One of South Africa’s largest short-term insurers has advised homeowners to check the quality and installation of their security gates, as those sold in stores may not provide the impenetrable protection consumers are seeking.
Herman de Meyer, head of personal lines at Santam, says in many cases the steel used in the manufacture of an off-the-shelf security gate is not of the correct quality or weight — and, even if you purchase the most expensive gate, installation can make or break its effectiveness.
Santam has identified the most common weaknesses in trellis and sliding or concertina-type security gates that result in burglaries:
Trellis-type security gates:
- The steel isn’t strong enough
- The welding is poor and only on one side
- The hinges are too light and are attached to the wall with wooden screws and screw plugs instead of raw bolts
- Too large an opening is left on the side of the gate
- The locks are of a poor quality
- The lock pins are not protected and can be sawn off easily
- Bolt holes are drilled too close to the edge of the wall and burglars can remove the gate by breaking the bolts out of the wall
Sliding or concertina-type gates:
- The steel is too heavy, weakening the rivets and enabling the gate to be broken open within seconds
- Locks can be broken easily
- Lock pins break easily
What to look out for when buying a security gate
De Meyer says the frame of a lattice-type gate must be constructed of at least 25mm square pipe and the bars must be at least 12mm thick.
“The bars must be passed through horizontal square pipe and then welded. Make sure that the hinges are of the pin type and are properly welded to the gate and the hinge plate or fixed frame. Flat hinges do not offer enough resistance,” he advises.
“Sliding or concertina gates must always be attached to the inside of the door in order to offer maximum resistance. It is always better to hire an expert to install your gates.”