French doors need additional security on inactive leaf

Question: We have double french doors at the back of our home. The doors have a deadbolt, however they don't seem to be too secure. How can we make them more secure?

Fourchalk: The inactive leaf on a double door should have heavy duty slide bolts installed on the top and bottom of the door. These bolts should penetrate a minimum of one inch into high-security strike plates in the header and threshold of the door. All slide bolts should be bolted through the door preferably over top of an escutcheon plate that wraps around the door to prevent splitting from a kick-in. There are many slide bolts available that offer strength as well as esthetic beauty, so don't let esthetics prevent you from securing your double doors.

After securing the inactive door, you have created a strong support for the active door. A double cylinder deadbolt (keyed both sides) installed on the active door would offer the greatest security. However precautions should be taken by leaving a key near the lock to assure a fast exit in case of fire.

Always check with the fire department to assure you and your family's safety before installing such security devices.