The FBI claims A home is attacked every twelve seconds by somebody going right thru a front or back exit. Secure your doors.' the simplest way for a someone to smash in to your house is to just kick in the entry. The is the way that the overwhelming majority of home invaders and thieves enter a home. In fact, they come right through the door over seventy pc of the time...and 80% of the time the door frame fails, not the door locks as most people believe. Just How Does someone Kick In the Door? most frequently doors are 'Shoulder Slammed' or'Mule Kicked' by intruders. 'Shoulder Slamming' is just driving one's shoulder into a door with great force. 'Mule Kicking' is when a person turns their back to the door and kicks it in the same way a mule kicks with his hind leg. 'Mule Kicking' a door is an intruder's favorite way to gain entry as it allows him to see who could be watching him from the street and beyond, and it can open a door in a split 2nd when done correctly . The four Reasons Why Doors are able to Be Kicked In So Easily... one. Most door frames on homes are nothing more than 2 2' by 4' pine studs nailed together and covered with thin decorative wood trim. 2. Most entryway knobs and deadbolts are poorly secured in the entry . 3. Most door hinges are held to the entry and door frame with screws about one inch long or less. ( Go remove a screw from one of your door hinges and you'll see ) 4. Most entryway frames have a tiny, thin, feeble strike plate that's held in with screws less than 1 inch long. the simple way to Correct feeble exit Latch and entry Frame Problems... there's very little realistically that you can do to correct the fact that your walls and door frames are made from soft wood 2' by 4' studs. It's just a fact that most homes are built in this manner. But what can be done is to brace all the feeble areas which are the most prone to fail. 1. Put a metal door guard over the areas where your exit knob and deadbolt are that extends to the very edge of the door. This prevents the door knob latch and deadbolt come from being able to be broken out of the door. 2. Replace the short typical 1 inch screws in the hinges with 2.5' long screws in the hinge side going to the door frame and put 1.5' screws in the hinge side that attaches to the entry. This prevents the hinged side of the entryway from being able to be kicked out. 3. Replace the small 1 to three in. strike plates on the door frame with a 5 foot metal door reinforcement product such as the gateway Security Pro exit Security Guard ( available from : http://www.doorsecuritypro.com ). This inhibits the latch side of the exit from having the ability to be kicked open. This 5' metal strike plate serves a dual purpose. It replaces the tiny feeble strike plates with something much stronger and it deters weak door frames made from soft wood from splitting. When the door frame splits, that is what causes the door knob and deadbolt to allow the door to open. The Door Security Pro will also simply fix a damaged exit frame. exit Knobs and Deadbolts except for what's listed above, ensure you have good quality exit knobs and deadbolts, preferably the newer'pick proof' models. It does you small nice to have strengthened your gateway frame and hinges if the quality of your locks is poor. By the same token, good entry locks alone aren't going to stop a entryway kick in. You may address and correct all the faults if you're to be fully protected. The old saying...'An oz. of prevention is worth a pound of cure' most definitely applies when thinking about your door frames and gateway locks. Fix them now while it's fresh in your mind's eye. After all , what's more valuable than your safety, your family's safety and your home?
