Simple Ways To Select A Security Padlock For Your Home

There is little worse than arriving home to find that your house has been burgled

. Most people make sure their house is completely secure when they are not home, but many forget about the garden shed and garage. Your possessions that are stored in outbuildings also need protection from thieves. This can be achieved by the use of a security padlock, but which padlock is the right one for your needs?

After installing deadlocks on the doors and windows of your house and possibly an alarm system you may feel you have made your home secure. But, what about the shed and garage, how secure are they? The tools in your shed could be used by burglars to gain access to your home. And they won't need to get inside your house if your lawn mower and mountain bike are there for the taking.

For low level security there are lightweight locks. These are usually used on school lockers and letterboxes where it would be a nuisance, but not a calamity, if someone was to break in. Most household uses can be satisfied with a general purpose padlock. But, for higher security and commercial applications high security locks are available.

Padlocks are rated on their physical strength. In general this means the resistance to force which could be used to break the padlock. The resistance to pulling, twisting and cutting the shackle and drilling and sawing the body are some of the things tested. The higher the rating, the more secure the padlock will be.

The security of the key itself is also important. If the thief has an identical key the padlock serves no purpose. Padlocks that are low security have fewer differences in the locks and keys produced. The more expensive the item is you want to protect, the more differences you will want. At the top end of security you can get padlocks that have traceable keys and control over additional keys being cut.

Padlocks are also divided between indoor and outdoor use on the basis of corrosion resistance. There are two ratings for indoor padlocks; normally dry and sometimes damp. The latter are fine for places where some condensation may occur. There are also two ratings for external use. Normal external use is where they will be used in locations that are often wet. Special locations that have a particularly corrosive environment such as the salty environment of the coast have a separate rating.

To complete your home security you need to make sure that the strength of the hasp or chain you are securing the padlock to is adequate. Padlock chains are rated in the same manner as the locks themselves. For a longer life you can also get weather covers to protect both the padlock and chain from dust.

Knowing the value of what you want to protect will help to determine what level of security padlock you will need. The next question to ask is what conditions the padlock will be subjected to. If it is open to all weather an external lock is the best choice. Understanding how ratings work will go a long way to making the right choice.

by: Bruce McMartin.

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