Sliding Glass Door Electric Lock
- Thread starter childetx
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BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
A magnetic lock perhaps?
AlexCuster
Member
I think your best option is to go with an electronic deadbolt.
You would need to drill a small hole in the metal top of your sliding door. Mount the deadbolt above the door facing down and have the bolt come through the top of the door. This way the locking mechanism is hidden and you don't have magnets mounted on the side of the door.
You would need to drill a small hole in the metal top of your sliding door. Mount the deadbolt above the door facing down and have the bolt come through the top of the door. This way the locking mechanism is hidden and you don't have magnets mounted on the side of the door.
What happens when it fails and you have to service it. Do you have to remove the door frame?
I think you would be better off cutting in the bolt and adding back support tabs to screw into as they are intended to be installed.
I am really trying to come up with a solution better than a bolt.
Is the frame wood, steel, or vinyl?
I think you would be better off cutting in the bolt and adding back support tabs to screw into as they are intended to be installed.
I am really trying to come up with a solution better than a bolt.
Is the frame wood, steel, or vinyl?
tmbrown97
Senior Member
I like that idea best... something like this: http://www.sdcsecurity.com/series.aspx?id=57
apostolakisl
Senior Member
If you mortise something like that into your door you will probably void the warranty. However, I do have a unit similar to that and it does work. 12vdc .5amp is just a small wall wart worth of power.
For that mag to work it would have to be cut in to the handle side of the frame when the door is closed. You also want to make sure the armature isn't sticking out past the edge of the door too far. To secure the armature to the sliding door you would have to have a good bit of wood there to bit into. If the door is vinyl that mag isnt going to stop much as I you could just rip on the door, crack the vinyl and open the door.
For a mag lock installation to be able to be done properly and for it to be reliable you need a high quality door( wood, steel, or aluminum)
I guess it really comes down to what the is door made out of...
apostolakisl
Senior Member
Yes, and if you want to make it look good you will need to fully mortise it in. That requires some skill and ideally a special router designed just for that application (although a high quality chisel and careful methodical effort works fine). And, of course, it requires a solid wood frame (on the door around the glass) that is wide enough and thick enough to accomodate the metal plate. If it is a metal or vinyl door, forget it. You will only be able to do surface mount and that is kind of ugly. Mine is surface mounted at the top of a regular door in my garage where appearance is not paramount.
programmergeek
Active Member
megnitic locks.
Fail when power is cut.
Eat a ton of power when on.
Can be forced open.
In general they are not usally the best solution.
To service the dead bolt just remove the trim just make sure not to put to may nails in it. Or amke a access hatch.
Fail when power is cut.
Eat a ton of power when on.
Can be forced open.
In general they are not usally the best solution.
To service the dead bolt just remove the trim just make sure not to put to may nails in it. Or amke a access hatch.
To quantify "lots" and "ton":
The linked lock utilizes 6-9 watts DC. Assuming a wall-wart with 50% efficiency, we're at 18 watts. I believe that's 157 kWh annually. At $0.16 / kWh, we have an annual cost of $25.
Would the door frame itself actually hold long enough for the lock to fail?
If similar forces were applied to a door with a "standard" latch or the aforementioned deadbolt, would the door hold together in a secure fashion?
-jbn
tmbrown97
Senior Member
I guess it depends on where you live... We've had 2 power outages here in the last year - so sizing a battery doesn't sound impossible - 12VDC, .5amps - that'd be a cheap battery honestly. And if heading out on vacation, I'd throw a stick behind it. As far as being able to be forced open - yeah, it's 800lb force on that one; use two and you have 1600lbs... how strong are you? Good luck - the effort it would take to force open 1600lbs isn't worth it - grab a brick and go through instead - that's what a crook would do.
