When owning a home, it is important to guard your valuables and ensure the safety of your family and yourself. While there are many different options for securing your home, a simple and affordable one is using window bars (also referred to as grilles). These can range in appearance and features, depending on which type you prefer for your home. One great benefit of installing window bars is that the majority of home intruders look for the easy way in when searching for homes to potentially break into. The security bars provide a visual signal to bad guys: “Move on. This place is too much trouble.”
Security Bar and Grille Types – A Variety of Options
There are a wide variety of options to choose from when selecting the proper bars for your windows. Bars typically come in steel or iron; both provide the same amount of protection.
Window bars can be permanent or removable, depending on the level of protection you are looking for during installation.
There are also window bars that can swing out and away from the window frame. Although they are often secured by a padlock, these bars avoid the risk of “locking yourself in” with a simple release mechanism only accessible from the inside.
Security bars are available in a range of different styles from plain and functional to decorative. If you want the protection from outsiders these bars provide but don’t like the look of a straight row of bars, you can choose from decorative options to accent the style of your home. The more detailed the bars become, the more expensive they typically get, and can reach $2,500 or more for just one set of bars.
Installing Window Bars – DIY or Licensed Security Professionals
Depending on the type of window bars you select for your home, you can install them yourself or go with a licensed security professional.
There are a number of good quality do-it-yourself kits on the market that provide you protection without being difficult to install into a window frame.
If you use a licensed security professional to install your windows, you are protected with the peace of mind that comes with knowing the bars are an exact fit to the windows and they are also installed 100% correctly.
Window Bars with Interior Release Mechanisms Required for Bedroom Windows
One important feature you must not overlook when picking which bars are best suited for your needs is safety. While window bars and grilles are excellent at keeping intruders and burglars out, they can also be highly effective keeping you in your home. In the case of a home fire or other emergency, you may be trapped by bars that cannot be removed. This is why interior release guards are required on all bedroom window guards as part of the 2012 Universal Construction Code. Inside the 2012 code, The ICC (International Code Council) section 1013.8 reads in part:
“Window opening control devices shall comply with ASTM F 2090. The window opening control device, after operation to release the control device allowing the window to fully open…”
Installing window bars in your home without a trained qualified technician could cause you to be incompliant with the proper codes. This standard is also mentioned in several codes including the National Building Code, The Standard Building Code and the Uniform Building Code and the National Fire Protection’s Life Safety Code. These regulations are for your safety and should be followed at all times.
To learn more about these codes and others, visit http://www.iccsafe.org/ to make sure you are up to date on regulations in place in your state.
Fix Your Window Locks and Call the Locksmith!
With a wide array of styles and prices, window bars and grilles are a great option for securing your home or business. As noted above, intruders will be deterred away from the extra work required to break into your home – meaning they probably won’t even try to break in. And you will sleep better knowing that you and your family are safe and secure.
Need to fix or adjust the lock mechanism on your window bars or grilles? Give us a call today at 303-974-0215. We provide 24-hour emergency locksmith services in the greater Denver metro area, have been in the business for over 16 years and are bonded and insured with a Gold Star BBB certification. Don’t wait to secure your home and compromise on your window locks!