Window security is an important part of home safety, second only to fitting barriers to exit doors. No window is inaccessible to a determined team of house breakers. Whether it’s a ground floor picture window or a tiny upstairs bathroom window, it needs to be defended against a potential break-in attempt.
The choice of burglar bar designs can be confusing, so let’s look at two different types to narrow down the choice: steel burglar bars and transparent burglar bars. Both forms of burglar proofing are fixed, meaning they do not open once fitted in place next to the window. But they are made from vastly different materials with distinct benefits.
Transparent Burglar Bars
See-through burglar bars are made from engineering grade Polycarbonate (PC) plastic. The PC is manufactured into bars that are fitted to the window. It is used as burglar proofing because it has a high impact resistance and is flexible, making it difficult for burglars to cut.
Polycarbonate bars are available off-the-shelf or from security barrier manufacturers that measure, make, and fit these transparent burglar bars. Customised barriers are always the better option because you usually get a high quality product and a stronger installation.
A framed, custom-made burglar bar unit is the best choice of transparent burglar bar designs. The frame provides strength and stability, and the burglar bar unit is fixed into the wall surrounding the window using tamper proof fixings. This is a much neater and more robust installation than simply attaching the polycarbonate strips to the window itself, as with DIY products.
What Affects the Quality of Transparent Burglar Bars?
How effective PC bars are as burglar proofing capable of keeping criminals out of your home depends on the quality of the PC and how it is fitted. The most important questions to ask your supplier are:
- What type of polycarbonate is used – it should be high quality, UV-stabilised, temperature resistant, and shatter proof.
- What size are the polycarbonate strips – should be at least 5mm thick and 30mm wide.
- How are the strips fitted – a framed unit is best to prevent pull-out, not strips attached to the window itself.
- Is the frame treated to be resistant to corrosion – helps it remains strong
- Are the gaps between the PC strips small enough – needs to prevent animals or people squeezing through.
- Are tamper proof fixings used to install the burglar bars – a safer installation.
When to Choose Transparent Burglar Bars
Transparent burglar bars are ideal for the following circumstances:
- Housing estates where conventional burglar bars are banned. The burglar bars are hardly noticed once fitted and give you extra peace of mind.
- Monkeys and baboons have become a pest. PC burglar bars are a humane way of keeping them at bay and avoiding the mess they create.
- Where crime isn’t a huge issue, this is a low-cost, just-in-case solution for windows. You may need stronger burglar bars in high crime risk areas.
- When you need to stop petty theft through open windows. It’s an easy way of preventing this common crime when people can move freely between homes.
- When you want an extra layer in your home safety plan. If other security layers are breached, window barriers physically block entry into your home.
- Homes with gorgeous views are ideal for virtually invisible burglar bars because the bars don’t block the outlook at all.
The one drawback of clear burglar bars is that they remove the visible safeguarding barrier. Visible burglar bars can be a potent deterrent for criminals as they can be put off by the task of having to break in through burglar bars to get into a home. A home that appears to have no burglar bars could appear to be an easy target, encouraging them to try to get into it. So perhaps consider steel burglar bars instead.
Steel Burglar Bars
Steel burglar bars are the most popular form of defence for windows. They’re manufactured in a variety of designs and are made from different types of steel. Steel is known to rust through the effects of high humidity, salt water, and surface scratches. However, superior quality burglar bars are made to resist these problems, keeping people safe in their homes for many years.
What Affects the Quality of Steel Burglar Bars?
Just like polycarbonate bars, steel burglar bars can either be bought in hardware stores and fitted as a DIY project or purchased custom-made from dedicated manufacturers. But also just like polycarbonate bars, there are different qualities of steel burglar bars. The most important questions to ask your supplier are:
- What type of steel has been used – galvanised steel with an anti-corrosion coating and high quality paint is least likely to rust and weaken.
- Is the burglar bar unit framed – semi or fully framed units are stronger than unframed.
- How is the burglar bar unit installed – attached to the wall around the window is stronger than attaching to the window itself.
- Are tamper proof fixings used to install the burglar bars – a safer installation.
- Is the burglar bar unit custom-made – creates a better fit that’s more robust under attack.
- Are there strengthening bars – ensures the burglar bar unit is strong enough to resist an assault.
When to Choose Steel Burglar Bars
- When you need superior strength and resistance. Well-made steel burglar bars are strong enough to prevent forced entry through windows.
- If you live in an area where housebreaking and home invasions are a threat. Highly visible burglar proofing helps deter criminals.
- High rise blocks or apartments or multi-storey homes – robust bars are a safety feature as they stop children and pets falling out of windows.
- Stand-alone homes, small holdings, farms. High quality steel burglar bars are an essential safeguarding layer in a security plan.
- If you need peace of mind. Steel burglar bars provide constant, passive protection when window are open, at night, and if the power goes off.
- If you’re looking for durable, long lasting burglar bars. Weather and corrosion resistant coatings ensure prevent rust, corrosion, and are easy to maintain.
In Summary
Steel burglar bars and transparent burglar bars are similar in that they are both fitted next to windows to stop intruders from getting into a home. Both types also vary in quality, from cheap one-size-fits-all options to more resilient and dependable custom-made designs.
Where they differ is that steel burglar bars are much stronger than polycarbonate bars, and they are also more visible. You can, of course, see through steel burglar bars, but polycarbonate bars are far less noticeable.
Your choice will depend on your priorities, so use the ‘when to choose’ lists above to help you make up your mind or contact a Trellidor outlet for more information to help you decide on the best products for your windows.