The first issue with maglocks especially, but any strike/lock will be emergency egress, which in all cases, should be some sort of mechanical pushbutton to break power (mags specifically). Strikes and locks are generally easier because usually the door hardware is selected to allow a physical action (turn knob/lever) for egress in an emergency. All the AHJ's I deal with want the emergency egress to be independent of any electronic hardware/action. They also want, in addition to a mechanical button, a fire alarm dropout so the door(s) unlock in that situation as well.
I've seen mags forced by a person and a shoulder exceeding the shear load of the lock, which isn't the same as the bond load. All it takes is a little side load on a maglock and it will not hold the same as a direct bond load, which is what is given in the LB ratings of the lock.
I am not referring to the current draw in relation to an electric bill, because honestly, that isn't a concern as far as a security install goes.
The factor is whether you are running 24VDC or 12VDC, but as most people will tend to stay with a 12VDC unit in a residence to simplify the amount of hardware installed and compatibility with other items , a typical maglock will draw upwards of 350mA or more off a supply, constant load. Factor in the oversizing needed based on voltage drop due to cabling distance installed, you're already around 500mA to be safe, if not larger. That'll put you in a minimum of a 1A supply, which a 7AH battery will get you about (without doing hard calcs.) approximately 5-6 hours of true standby. Also factor in that most "lower end/cost" power supplies lose about a volt in the switch from an AC powered, rectified DC operation to DC-DC operation, your standby time is even less than what I stated before.
Then you're moving up to a larger supply, both cost and charger rating, just to support the batteries to provide enough standby time...if it's a couple of 7AH in parallel or a couple of 26AH or larger.
Maglocks have their application, but in this case, a strike or electromechanical lock would be easier to implement and more secure in comparison to a maglock.
I'm not saying it can't be done, but you need to be aware of all the factors in consideration when using/installing maglocks.
I've seen mags forced by a person and a shoulder exceeding the shear load of the lock, which isn't the same as the bond load. All it takes is a little side load on a maglock and it will not hold the same as a direct bond load, which is what is given in the LB ratings of the lock.
I am not referring to the current draw in relation to an electric bill, because honestly, that isn't a concern as far as a security install goes.
The factor is whether you are running 24VDC or 12VDC, but as most people will tend to stay with a 12VDC unit in a residence to simplify the amount of hardware installed and compatibility with other items , a typical maglock will draw upwards of 350mA or more off a supply, constant load. Factor in the oversizing needed based on voltage drop due to cabling distance installed, you're already around 500mA to be safe, if not larger. That'll put you in a minimum of a 1A supply, which a 7AH battery will get you about (without doing hard calcs.) approximately 5-6 hours of true standby. Also factor in that most "lower end/cost" power supplies lose about a volt in the switch from an AC powered, rectified DC operation to DC-DC operation, your standby time is even less than what I stated before.
Then you're moving up to a larger supply, both cost and charger rating, just to support the batteries to provide enough standby time...if it's a couple of 7AH in parallel or a couple of 26AH or larger.
Maglocks have their application, but in this case, a strike or electromechanical lock would be easier to implement and more secure in comparison to a maglock.
I'm not saying it can't be done, but you need to be aware of all the factors in consideration when using/installing maglocks.
tmbrown97
Senior Member
OK - but I've yet to see any other good options presented either. Got any?
A deadbolt would have to be on the top - I have an 8ft tall slider right next to me - to put something mechanical to override the deadbolt would mean you'd have to be able to reach it at 8ft which my kids and wife can't do - so in a fire situation that's worse than a big green "push to exit" button that I could mount at any height.
So, like I've always told my employees - don't come to me with problems - come with solutions! Show us a better way!
A deadbolt would have to be on the top - I have an 8ft tall slider right next to me - to put something mechanical to override the deadbolt would mean you'd have to be able to reach it at 8ft which my kids and wife can't do - so in a fire situation that's worse than a big green "push to exit" button that I could mount at any height.
So, like I've always told my employees - don't come to me with problems - come with solutions! Show us a better way!
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