There’s a wide variety of exterior door hinge types available on the market today – each with their own unique physical security benefits and drawbacks to residential security and commercial security. In this blog entry, the door hardware installation experts here at Green Locksmith Daytona will detail the main differences between common door hinge types today.
Types of Security Hinges
Crimped Pin Hinges
There’s a wide array of exterior door security hinge types commonly available. Crimped pin hinges, otherwise known as fast-riveted or non-removable door hinges, have hinge pins that cannot be removed. They provide great security, as it’s much harder to remove a door from its hinges with permanently affixed hinge pins in place. Disadvantages of crimped pin hinges are that they take a long time to be removed if a homeowner wants to replace the door.
Set Screw Hinges
These hinges are made in a way that only makes it possible to remove the hinge pin when the door is open. When the door is shut, a set screw positions the hinge pin on one side of the hinge, blocking it’s access from outside the door. The set screw is also hidden when the door is closed. Set Screw hinges are ideal for homeowners who want the ability to remove exterior doors from hinges sometimes, while maintaining security.
Safety Stud Hinges
Different from safety stud hinges or set screw hinges, safety stud hinges have pins that can be removed whether a door is closed or open. However, when pins are removed, a set of safety studs in the hinge plates prevents both hinges from being separated – which, in turn, prevents the door from being able to get removed by an intruder. Traditional door hinges can even be transformed into safety stud hinges by replacing one or more of the hinge plate screws with safety studs!
How to Secure Any Door Hinge Type
- Always choose the proper hinge materials. Make sure hinges are made of corrosion and rust-proof steel, rather than traditional carbon steel or other metal types that are susceptible to rusting or corrosion.
- Make sure to install the proper hinge plate screws onto your doors. Hinge plate screws should be at LEAST 3 inches, ideally extending into the door itself.
- Make sure to always install extra hinges on very wide doors. If your exterior door is more than 37 inches wide, install an extra door hinge on it besides the requisite single hinge for every 30 inches of height, in order to prevent your door hinges from weakening over time from the weight.