possible additional reinforcement is to fix an Angle iron on the inside of the door standards, in that you get a couple of lengths of suitable sized Angle Iron, fix it to the wall on the inside of the door standard, then fix it to the door standards [both sides] it will give a massive amount of support to the standards themselves, if you consider it, no matter how High Tec the lock is, the fragility of the door standards [the timber itself] and the "limited" amount of timber at the lock keeper is the limiting factor in the robustness of the door and Door standards to withstand impact damage [ a boot ]

Just a thought?

Ken

 

[JohnD]

the lockguard is about 6mm-8mm thick, and has a bolt-through fixing from the inside only. I picked up a couple in a clearance sale a while ago and never found a use for them.

I had a bolt to hand yesterday, which I fixed near the bottom of the door, and have ordered another for the top, but I think I will use rackbolts when I have more time and light.

I seldom need to go out the back, so I think I can have the door well barricaded most of the time, especially overnight, and only need to leave the bolts open if I have gone over the back road for some reason.

edit
Ken,
the door is fixed between two pieces of 9x2 joist as gateposts, so there is no exposed wall to reinforce the posts, as I picture it. With the hook and band hinges (which seem quite substantial) they have to be fixed to the face of the post. The lock keep is a BS "welded box" type with an 8" plate. But maybe I can fix something to prevent the keep splitting through the frame, and spread the load tightly over a larger area. I like your idea of steel angle to give stiffness, but the gate is a close fit in the frame.

edit again
I saw "barricade brackets" which are used to sling a length of timber across the door (as seen in cowboy films) which I might do when the gate is not needed, but they would be accessible to anyone who climbs over. Herts' link is a neater more modern development.

It would be interesting to find some pics of wooden doors that have been booted or barged open. I did it once on a Yale when I had locked myself out, and found it very easy. The staple just flew off. So I have always been a mortice deadlock man.

 

[DaveHerns]

How strong is the wall? It's no good reinforcing the gate if the wall gives way. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't take a lot to push my brick garden wall over and the weakest pint must be the end where the gate bolt keep is.

 

[JohnD]

It's a 9" wall. There are 18" full-height piers about 1400mm to each side of the gateposts.

I have been looking on utube for doors forced open by burglars, but they all seem to be American, with flimsy doors and little cylinder locks. Hooray for BS3621 !

 

[Bodged]

the weakest pint must be the end ...

I don't think you should be drinking weak pints

 

[DaveHerns]

Can't drink pints these days. Results in me pee'ing gallons.

 

[big-all]

i make turn buckles from 2x1 treated around 6" long hole dead center
set them in 1"from the edge off a 4" post
5 or6mm screw 50-60mm
you can have 3 or 4 to add strength and by simply rotating open or close
off course they only work iff the face off the post is flush or slightly proud off the face off the gate
if they are tight to the gate they are far stronger as you get no momentum before hitting them
also anyone casually leaning on or pushing the gate will get no give but a solid feeling gate

 

[Bodged]

John, I think the Kickstop LockGuard is a good idea.

In addition, you could fit either a London bar or a FrameGuard, which resist the keep splitting through the frame:

The FrameGuard should also stop a chiselling attack. I've fitted a Kickstop FrameGuard and it felt bomb-proof.

As well as strengthening the lock-side, how about hinge bolts or a Birmingham bar for the hinge-side?