By Alan Zahniser
Door alarms can save your child’s life. They also provide the most inexpensive peace of mind you can get. When you put your child in a safe place, a door alarm can alert you if your child tries to get out, and most do try to get out at some point! Door alarms can also alert you if an intruder tries to get in, to get at your property or your child. Door alarms are an essential part of your home’s safety.
Risk Without Door Alarms. I live in a metropolitan area of about 2 million people. Law enforcement authorities signal a community-wide “Amber Alert” any time there is a missing child. During an alert, news outlets and electric highway signs post bulletins so everyone in the community can be on the lookout. One recent alert occurred because a toddler apparently pushed a stool to their apartment door, unlocked and opened the door, and then wandered away. Fortunately, this story had a happy ending because a good neighbor found the child and was able to return him. However, another recent Amber Alert had a tragic outcome – a family’s greatest fear. Both Amber Alerts could have been easily prevented with a door alarm.
Types of Door Alarms. Door alarms and security systems have improved a lot over the years. Today, door alarms range from professionally installed and monitored full house security systems to simple alarms you just stick on your door.
Professional Security Systems. Today you may contract with a professional security company, depending on where you live, to install a security system in your home and monitor your home continuously. They can monitor any doors, windows, and ways to access your home. They may also offer other services you desire, such as fire or flood detection. You may not have felt you could justify the cost of such a security system for your home prior to this time. However, now you have children to protect from clever intruders. You are also at risk of your children getting curious about or desiring to go outside and then getting lost or taken. These risks may justify your family reconsidering and researching the option of a professional security system. It may be more affordable than you think! I have had them and they can really help you feel secure. Check it out.
Simple Door Alarms. I have also become a huge fan of simple door alarms over the past few years. I have them all over my house. There may be several types and manufacturers out there, but they all probably function similarly. The door alarm type I like is about the size of the “Pink Pearl” pencil eraser I used to use in school. It is split into two parts lengthwise, with each part having an adhesive backing. You attach one part of the alarm to the door and attach the other alarm part to the door frame. Both alarm parts need to be within about 1/2 inch from each other when the door is closed. One alarm part has a small switch on the side that can be set to “on” or “off”. If the switch is set to “on” and the door opens, the alarm will sound. I am amazed that such a tiny, battery-powered, inexpensive ($10 US) alarm can be so freakishly loud! It is awesome, and perfect for protecting my children and keeping them where I put them! The remainder of this article is about these little alarms and how you can use and install them.
Secrecy is the First Key to Security. When installing any security device to protect your child, do not let your child see or figure out the device by watching you install it or by watching you explain it to someone else! Little children see and remember everything. Once your child can disable or defeat a type of security, it will no longer be effective for them. Regarding alarms, do not let your child see how the alarm works, see or understand how the switch works, or get ideas on how to reach or disable the device. Try to install these devices when your child is away, in bed, or away from the area. Yes, it is OK to be sneaky when installing security devices.
Alarm Mounting Height. When you go to install a door alarm on your first door, you want to install it high up on the door. Part of your security is that your child is not to be able to reach it, or to push a chair up to it, climb up on the chair, then climb up the back of the chair and reach it. I measured from the floor up 70″ with my tape measure, marked the spot with a “sticky note” paper, and then installed mine. Now I wonder if my alarms are mounted high enough! How high up on the door should your alarm be mounted?
Calculating Alarm Height. How high up will your little one be able to reach in the next few years? You might have your child face a wall and see how high they can reach on tippy toes. You might mark the wall and remark how big they are. At another time, add their reach height to the height of a chair they could push to the door, which is usually a dinner chair. Try to install the alarm higher than what they can reach standing on the back of a chair they push to the door. You might also find out the height the adults in the house can reach. Hopefully, the alarm height you set will allow the adults in the house to also reach them easily, so they can reset the switches as needed as they go about their normal activities. By installing each alarm in the house at the same height and with the switch always on the same side, the adults can get used to reaching up to the same height each time to adjust them. I find as I go through my nightly house lock up procedure, I can easily verify that each alarm is set correctly, even in the dark, because I know just where to reach up to find each alarm.
