Home Security Systems: Common Sense Part II
If you have read part 1 of my Home Security Systems: Common Sense series, I have outlined a few important yet often overlooked measures when considering home security as a whole. As I often mention, some of the things I write about are quite obvious, but its the obvious things that often ‘fall the through cracks’ so to speak, and we often end up wanting to kick ourselves in the head when disaster strikes, because we know that we could have done a few simple and yet often, inexpensive things to prevent a burglary.
Hell I ought to know, because I had my house broken into not once, but twice! I didn’t learn my lesson the first time around, thinking that the odds of that happening again were slim. Well I was wrong! The law of avergages did not go in my favor, 3 years later my place was broken into again!
Now I can say that I have become a virtual expert on home security since my bad experiences have spurned me into action. I have since put alot of focus and time learning about all the ways I could secure my home without spending a fortune on a professionaly installed home alarm system. Just to let you know I do have a very good alarms system in place now, but I want to share with those who cannot afford one, or for those who do have a home security system in place, that it is not the only thing you should rely on for good home security.
One common mistake people often make is to tag their keys with their name, address and phone number with the idea that they can be easily returned to their owner. However, this can also be be a perfect invitation to those who have less than honorable intentions. What an easy way to
allow a burglar into your home.
Instead of tagging your keys with your personal information, you can get war amps tags that can identify your keys with a special code if you lose them. That way the person who finds them will have to call a number and special procedures are put into effect to have them returned to
their rightful owners. Only entrust your keys to family members or close friends if necessary, never untrust your house keys to service personel such as parking attendant, auto mechanic, or other people for example. This is not to say that all service providers are not to be trusted,
however it is always best to reduce any possibilities of misfortune from occuring.
Make only as many copies as necessary,and kee track off all your copies. The most important keys should have your locksmith’s name on them and you should have your keys stamped with “Do Not Duplicate”.
If you have to put your coat in a vestibule area such as at work or at a restaurant never leave your keys in your pockets. It is very easy for someone to grab and make copies then return them without your knowledge.
Never keep any spare keys under the door mat, above the door ledges or flowerpots etc. These are the first places a burglar will check when looking for an opportunity to break in.
In the event that you have lost your keys, you should have all of the exterior locks re-keyed. This can be simply done by changing the cylinders without having to replace the actual locks. Changing your locks because you lost your keys can seem like a hassle, but nothing compared to
being sorry afterwards if you get robbed because you neglected to protect yourself.
Garage Door Security
Most garage door locks can be easily pried off and offer little security for your home. If you have a overhead garage door,it should be fitted with a sliding bolt lock. Garage doors that are hinged should have a pair of cane bolts at the top and bottom. Multi paneled doors that slide up on tracks should have a pin inserted into a hole in the track mechanism to prevent the door from opening even if the lock gets broken.
If the garage has an interior door providing access to your house, then it is advisable to put a heavy deadbolt on the door from the inside of the house. If a burglar manages to break into your garage, he can simply close the garage door to stifle any sounds while attempting to gain entry from a accessing door to the house. That’s why this area is crucial to having the sturdiest and best quality dead bolts available. All other door entrances to the house from attached greenhouses, solariums, sheds, etc should all be treated in the same fashion.
Many older homes have wooden garage doors that tend to have easy to break panels due to their thin construction. If you happen to purchase a home with a wooden garage door, then you might want to re-inforce the door with metal braces on the panels, or replace the door altogether
with a newer sturdier construction. If your garage has a window, install security bars in the sills or paint over them to make them less inviting to an intruder.
Nowadays many garage doors have automatic openers, it is important to get a model that does not respond to stray signals, resulting in the door opening up by itself when you are not around. One last and very obvious thing is to always keep your garage door closed. A burglar can easily drive into your garage and close the door, concealing their activities from the outside, also your garage may contain tools that could aid in the process of breaking the locks etc. once they are inside.
Again these are but a few of the many security measures to consider when trying to keep your home safe. Remember, that a quality home alarm system is only one factor in protecting your home and family always practice as many security measures as possible.
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