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@Rickcin - you are talking about commercial building/Fire Department/Safety codes ^^^
Commercially it’s been prohibited by code for many years and residentially its prohibited according to the IRC, as I’ve posted previously. The IRC code has been adapted in 49 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands. It’s really a common sense safety precaution, IMO.
My MIL had what she referred to as double dead bolt locks. Need key to enter and exit locked doors.
I think they are against code now in the US homes now.
They were on all entry doors and on all the windows too, even the second story windows. The condo I would guess was built in the eighties and she was the original owner. I suppose the locksmith talked her into them as being the "best" security. It was in a really nice part of town in Little Rock, At so wasn't high crime area. It really freaked me out the first time I spent the night and was instructed on how to unlock window "in case of fire".
House we had in ky had the latch flip lock. One day a delivery man came to the door. I stepped outside to accept the package, shutting the door behind me so as to not let the dog out. Got my package and went to go inside when lo and behold, my toddler had come to the door and flipped the latch, locking me out and her in, alone.
I was able to get her to flip the latch back, thus letting me back in, no harm done.
You betcha I went the next day to Lowes and bought a keyed lock. Kept the key on one of those wrist keychains hung from a hook near the top of the door, out of toddler reach. Never got locked out again.
What are these large valuable objects that won't be carried through? A tv? Most anything else of value is small - cash, jewelry, computers, laptops, prescription drugs. The tv, sure...refrigerator...ha.
It's something that SOUNDS like you're being super smart and fooling the crooks but doesn't really have much impact. And, that's one reason I have homeowner's insurance - they don't specify deadbolts in order to collect.
Depends on the size of the glass. And your notion of valuables is rather unimaginative. We don’t have them but know some people who own valuable, large artworks. High-grade shop equipment. Certain kinds of sports gear.
Nobody is pretending to be smart, at least not me. If it were up to only me, the doors would be high-security doors with two narrow windows designed only to let in light and let me see if someone is in front. But someone else lives here, too. And he has put his head in the sand more than a few times regarding security.
We do have other theft deterrents inside and outside.
Why do you think anybody is doing without homeowner’s insurance?
We've stayed in several vacation rentals: Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy. They all have this in common. The inside of the front door needs a key to unlock it. This is insanely dangerous on so many levels.
My apartment is on fire, uh oh, where's that key? The lights are out, fumbling for the key, gotta get out. The kid hid the key, now I'm late for work and can't open the door.
You can imagine the scenarios. Europe is pretty consumer friendly, so I find this inexplicable. Even in Ecuador, we have the usual thumb-turn latch for the dead bolt.
Have any of you run across this odd and risky door design? Why on earth?
It seems someone dies every year when they can't get out of their house because you need a key to unlock it from the inside. Sometimes it's a deadbolt. Sometimes it's burglar proof door or bars.
People who have that situation take safety steps. Extra copies made. One is hung by the door, others are hung elsewhere. A triple net safety procedure, so you're assured of having the key handy. Sometimes they just leave the key in the lock in the door.
Depends on the size of the glass. And your notion of valuables is rather unimaginative. We don’t have them but know some people who own valuable, large artworks. High-grade shop equipment. Certain kinds of sports gear.
Nobody is pretending to be smart, at least not me. If it were up to only me, the doors would be high-security doors with two narrow windows designed only to let in light and let me see if someone is in front. But someone else lives here, too. And he has put his head in the sand more than a few times regarding security.
We do have other theft deterrents inside and outside.
Why do you think anybody is doing without homeowner’s insurance?
I doubt few people here have large works of art that any thief would grab...high grade shop equipment - usually in the garage where you can just hit the garage door opener. (Valuable) sports gear that is too big to get out of a window and can fit through a door....gotcha.
And yes - everyone has insurance - frankly, unless my home is destroyed by fire, I'm not in the least worried about thieves - they can take what they want and my insurance will pay - a deadbolt lock is not required for coverage. Maybe folks oughtta just board up these superfluous windows right next to the door knob.
The conceptual thought is correct about locks being for honest people. With a small bar and a $17 air shim from Home Depot, it would take minutes to pop open a door. We all need to take precautions to make sure our houses are as secure as possible, however there are varying degrees of appropriate security depending on where you live. In some areas, you will clearly see steel bar frames over widows and secure steel doors at the the main and rear entrances.
So there’s really no right or wrong way to determine your own sense of security, however I would always feel better knowing I could easily exit the house in the unlikely event of a fire without needing a key.
Never had or saw such a lock in Europe. But I also never had entry door opening to the inside either.
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