Alarming Adhesive! I have one slightly odd alarm installation. It was my first one. It was the one that taught me the adhesive works really well! While I was trying to line up the first alarm piece to install, I got too close to the wall, and oops! There it stuck – and continues to be stuck! It was not exactly where I wanted it, but it was close enough. Fortunately, it was the first of the two alarm pieces installed. I was able to put the other alarm piece close enough to it and still have the door swing as needed. I am glad it worked. These alarms really are easy. My tip here is to just plan out the installation a little, measuring for height, marking where it goes, and carefully sticking each piece so the door moves as desired.
Checking Out Your New Alarm. When I first went to a store for door alarms, I only bought two so I could check them out and make sure I liked them before I got more. You also might want to start slow and check out what you buy before making a bigger investment. If you get the type that have two alarm pieces, get them activated and play with them to see how close or far apart they need to be to sound the alarm. Is it an alarm you can hear? Is it easy to use? Is it something you can install? Is it something you can get someone else to install? Where do you imagine you can install these alarms in your home? Go ahead and install one or two of these alarms right away and see if they work as you desire. If you are like me, you will go back to the store for more. You may even get creative and think of more installations that will be useful. Following are some ideas for installation. I also describe where and how I installed alarms in my home that may be useful for you.
Recommended Door Alarm Placements.
1) Put an alarm at each external door of your home (front door, back door, garage door, patio door, etc.).
2) Put an alarm on the child’s bedroom door.
3) Put an alarm on the door of any room where your child is to stay at times.
4) Put an alarm on each door leading to an unsafe area of your home (garage, workshop, equipment room, basement, attic, medicine cabinet, room containing caustic or cleaning materials, room containing lawn or swimming pool chemicals, hobby room, junk room).
5) Put an alarm on doors to rooms where your child could become injured or where it is not “child-proofed” yet (where they are at risk of injury or death from a fall or something falling on them, from a burn by fire, electricity, scalding, etc. or from drowning, suffocation, etc.).
6) Put an alarm on any door where your child might cause unwanted damage (glassware, antiques, fragile items, heirlooms, hobby items),
My installations.
Child’s Bedroom Door. I keep a door alarm on my toddler’s bedroom door and turn it on at nap time and bedtime. He is capable of opening his bedroom door now but he will not because the alarm sound freaks him out and he won’t try it. While I can probably hear the alarm wherever I am in the house, the baby monitor in my child’s bedroom also picks up and amplifies the alarm sound.
External Doors. I keep a door alarm on each outside door to my house (front, back, and garage). This assures my child stays in the house and keeps intruders out. It also keeps my child away from the in-ground swimming pool a few feet from the back door. I also have a swimming pool alarm and other pool safe-guards which will be discussed in another section.
Basement Door. I keep a door alarm on the front and back of my basement door. I keep the alarm on the front of the basement door to keep my child from falling down the stairs or getting into my dangerous tools or power equipment while I am up stairs. I also have an alarm on the back of the basement door. This way, when I need to work in the basement, I turn off the front basement alarm, go through and shut the door, then turn on the back basement door alarm. This way, if I am away from the basement door, I can hear if my little one is trying to open basement the door.
Workshop Door. I am building a workshop in my basement and plan to have alarms on both sides of that door also. Once built, I will be able to “alarm myself in” while I am working in the workshop. If I am using a loud tool or get distracted away from the door, my little one will not be able to slip into my very dangerous room without me knowing it. By the way, I can only do this workshop work while someone else is watching our child. The alarm will only sound if the child slips away from their caregiver and makes it to the workshop somehow. It can happen because at 2.5 years, he is very clever and very quick! It will be so worth having that extra alarm in the workshop! That is my plan. If you have a hobby room with dangerous items or a “stacked high” junk room, you might also consider putting an alarm on that room also.
