Gate Latch
Gate Latch
Gate Latch
Securing Your Wooden Garden Gate
There are quite a few options for locking your gate. They range from gate latches that have a lock built in to gate latches offer a hole to slide in a padlock, to deadbolts, to slide bolts.
Lockable Gate Latches
These include a lock as either an integral part of the gate latch, or as an addition to the gate latch (such as a padlock slipped through a hole in the latch). These range from the most basic old-style gate latch that you tie a pull-string to, through highly engineered latches that have a lock as a part of the design. All lockable gate latches are lockable on one-side only (the inside of the gate, usually in the yard).
Deadbolts
Sometimes you fall in love with a particular gate latch and it isn’t lockable, but you need some measure of security on the gate. A deadbolt is a really good option. Installing a deadbolt requires some tools and skill, but it looks and functions well. Generally, the bolt is installed in addition to a latch. You can likely find one that has the same finish as your latch.
There are two options for deadbolts: single cylinder or double cylinder. Single cylinder means that there is a knob on the inside of the gate and a keyed side on the outside of the gate. If you need to lock your garden gate from both sides, a double cylinder bolt is the ticket. You’ll have a keyed side on both sides of the gate. If you only need the security occasionally, you can leave the deadbolt disengaged until you need it. Deadbolts ar slightly technical as far as installation goes–there is some boring that’s required in the internal guts of the gate and jamb.
Other Options
Another possibility for a lockable gate latch is to use the deadbolt as a latch. The benefit is that you only need one piece of hardware. The downside is that you’ll need a key to open the gate from the street-side of the gate (or both sides of the gate if you choose a double cylinder deadbolt). You’ll also always need to latch the deadbolt by hand, rather than having a gate latch that’s self-latching.
One new option on the scene is the Emtek Keypad Deadbolt Lockset. Available in either sandcast tan or brass, the lockset allows you to enter the gate without a key, by entering a key code of your choosing. It also has a place to use the key if you’d like. On the inside of the gate you just turn the knob and lock it up. Due to the electronics inside this bolt set, Emtek recommends it be used only on gates in protected areas (if open to a lot of seasonal rain) or in areas of low rainfall.
Slide Bolts and Barrel Bolts
Whereas deadbolts ar operable from both sides of the gate, slidebolts, barrel bolts and others like them ar installed on the inside (yard-side) of the gate. They are installed as an extra measure above or below a non-locking gate latch. To engage the lock, you slide the barrel into the catch and it prevents the gate from being open from either side. These types of bolts are surface-mounted to the face of the gate.
Category: Gate Latch
Tags: Farm Gate Latch, Fence Gate Latch, Gate Latch, Locking Gate Latch, Wooden Gate Latch
