Thumb turn locks or not?

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Annie1960
Annie1960 Posts: 3,002 Forumite
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in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving
What are the pros/cons of a thumb turn lock on the front door?

I went to visit a door company today to find out, and was rather overwhelmed by all the options.
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  • lovinituk
    lovinituk Posts: 5,711 Forumite
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    Main thing to watch out for is that they can't be accessed by someone putting an arm or wire through the letterbox from the outside and opening them. You can buy internal letter box shields that make it difficult for someone to direct anything upwards towards the thumb turn.
  • TheCyclingProgrammer
    TheCyclingProgrammer Posts: 3,702 Forumite
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    Have never been sure about them, I guess it's the same as leaving the key in the door and the advice is generally not to do this.

    Having said that, we have a Yale keyfree lock on our front door which doesn't require a key to lock the door on the inside, you just push in a little button on the handle and lift it to engage the locks, and press the same button and pull the handle down to open it.

    I dont think anyone could operate it from the letter box but if somebody smashed the glass (which is laminated) they could probably reach in and open the door if they could figure out how it works. This is on a door rated Secure By Design.

    I suppose if somebody is willing to smash glass to gain entry they could just as easily smash a window.
  • Elfbert
    Elfbert Posts: 578 Forumite
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    Pros - don't have to find your keys to get out in an emergency. Or just to answer the door, when you know you had your keys RIGHT HERE just 2 seconds ago..... Aren't tempted to leave keys within 'fishing' distance because of the above.

    Cons - could potentially be opened by someone reaching in.

    (I have a thumb turn lock. No letterbox, no window to smash, so I prefer it. I think it depends on your front door!)
    Mortgage - £[STRIKE]68,000 may 2014[/STRIKE] 45,680.
  • stator
    stator Posts: 7,441 Forumite
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    Insurance companies don't like thumbturn locks. You will have to answer 'no' when it asks if you have decent locks on all doors and windows.
    Changing the world, one sarcastic comment at a time.
  • Chrishazle
    Chrishazle Posts: 609 Forumite
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    Not sure you're correct on that Stator - I've had thumbturn locks on all 4 external doors for years, never been asked about them by my insurance company. OK, mine are anti-snap, anti-drill, anti-bump on doors that do not have a letter box, so as far as I'm concerned they are decent secure locks!
  • Annie1960
    Annie1960 Posts: 3,002 Forumite
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    I'll give my insurance company a ring before I make a final decision to get a definitive answer on this point.
  • stator
    stator Posts: 7,441 Forumite
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    Chrishazle wrote: »
    Not sure you're correct on that Stator - I've had thumbturn locks on all 4 external doors for years, never been asked about them by my insurance company. OK, mine are anti-snap, anti-drill, anti-bump on doors that do not have a letter box, so as far as I'm concerned they are decent secure locks!
    If they have a thumb turn they won't be BS standard locks though
    Changing the world, one sarcastic comment at a time.
  • lovinituk
    lovinituk Posts: 5,711 Forumite
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    stator wrote: »
    If they have a thumb turn they won't be BS standard locks though
    Really? For example....

    http://www.lockandkey.co.uk/products/yale-superior-bs-ts007-thumb-turn-anti-snap-euro-cylinder-%C2%A319.50-ex-vat-t30/30-nickel-29290.aspx

    States its TS007 British Standard.
  • TheCyclingProgrammer
    TheCyclingProgrammer Posts: 3,702 Forumite
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    stator wrote: »
    Insurance companies don't like thumbturn locks. You will have to answer 'no' when it asks if you have decent locks on all doors and windows.

    Not seen that on any home insurance application I've ever filled out. For uPVC/composite doors, they just want to know that you have multi-point locks. No requirement for BS approved cylinders normally if you have a PAS24/insurance approved door set.
  • TheCyclingProgrammer
    TheCyclingProgrammer Posts: 3,702 Forumite
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    lovinituk wrote: »
    Really? For example....

    http://www.lockandkey.co.uk/products/yale-superior-bs-ts007-thumb-turn-anti-snap-euro-cylinder-%C2%A319.50-ex-vat-t30/30-nickel-29290.aspx

    States its TS007 British Standard.

    Brisant also do a thumbturn version of their Ultion lock, 3* Diamond Secure:

    http://www.multipointlocks.co.uk/cylinders/high-security-cylinders/brisant-ultion-thumb-turn-cylinder.html
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