In recent years, keyless locks have become increasingly popular as a convenient and secure choice over the traditional pin tumbler lock. With a keypad, home or business owners can create personalized codes to enter for access. This modern option is preferred by many who enjoy not having to worry about losing their keys in the chaos of daily life. But when you're shopping for keyless locks to ramp up your home security, you may find yourself wondering if one can be installed on your screen door. Since it’s the first barrier to entry, this door should be as secure as your front door, right? Unfortunately, finding a lock for your screen door is not as easy as you think. In this post, we’ll be explaining why you can’t use keyless locks for screen porch doors and giving you some suggestions for alternative locks that will get the job done.
Screen Porch Doors vs Storm Doors
For this blog post, we need to differentiate between a screen porch door and a storm door, because they’re built for different purposes. Storm doors are meant to withstand severe weather and high winds, so they’re typically designed with reinforced glass and metal. This also makes them a solid and reliable security measure for your home. On the other hand, screen porch doors are simply a means of entry to an enclosed porch. They’re not meant to provide any security or protection against the elements. And since screen porch doors are made of materials like wood or aluminum, intruders find them much easier to kick in. Screen door locks can be picked (if they have one at all) and the screen can be cut, but the glass on a storm door would have to be broken.
Which Locks are Best for Screen Porch Doors?
Even though a keyless lock isn’t an option for screen doors, there are plenty of other security measures to choose from. Since screen porch doors are primarily used for keeping insects out and children or pets in, you may still want some kind of lock. Most screen porch door and storm door locks are provided by the door manufacturer, so it’s always a good idea to check with them first when you start looking for a new lock. If your original lock is broken, or your door didn’t come with one to begin with, don’t worry. You still have options!
Keyless Locks: Can You Use Them on Your Porch Door?
Overall, you can see how storm doors are a better protective option than screen porch doors. But those doors are not accessible to everyone, which is why many people opt for putting a lock on their screen doors. But which locks can you use? While keyless locks might seem like an easy fix, they actually can’t do much for your screen door. Ultimately, you can’t install keyless locks for screen porch doors (or storm doors, for that matter). Since these doors are usually only around one inch thick, they’re too thin for a standard keyless lock to be installed on them.
At Direct Door Hardware, we have a few options for screen door locks for you to choose from. These locks are designed for use on solid wood screen doors that are 1” to 1 ¾” thick. The Emtek Arch Style Screen Door Locks and the Emtek Rectangle Style Screen Door Locks both feature an exterior knob with an interior lever and lock. They’re pretty easy to install – all you have to do is drill the tubular mortised latch right into the door edge, and you have yourself a brand-new screen door lock. Each style is available in a variety of finishes to match your existing door hardware. Finish options include flat black, satin nickel, polished brass, oil-rubbed bronze, unlacquered bronze, medium sandcast bronze, and tumbled white sandcast bronze. You can also choose between a right-handed or left-handed lever and lock system.
Focus On The Front Door
In the end, a lock on your screen porch door still won’t be enough to deter an intruder, especially a motivated one. That’s why it’s super important to focus on increasing the security of your home’s front door. If an intruder does happen to get through that first door, their entry will be blocked by your securely locked front door, which is the most important part. And if you have a keyless lock on your front door, your intruder will have a much harder time trying to break in. Check out our selection of keyless locks for a hassle-free way to update your home security!
5 Comments
JOE
Hello, I read your post on aluminum storm doors NOT needing a keyless lock. But my home has a screen door that has a handle and a keyed lock above it. I have to fumble with the keys at the screen door to get in and would rather have a keypad to enter the porch. And then when I am on the porch I can lock it before proceeding to the main door that also has a lock. I am not leaving my home with the porch door unlocked. Yes, the storm door is thinner with glass that someone could break and or use a crowbar to break open the door but they could do the same with the front door. MANY of us are looking for a Thin keypad that would mount in place of the lock above the storm door handle. Or be part of the handle somehow? Home Depot and Lowes says they are always asked but only supply the larger keypads for the front door. There has to be a market for storm door keyless entry locks. Thank you for any assistance.
Barbi
I agree with Eric I need a keyless lock for our Iron screen door
Robert Schulingkamp
I couldn't agree more..... Absolutely we need some type of keyless option. Yes the structure of screen/storm doors are not resistant to forced entry but we still lock them. If we need to use a key to open them first then we might as well just use a key for everything. I have found one, expensive, it required some modifications of the screen door but works great. Be cautious the handle may pertrude too close to the inner security door hardware and bump up against it. www.theconnectedshop.com
Carl Kleinsorge
I agree with the comments about combination locks for screen doors! Someone should make one for aluminum storm doors. I have one on the entry door but if I lock myself out as I just did I normally would NOT be able to get in!!! I got lucky I left the glass down by accident on the storm door and eas able to slide the glass down and get past the screen and turn the latch. If it had been up and locked I would have been out of luck! Locksmith time$$$ Someone years ago used to make one for gates and screen doors. Why not NOW!!!
Ryan Bradley
As someone who gets called to repair screen and storm doors I see electronic keypad locks as a problem. As it is, all hardware made for these doors is based on making garbage for the lowest cost possible. I beg the property owners to stop locking this trash, the manufacturers aren't paying people to make better hardware, they are paying them to make cheaper hardware.
Security Screens Sunshine Coast
Absolutely Great Article! Keyless locks for screen porch doors seem like a practical and convenient option.It's good to know that keyless locks can offer both convenience and security for these types of doors. The tips about ensuring the lock is weather-resistant is especially useful. Thanks for sharing!
Michael Prucha
We have an autistic kid and want to keep our front door open and screen door closed to let light in. But he is a flight risk and we can not find a lock that will work to keep him from opening the front door. Please make a fingerprint lock for screen doors.
Donna Laskey
I agree with all of the above. I have a screened-in porch, and my cat spends 12+ hours per day on this porch. She is a very expensive Abyssinian (indoor) cat. If I lock the door from the inside, it prevents a visitor from opening the aluminum door and letting the cat out. As I said, she's not accustomed to the outside and I fear she would run into oncoming traffic, other animals, etc. However, if I'm outside doing yardwork and I want to come onto the screened-in porch, I cannot do it because the lock is on from the inside. If there was a keyless entry for aluminum screen doors, it would be the perfect answer. Strangers couldn't open this door, but I could. Please hear our plea!