Bi-fold door security: Understanding locks and handles

When specifying or installing bi-fold doors, it’s important to provide your customers with high-quality doors that will provide a solution for the long term and provide maximum security for their homes. Modern bi-fold doors, including those available at Origin, are manufactured with excellent security features for added peace of mind for both you and your customers.

Understanding the considered weak points of a bi-fold door in terms of security and the features you should look out for will help you to ensure that the bi-fold doors you supply are as secure as possible.

In this guide:

• Why is bi-fold door security important?

Learn more about why bi-fold door security is important when specifying bi-fold doors for your customers.

• What factors can have an impact on bi-fold door security?

Find out more about the factors that can impact bi-fold door security and make doors more vulnerable to intruders.

• Importance of locks for bi-fold door security

Learn more about why locks are important for bi-fold door security.

• Importance of handles for bi-fold door security

Find out more about why it’s important to specify the best handles for bi-fold doors.

• How secure are Origin Bi-fold Doors?

Find out more about how secure Origin Bi-fold Doors are so that you can specify the best doors for your customers.

Why is bi-fold door security important?

Home security has never been more important. Typically, doors and windows are seen as a weak point in home in terms of security and, bi-fold doors in particular can be seen as insecure. As a large expanse of glass, many people think that bi-fold doors are one of the least secure types of doors, but with modern technology and development, this is not the case.

When supplying bi-fold doors for your customers, keeping their homes secure should be extremely important and this is why Origin Bi-fold Doors have been manufactured and designed with home security in mind.

We use a vast range of innovative and unrivalled security elements and hardware to prevent intruders from breaking into the doors. This should provide both you and the customers you supply with peace of mind that their doors will be secure.

What factors can have an impact on bi-fold door security?

There are a number of factors that can have an impact on bi-fold door security and there are a number of elements that should be considered when specifying the most secure bi-fold doors.

Locks

Bi-fold door security relies heavily upon a secure, resilient locking system. Depending on the supplier you choose, bi-fold doors may use any of the following types of lock:

• Cylinder lock
• Deadbolt lock
• Shoot bolt
• Drop bolt lock

Most bi-fold doors feature a multi-point locking system as standard to secure the doors at different areas around the frame and track.

Origin Bi-fold Doors use a unique 8-point locking system which comprises of security hooks, locks, a tamper proof cylinder and shoot bolts within the top and bottom tracks. Other security aspects of the door to look for are:

Hinges

It’s important for a bi-fold door hinges to be as secure as possible. Resting on the exterior of the property, hinges are a vulnerable area for exploitation.

Origin Bi-fold Doors are fitted with heavy duty zinc hinges which are designed to resist attacks from even the most determined intruders.

Handle

Ensuring the bi-fold door handle is strong with a solid-cast body, a cylinder guard, and backplate can strengthen overall door security.

Frame

The material used for the frame of the doors you specify can have an impact on the overall security of the doors.

Origin Bi-fold Doors are crafted using a premium grade aluminium. This offers an incredibly secure and long-term solution. It’s lightweight, will protect customer’s homes and is easy for them to open and close.

You can find out more about the benefits of supplying aluminium bi-fold doors by reading our guide.

Glass

The glazing you provide for your customer’s bi-fold doors can have an impact on the overall security. Whilst double glazing can be hard for intruders to break, triple glazing is even harder and also offers excellent thermal efficiency.

Secured by Design

Origin Bi-fold Doors can be specified to be Secured by Design compliant. Secured by Design was established in 1989 as an initiative to ‘design out crime’ through physical security and processes which have been reviewed by the police. This includes locking mechanisms for bi-fold doors, so if you are looking for confirmation for your customers that their new doors will be fully secured, check that your supplier meets the Secured by Design standards.

Importance of locks for security

The locks available for bi-fold doors can be difficult to choose from and may be seen as a further expense for customers, but these locks are important for protecting customers homes. In addition, the higher the quality of the locks, the less likely it is that you will have to return to projects in order to fix problems.

There are several types of lock available:

Cylinder lock - A cylinder lock (barrel lock) comprises a keyhole and pin-and-tumbler mechanism held within a cylinder (barrel). A combination of differently sized pins in the lock stops it from being turned without the correct key. Many cylinder locks are tested meticulously to confirm that they are able to withstand common burglary methods such as drilling, bumping or snapping.

Twin lock – A twin point lock will always feature a handle positioned in the centre of the bi-fold doors and is designed to work from both the top and base of the bi-fold door. It can secure the doors in just one movement and is an elegant and attractive solution.

Drop bolt – Drop bolts will add even more safety and security to the bi-fold doors you install.

Deadbolt – Deadbolts can be operated by using a key or a twisting locking mechanism that is fitted internally.

Multi-point locks – Bi-fold doors can be fitted with a multi-point locking system which features a combination of different locking mechanisms.

Make sure you look out for locks that are accredited when specifying bi-fold doors. Some cylinder options carry a Kitemark, meaning they are recognised by home insurance providers for their security capabilities. These locks are also proven against snapping, picking, drilling and bumping. At Origin, our Bi-fold Doors feature a unique 8-point locking system which not only conforms to the latest security standards including PAS 24:2016 but also achieves Secured by Design status.

Importance of handles for security

The handle is often regarded as one of the weakest areas of a door and is the feature that many intruders or burglars seek to exploit when attempting to break into a home. For maximum security, a door handle should be able to withstand any level of force applied, as an intruder hoping to gain illegal entry to a property will often use as much force as possible to break the handle.

When looking to specify high-quality bi-fold doors, you should look for doors with handles that have a solid-cast body secured with hardened metal bolts.

Also look for:

• Cylinder type – some are anti-drilling, picking and bumping
• Chamfered backplate – deters thieves from detaching the handle by using clamps or mole grips
• Flexing ball joints – prevents fixing screws from being removed

High-quality handles will have been put through advanced strength examinations to confirm that they can withstand any level of force applied without showing signs of breakage.

How secure are Origin’s Bi-fold Doors?

At Origin, we carry out continuous research and development to ensure peace of mind when it comes to your customer’s home security.

We can also provide all of our trade partners with product support and training to make sure you know exactly what you are specifying and helping you to relay important information to your customers when specifying our doors.

Aluminium is an incredibly strong and resilient material, making it ideal for the creation of bi-fold doors. The low density of aluminium provides strength whilst avoiding a bulky effect.

Pairing an aluminium frame with a hugely sophisticated and well-designed locking system makes Origin Bi-fold Doors one of the most secure options for any home and project.

Our team of experts can provide you with any information you require about the security features of our bi-fold doors, so get in touch with us today to learn more.