Types of Door Locks for the Exterior

Three door locks

There are many types of door locks to secure a residential, commercial, or industrial structure. An exterior door lock is your first line of defense in preventing unwanted entries and securing your properties. Various types of exterior door locks include entry lock sets, exterior locks, or keyed locks. These exterior locks offer more durability and sturdiness compared to lock sets for interior doors.

Features of Exterior Door Locks

installing a deadbolt

One exterior type of door lock is the entry lock set. This particular type of security may be locked and unlocked from the inside and outside of the door using a key or a button. If security is a great concern, there are exterior doors that use deadbolts which could come as part of a lock set or as a separate lock. There is a double-cylinder deadbolt that uses a key to both sides of the door.

This is the practical type to use for doors with windows. Patio door locks offer security for a structure that seemingly is seen open for light to penetrate. The locks can range from conventional key knobs to the heavy-duty bolted locks.

Types of Heavy Duty Locks

Patio door locks offer security for a structure that seemingly is seen open for light to penetrate. The locks can range from conventional key knobs to the heavy-duty bolted locks. This type is favored among exterior entrances. The conventional patio door lock set features a retractable bolt that stretches into the frame of the adjacent door. Another heavy duty lock is the foot bolt which connects to the bottom part of the patio door interior.

This lock features a retractable spring bolt that slides over the door’s sill into a hole of a concrete or wood material. A sliding door latch is favorable for a sliding patio door. The feature of this exterior is the “J” shaped bar that works for the wall and door-mounted plates. When installed, the sliding door is stopped from sliding. The other common lock is the door chain lock that is installed connecting the chain from the door to the wall. The chain is hung from a plate. This security lock is mostly installed at hotel rooms. There is a specialized kind of door chain lock that comes with a keyed lock which allows for the release of the chain from the outside of the door.

Types of Exterior Locks for Moderate Security

remote to a keyless door lock

A typical exterior door lock is made up of a doorknob that enables locking the inside and outside of the door. To lock the inside, there is a button by the knob that simply needs to be pressed inwards. A key is used to unlock it from the outside. The deadbolt is used for heavier security which works when the bolt moves from the knob mechanism into a hole along the deadbolt frame. It works with a key on the outside and knob-turning on the inside. The other security lock is the surface-mount deadbolt featuring a D-shaped housing that is attached to the back of the door. A more high-tech kind of lock is the keyless lock.