How Secure are Bi-fold Doors?

No matter whether you’re buying a premium front door or looking to refurbish a room with access points to your garden, the security of any door should never be overlooked, including when buying bi-fold doors.

Folding doors help flood a room with light and can really welcome in the outside. But are bi-fold doors secure, especially against persistent intruders? Will your new set of folding doors leave your home vulnerable?

To help answer these questions, and reassure you that when you buy with Express, you’ll only ever get a set of secure bi-fold doors installed, here’s everything you need to know about bi-fold door security, and what to bear in mind when looking at locks for folding doors. Or for more information and advice about choosing your new doors, explore our complete bi-folds buying guide.

Are bi-folding doors secure?

The short answer is yes, at least if you choose to buy from Express and other reputable door companies. Security has always been a major pillar of all our products, and each one comes with a Secured by Design accreditation based on police regulations.

Statistics have shown that products with a Secured by Design accreditation are up to 75% less likely to be burgled, making it a great way to assess whether or not something is secure.

On a more in-depth level, however, most folding doors can be considered secure, provided they’re installed with the right locks, locking mechanisms, glazing, and any additional home security systems you choose to invest in.

WHAT IS A SECURED BY DESIGN ACCREDITATION?

Secured by Design accreditation is a police initiative that promotes the idea of discouraging crime through enhanced physical security. It focuses on the way homes and buildings are designed, as well as security products and projects.

The principles of the scheme have been proven to reduce the risk of crime, with people reportedly feeling far safer at home. Express has a number of products that have been given the SBD accreditation, including our XP View bi-folding doors, our aluminium windows and our entire range of front doors.

Under this scheme, each product goes through extensive testing by the police, with every component listed and investigated. A team will then attempt a break-in through the doors, and if the product offers enough resistance to the attack, it passes the test.

As a result, we ensure that all our Express doors are audited on a regular basis to make sure that the test specifications are the same for every product and that our older ranges are still up to scratch.

WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR IN BI-FOLD DOOR LOCKS?

A secure bi-fold door is any system that operates using multi-point locking mechanism. These security locks work by locking several bolts into gears along the upper and lower frame of the doors, preventing them from being opened once activated.

For an intruder to actually open your set of doors, they would need to remove these gears, which isn’t possible without getting into your home elsewhere or making an enormous racket.

As for the type of general lock you should look out for, one of the following three is usually recommended:

Twin-point locks: One of the most common locks for folding doors, this style of locking system is built around a handle in the centre of the door that can be turned to engage the locking system.
Drop-bolts: This type of bolt is fixed to the interior top and bottom of your doors and can be activated manually, adding an additional layer of protection on top of a standard bi-fold door locking mechanism. But they are only effective when used in tandem with the door’s standard locks.
Deadbolts: A standardised locking system for bi-folding doors, they work in the same way as deadbolts on your front door.

On top of these locks, all bi-fold doors should come with an in-line tracking system that houses the locking gears securely, preventing access without removing its secure cover.

HOW SECURE IS BI-FOLD DOOR GLAZING?

It goes without saying that the glazing on any set of doors needs to be top-notch in order to deter any intruders from damaging it. With this in mind, any good-quality bi-fold door glazing should be made using both double-glazing and toughened glass.

Not only is toughed glass security approved and incredibly difficult to dislodge or break, but when double-glazed, it comes with the added benefit of preventing accidents and retaining indoor heat, helping to reduce your energy bills.

At Express, all our aluminium frame windows and doors come with double-glazed, toughened glass as standard, ensuring you’ll have secure glazing, regardless of the product you choose.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR?

Besides a high-quality locking system and glazing, the best way to improve bi-fold doors security is by installing other security features in your home. This could include purchasing an alarm system or installing your bi-fold doors out of sight from the front of the house.

Here at Express, we also highly recommend purchasing secure folding doors that are constructed using aluminium frames. Aluminium is a fantastic building material thanks to its lightweight and durable nature and is what we use with all our products.

For more advice on how to secure your home, why not read our top tips on deterring burglars? You can also download our free product brochure to learn specific details about each option in our folding door range.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT BI-FOLD DOORS SECURITY

By now it should hopefully be clear just how secure bi-folding doors are, which begs the question of why many people see them as a security risk in their homes.

While there’s no concrete explanation for how such a myth comes about, it has been suggested that it stems from conservatories being much easier to access via security defects. As a result, this level of insecurity has since been applied to other similar home features designed to open your home up to your garden.

Security is such a crucial thing to consider for any home, but with a set of folding doors from Express, you can enjoy the luxury of stunning outdoor views while being safe and secure all year round.

Get in touch with our team of experts today to discuss our installation process and don’t forget to browse our blog as well for more informative articles like this one.

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How Secure are Bi-folding Doors?