Other Alarm Uses. The examples above described how opening a door will set off the alarm. When the door was shut and the alarm pieces were within 1/2 inch of each other, the alarm parts were happy and quiet. Only by separating the two alarm parts by more than 1/2 inch did the alarm go off. The same alarm could also be used on windows, where children may be able to access them and get out, or where an intruder could get in. In these cases, the alarm placement should be in a place where the child or intruder could not reach it and disable it. Any other divider or partition that a child may move and leave their safe area would also be a candidate. We can also put this small, battery-operated alarm anywhere we want to be alerted of someone’s movements. This alarm can be used anywhere you can put the two alarm pieces near each other, so you will be alerted if the pieces become separated. Following are some other possible alarm applications. You may come up with more!
Sliding Doors. The alarm can be installed on a sliding door similar to installing it on a swinging door. Be sure to install at the device at the height used for swinging doors. Also, make sure the alarm pieces will end up “near” each other when the door is closed, but will not be hit by the door or other alarm piece when the door is being opened or closed. Intended here are external sliding doors, sliding glass doors, or partition doors. Pocket doors are not a good candidate for this type of alarm.
Pocket Doors. Pocket doors are designed to open by disappearing into a “pocket” where only the front edge of the door can be seen. The other three sides of the door are hidden in the pocket. When you close the door, the front edge of the door goes across and up against the frame of the door. Since all four sides of the door are either hidden or moving, there is no side of the door where you can attach an alarm piece where it would not get knocked off or smashed. A pocket door is therefore not a good candidate for this type of alarm. The door or frame could be damaged or altered to accommodate one of these door alarm. In an upcoming post, I plan share a subtle method for locking a pocket door so a child cannot access it, so an alarm will not be needed.
Sliding Windows. Alarm pieces could be attached to a sliding window and frame similar to how they attach to a sliding door. Try to install the alarm at a height your child will not be able to reach to turn it off. You may not be able to install the alarm as high up as you desire. However, if you think a sliding window needs an alarm, I would install one, as far out of reach as possible.
Other Windows, Crawl Spaces, etc. Recall the alarm works by keeping two alarm pieces together and then separating them to set off the alarm. With this understanding and a little creativity, you can use the alarm to protect almost any area desired. For example, you could attach the larger part of the alarm high up on a wall. You could then make a little shelf next to the large alarm piece where the smaller alarm piece could sit. You could then attach a string (or fishing line) to the small alarm piece and then run the string back and forth across window, crawls space, or area you want protect. Attach the other end of the string to something rigid with no slack, and make sure the rest of the string can move freely, all the way back to the alarm piece. If the string is then bothered in any way while the alarm is on, the movement will pull the alarm piece off the shelf and the alarm will then sound.
Motel Doors. If traveling, you could temporarily tape alarm pieces high up on a motel door or guest room door, wherever you are staying. Painter’s tape may be able to attach the alarm pieces to the door where you want an alarm. You should then be able to remove the painter’s tape after your stay without damaging the doors, paint, or woodwork. Add a door alarm and painter’s tape to your trip’s packing list.
Camping Door Alarms. If camping, you may be able to use door alarms to keep your child in your tent while you are sleeping by attaching the alarm pieces to tent flaps or zippers (perhaps by also using a string) that will help keep your child from opening the tent quietly. Be careful your child will not be able to disable the device or be choked or injured by your solution.
Purchasing Door Alarms. The simple but effective alarm I describe can be purchased at hardware stores, electronics stores, or perhaps any store carrying baby safety equipment. The alarms may also be included with telephone or other electronic equipment at hardware stores. Online searches would also help you find them. When in doubt, buy more alarms than you think you will need and you will likely find a place for them. If not, you can probably return any unused alarms to the place where purchased.
Warning Others About Your Alarms. It can freak out visitors to your home if they are not aware of the alarms and accidentally set them off. It would be good to explain to them how the alarms work and how to turn them off and on when they need to use a door with an alarm. It would also be good to put a sign on doors containing an alarm.
