Sliding glass doors are fantastic features for any home due to the sheer amount of light that they can let into your home, while also allowing you to enjoy a better view of your yard and the environment. However, the downside to these doors is that they can often make your home a bit more vulnerable to intruders and thieves. Listed below are two tips that can help you continue to enjoy the benefits of a sliding glass door while also securing it against intruders.

Secure The Door And Track

One of the biggest weaknesses of many sliding glass doors is that the locking mechanism is a basic latch, which is not really all that difficult for an intruder to break or disengage. However, there are aftermarket locking mechanisms that you can install, which are manufactured from heavy-duty steel that will be much harder to break. In addition, these locking mechanisms are meant to be used in addition to the lock that your door already has, which means that you will have multiple locks that an intruder will need to deal with to get into the door.

Another way to secure your sliding glass door is to secure the track of the door. Since your sliding glass door opens by moving across a track, it is relatively easy to place something into the track that will keep the door from opening, even if the locks are disengaged or broken. In order to secure the track, simply close your sliding glass door, measure the distance between the door and the wall, and buy or cut an appropriately sized dowel or piece of wood and place it on the track.

Install Security Measures Around The Sliding Door

Another issue when you have a sliding glass door is that it is most likely going to be located at the side or rear of your home. This makes the door a prime target for potential intruders, as they can attempt to break into your home while being hidden from view of your neighbors and anybody that is driving or walking by your home. In order to minimize this cover for the intruder, consider installing security measures around the sliding door, such as motion-activated lights.

In addition, you can also install sliding door alarms. These alarms are meant to be to be installed on the door itself and the doorframe in order to alert you if the door is opened without the alarms being disengaged. 

Contact a contractor today in order to discuss what steps you can take to make your sliding glass door less vulnerable to an intruder. Securing the door and track while also installing security measure on or around the sliding door are both great ways to secure your sliding glass door and home. If your sliding glass door is damaged by an intruder, contact a company like Cheaper Window Glass INC to have it repaired.