Sliding Patio Door Lock Bar

Do you use a piece of scrap wood or a hinged bar to secure your sliding patio door from the inside? I'm definitely guilty of using a piece of wood, placed behind the door along the runners to stop anyone outside from forcing my sliding patio door open. Let's face it the locks on these doors are pretty useless.

There are some good commerical options available like the Burglabar and various security bars - but I wanted something a little more minimal.

An elegant solution

Out of nowhere I had an idea to use a metal rod to restrict the door from sliding along the runners. It required a small hole to be drilled in both sides of the runner, but not in the door itself.

After some additional thought I came up with a bent form for the rod that would allow it to be inserted, and then held in place by a small bend that would sit over the rail by gravity. Simple!

Now I have an easily removable sliding door lock that can be slotted into place quickly and easily. And it's much nicer than the ratty old piece of wood that I was using.