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How to fit a door security bar without trapping yourself

Updated: October 2026

A door security bar only works if the rubber foot sits flat and you can get it off in the dark. This page is how to fit a door security bar, a jammer or a bolt, and how you get out again. Prices sit on the [door security comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/door-security). Practise the release once with the landing light on. London Fire Brigade guidance is that escape doors open from the inside without a key. Peter F. followed the amazon.co.uk listings in October 2026, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A door security bar only works if the rubber foot sits flat and you can get it off in the dark. This page is how to fit a door security bar, a jammer or a bolt, and how you get out again.

Our top picks

AceMining AceMining door security bar, white

Best overall

AceMining AceMining door security bar, white
9.2/10about £23.99
View offer
Sandiyago Sandiyago sash jammer, pack of 4

Best value

Sandiyago Sandiyago sash jammer, pack of 4
9.0/10about £8.99
View offer
DoorJammer DoorJammer DJ3 portable door brace

Rank 3

DoorJammer DoorJammer DJ3 portable door brace
8.8/10about £22.72
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Set a floor bar so the rubber meets the floor
  2. 2.An under-door jammer and an alarm wedge
  3. 3.Swing bar, sash jammers, and concealed bolts
  4. 4.Getting out, and when to stop

Set a floor bar so the rubber meets the floor

Close an inward-swinging door. If it opens outwards, stop. Put the fork under the handle, not on a rose that can spin away. AceMining's listing describes a lever and a three-stage bar, and no drill. Angle the foot so the whole rubber face touches the floor, with adjustment still left. Full stretch is where AceMining reviewers feel flex. Pull the unlocked door and feel whether the brace bites. Amazon Basics reviewers report slip on tile and joints separating if you push while you wedge the bar, so check the pins first. If the foot skates, move the rug. Which type belongs on this door is the door security buying guide.

An under-door jammer and an alarm wedge

DoorJammer DJ3 does not use the handle. Slide the flange under the door on a flat floor, turn the screw until the foot is firm, then stop. You need at least 3 mm underneath, and the FAQ puts the upper gap near 33 mm. Inward opening only. Weather seals block the flange, and the maker says most uPVC doors never had the 3 mm. UK reviews say the body can skew, and carpet is less stable than a hard floor. The emergency release is an upward pull. Try it once in daylight. Mengshen sits as a wedge even with the power off, and it is still not a rated lock. Fit a 9-volt battery first. The cell is not in the box. Push the wedge tight, and drop the sensitivity if it creeps on smooth tile.
AceMining AceMining door security bar, white

Testsieger

AceMining AceMining door security bar, white
9.2/10about £23.99
View offer

Swing bar, sash jammers, and concealed bolts

The Defender U 11316 screws to the door and the frame. Check both faces are in the same plane. A UK review says the guard will not meet the keep if the door sits proud. It broke when the door was opened while the guard was engaged, so turn the thumb-turn off before the door swings. Sandiyago jammers screw on, often two screws each. Twist the arm to lock and check it meets the frame. A wide gap ate two spacers per jammer for one buyer, who could then fit only two of the four. Screws about 30 mm were too short for another door. If the screw spins in a hollow section, stop. They are extras beside a lock that already throws. Yale PM444 bolts are a mortice on wooden hinged doors, keyed from inside only. Set the keyhole cover at a right angle to the bolt, and hang the key beside the door. Do not slam the door onto a thrown bolt. Ignore the details-table line that says App.

Getting out, and when to stop

Clear the device before you sleep behind it. A floor bar lifts away. DoorJammer comes up in one pull. The Defender needs the thumb-turn. Yale needs the key in your hand, so a shared escape is the wrong door for a concealed bolt. Leave a fire door or a flat entrance alone unless you can still open it at once. Call a locksmith if the frame moves, the multipoint will not throw, or glass would let someone reach a thumb-turn. Nidirect's 44 mm is the timber thickness cited before a mortice. If the pull-test shows slip, or a plate that will not pass under the door, change the product.

Common questions

How far from the door should the foot sit?
Close enough that the rubber is fully down and the bar is snug, with travel left. The AceMining and Amazon Basics listings give ranges, 21-46 inches and 73.6-114 cm, not a single foot distance. If you are at the longest setting, shorten the angle or pick another device. Full stretch is where reviewers feel flex.
Can the foot sit on a rug?
Move the rug. Loose mats are how this kind of brace walks, and bare tile can still be slippery for the Amazon Basics foot. Carpet is mixed: one AceMining reviewer was content, while DoorJammer reviewers found carpet less stable than a hard floor.
How do I release a DoorJammer in a hurry?
Pull it upward and away. That is the maker's emergency release. The ordinary method is to loosen the screw, then lift. Try both in daylight. The device suits an inward door with at least 3 mm underneath and no weather strip in the way.
What if the swing bar will not line up?
If the door sits proud of the frame, the Defender cannot reach the keep. Extra screw force will not change the plane. You need the door corrected, or a different restrictor, before this guard is the right fit. The listing's breakaway figure was not tested here.
How long do the Yale bolts take?
One UK reviewer fitted both in about half an hour with a drill. Allow longer on a first mortice, and stop if the door is under 44 mm or is not wood. The awkward parts in reviews are the keyhole cover's right angle and screws that round off.
When is the wedge alarm fitted?
When a 9-volt battery is in, the sensitivity is set, and the wedge is tight under an inward door. Mengshen still works as a doorstop with the alarm off. Either way the listing does not make it a lock. The cell is not in the box.

Related pages

Best door security device

Patio door security lock

Door security

A door security buying guide for the door you have

Portable door lock for hotel rooms you cannot drill

Sources

Public UK sources used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures on the twelve listings. No add-on here is treated as PAS 24 or Approved Document Q for your door, and printed force and decibel lines were not tested.

  1. Approved Document Q: security in dwellings (retrieved October 2026)
  2. Secured by Design: doors (retrieved October 2026)
  3. Secured by Design: DoorJammer (retrieved October 2026)
  4. nidirect: securing doors and windows (retrieved October 2026)
  5. Allianz: house locks (retrieved October 2026)
  6. NPSA: enhancing doors, windows and patio doors (retrieved October 2026)
  7. DoorJammer FAQ (retrieved October 2026)
  8. London Fire Brigade GN 11 (retrieved October 2026)