January 11th, 2017Should I Lock My Fence?

We like to think the best of people. Sometimes putting a lock on the fence in addition to locking up the house can feel like overkill, but is it? Depending on how your house is situated, it could be more of a necessity than you think.

Reasons to lock it up

Pets

If you have a dog, horse or another animal that has access to the backyard while you’re at work, you should keep your fence locked while you’re away. If anyone were to come into your yard, even if it’s just some neighbourhood kids, your pet could escape and be wandering for hours before you even get home.

Trampoline

We all know how much kids love trampolines, but similar to a pool they are a safety hazard and insurance worry for you. Eliminate the chance of any issues coming up, and keep it safely locked and secured behind your fence.

Pool

If you have a pool in your yard, you need to have your fence secured at all times (except when in use) for safety regulations. If someone were to wander into your yard and make use of the pool, you could be held liable if injury were to occur.

 

What kind of lock should I get?

The most common locking mechanisms used with most gates is a self-closing latch, but it has to be placed in a spot that is hard to reach. If it’s easy for you to reach over and unlock, it’s easy for a burglar as well.

Lock & Key

A classic padlock with a key is a great option for securing your fence, but it can be a hassle if you do a lot of yard work, walking in and out of the gate multiple times. If you don’t always have the key on you, or if you have a bad habit of losing keys, it may become frustrating. This means you could leave it open for convenience sake.

Combination Lock

A combination lock works great, especially if you have multiple gate entries to your yard. You could set the combination to be the same for each entry point to avoid confusion, and not having to remember a key all the time is a big bonus. Just be sure to check your surroundings before entering your combination, and don’t keep it written down anywhere near the gate.

Custom Lock

There are lots of options for securing your fence. It could be a combination of the classic latch, but with the option to lock as well. There are a ton of choices, so be sure to do your research and pick the setup that will work best for you and your fence.

The backyard is more of an entry point for burglars than the front door, as in most cases it provides protection for passerbys. So, locking your fence is your first line of defense in keeping your house and yard safe. If you are thinking of installing a fence and want to talk about security options, give A&G Fencing a call today.