Door Alarm Signs. Having signs at your doors is a secondary priority and a courtesy for your future house guests. Do it after all alarms are installed and peace of mind is achieved. Once installed, put a small sign on both sides of doors that have alarms. Put whatever you like on the signs. For the side of the door with the alarm, my signs say,
Alarm Is On (In large bold print)
Turn it off by sliding switch on side down.
The sign on the back of the door, where the alarm is not,
Alarm Is On (In large bold print)
If you turned it off when you came out,
Please turn it back on when you go inside.
Thank you!
Creating and Attaching Alarm Signs. I made my sign for the front of the door and my sign for the back of the door on my computer so it would print on a single sheet of paper. I then printed a page per door, cut out each little sign, and used a small rolled up piece of painters tape and attached it to the back of the sign and to the door. I used painters tape, as it is intended to work well as tape and also be removed later without causing damage. While the tape is intended to be removed a few days after being applied, I just carefully removed one of the signs on my door after two years and no damage was done!
Protecting Signs from the Outdoors. My external front door sign is protected from rain or snow by a glass storm door. My back door has a large glass panel, so I taped the instructions for both sides of the door together, back-to-back. Then I used clear tape to attach both signs from the inside, so the correct message can be seen from the inside or outside. That way, the sign for the outside is protected by the door glass. Now I just need to be careful when I wash the inside glass to not damage the sign. If you do not have a glass door or storm door for your outside doors, a quick solution would be to put your outside sign in a zippered sandwich bag or other plastic covering. Attaching the sign a little above the door knob or latch may reduce the wind impact. It may be good to tape the sign/plastic all the way around the edges so water cannot get in behind it. Check this sign often for damage or loss and keep replacing it from time to time as necessary. Of course, you could also go to a sign maker and get a custom outdoor sign to display your message.
Intruder Prevention. By simply having a sign saying “Alarm Is On” with instructions on turning it back on, you will deter many would-be burglars. I recall watching an interview of a convicted career burglar several years ago about his crimes. He said he first goes up to a house just to see if it has indications of a dog, an alarm, or lights on. If any of these are present, he skips it and goes on to the next house to check it out. He said he always found what he was looking for very soon. Having an outside sign about an alarm may provide you more protection than you realize. While we installed door alarms to protect our toddler, the ladies in our house said the alarms also help them feel much better about their overall security.
Alarm Discipline. If you install a number of door alarms at your home and keep them all turned off, it will be a wasted effort. You will receive no benefit and your child will be at risk. Door alarms are very important and need to be kept on. Most alarms should stay on always, such as the alarms to the outside and to dangerous places. You can easily turn an alarm off and back on as you go from room to room at times. You may decide the child’s bedroom door alarm and other inside door alarms can be turned off during the day, especially while you are with your child. As we shut our toddler’s door at nap/quiet time, also turn on that door alarm. We also must remember to top urn the alarm off if we must go into the room for some reason at night.
Nightly Routine. Each night, it is very important to verify that each external door is locked and each alarm is on. You should also verify the child’s bedroom alarm is on. The same person should do the checking or the job should be clearly handed off to someone else. In my house, it is my job to check the doors and alarms. If you are like me, some days when it is late and I do the checking, I get back to bed and realize my thoughts were elsewhere. I did not have a clear conscious memory of each alarm being set. When that happens, I must get back out of bed and do it again so I have a clear conscious memory of checking each lock and alarm. The rule is: If you do not have a clear conscious memory of checking each lock and alarm, it doesn’t count! You need to check again! Just make sure you check each one clearly the first time and you are done!
Door Alarm Conclusion. These alarms really are a huge part of your safety plan. Put them in place and you will be so glad you did. Look forward to some amusement as you and others will accidentally forget and sound an alarm sometimes. Have a laugh and let it remind you they are keeping your child safe!
Go buy a couple door alarms and install them now – – – it is easy!!!