Security screen FAQs - Southside Screens

We’ve all heard people say that if someone really wants to break into your house, they’ll find a way in. While that might be true, most break-ins are a matter of opportunity. Security screens and security doors work by making your home a less attractive opportunity. Installed correctly, they also provide a physical barrier that makes it extremely difficult – if not impossible – for someone to break through the security screen. The quality of the screen and the installation are paramount – security screens must be manufactured and installed according to the Australian Standards. If you see a door advertised as a ‘barrier’ door, it’s not really a security door.

gaite supply professional and honest service.

Compliant security screens and doors will have a AS compliance label attached to the frame.

Compliant security screens and doors we sell are:

• Prowler Proof – ForceField

• Prowler Proof – Protec

• Prowler Proof – Diamond grille (welded and snaplock)

• Starline - Secureview

• Decoview – most designs.

Prowler Proof Guardian screens meet the fall prevention requirements, but do not meet the requirements to be classified as security screens.  

Both Decoview perforated aluminium doors and Prowler Proof Protec doors are made from a single sheet of aluminium.

Decoview perforated design doors have a frame made of high quality T6 aluminium. The perforated panels are punched from a single sheet of 2mm thick or marine grade aluminium.

Protc by Prowler Proof has an aluminium frame with welded, seamless corners. The mesh is a single sheet of perforated aluminium, 1.7mm thick. Frames are available in over 300 colours.

Security screen doors must have a triple lock to meet the Australian Standards. A triple lock has three locking points – that means that there are three locks that come out of the door and engage with the frame, at the top, middle and bottom. The three locks are connected by an internal rod, and all three locking points are engaged when you turn the key or a snib. By comparison, single locks (as used on flyscreen doors), have only one locking point (in the middle of the door), and can often be prised open.

Triple locks are standard on all our security doors - otherwise they wouldn't be security doors!

While security screens are fantastic to stop unwanted intruders coming into your home, it is also important to consider how you would get out in an emergency. It is a good idea to have at least one openable window on each floor, or even one in each main room to provide two points of exit.

Safe escape windows are available in the Prowler Proof and SecureView ranges. They come in top and side opening, in and out swinging styles. Find out more here.

The National Construction Code specifies that window openings must be either restricted or screened in some situations, to prevent children from falling. Restrictors must prevent windows from opening more than 125mm. If you’d like to be able to fully open your windows and feel the breeze, fall prevention screens are the obvious choice!

Screens are required for any window where:

• the fall is greater than 4m and the lowest part of the opening is within 865mm of the floor; or

• windows in bedrooms where the fall is greater than 2m and the window is within mm of the floor.

The easiest way to think about this is – if your child can reach the bottom of the window – or could climb on something and reach the bottom of the window – you should have fall prevention screens installed.

Although the construction standards apply to new buildings, if you are fitting screens to an existing home it is a good idea to bring them up to standard, for your peace of mind and your family’s safety.

Any security screen – ForceField, Protec, SecureView or diamond grille– is suitable as a fall prevention screen. In addition, Prowler Proof offer the Guardian range of screens, which meet the fall prevention standards. Guardian screens are cheaper than security screens and allow for greater visibility and airflow. They are best in situations where you are not concerned about security – for example, second story windows with no easy access. 

Fall prevention screens must be able to withstand an outward push of 250 N (25kg). A screen that has passed the requirements as a security screen is deemed to comply; barrier screens must be tested in compliance with Australian Standard AS for testing fall prevention windows.

Flyscreens are not suitable as fall prevention screens, and should not be used in any bedrooms where the fall is greater than 2m and the bottom of the window is within the reach of a child, or for any windows where the fall is greater than 4m. We will always recommend against the use of flyscreen in these situations.

Although Brisbane is not considered to be in the cyclone region for the purpose of building regulations, it is still useful to know that your security screens can withstand cyclonic wind speeds - especially since Cyclone Alfred came to visit!

Australian Standard – Structural design actions Wind actions - sets out the requirements for protection from flying debris. The missile test shoots a 4kg timber block at 34m per second into the screen; the ballistics test involves shooting 8mm steel ball bearings 5 times into the same screen.

ForceField by Prowler Proof passes the test for cyclone standards.

Security screens must be corrosion resistant and long lasting. With Brisbane being so close to the coast, it is particularly important to ensure that your screens are durable and will not corrode or show tea staining.

Most corrosion problems in security screens occur with screens that are constructed in a way that allows two different metals - the aluminium frame and the stainless steel mesh - to come into contact. All our screens are designed to prevent this contact and reduce the risk of corrosion - none of our security screens use screws to hold the mesh in place, reducing contact between the metals.

In addition, ForceField by Prowler Proof and SecureView screens use marine grade stainless steel 316 mesh, which is known to be more resistant to corrosion than commercial 304 grade mesh.

Prowler Proof screens are completely welded and no screws or rivets are used to hold the mesh in place. The high quality of the powder coating process also helps to protect the screens from corrosion.

Protec by Prowler Proof and Decoview screens are all aluminium, so there is no chance of electrolysis between the frame and the screen, as no different metals are in contact.

Our screens made with stainless steel security mesh provide excellent visibility, and allow clear views out. There is a slight difference when compared with flyscreen, but nothing too noticeable – it’s easy to forget the screens are even there! Stainless steel mesh screens give you a viewing angle of 156° - that’s nearly side on! Protec, made of perforated aluminium, still lets in plenty of light and allows a viewing angle of 135°.

As a comparison, here are our screens ranked from most visibility to least visibility:

• Flyscreen

• Guardian screens (lighter stainless steel)

• ForceField / SecureView (stainless steel)

• Protec / Decoview perforated (perforated aluminium)

• Diamond grille / Decoview lasercut (obstructed view).

  Want more information on stainless steel security screen? Feel free to contact us.

  Related articles:
  Introduction for Welded Gabion Mesh

For many people in subtropical Brisbane, being able to leave windows and doors open to let the breeze in is one of the main reasons to get security screens. Security screens do cover some of the open space of the window with mesh. However, the size of the mesh openings (around 1.5mm x 1.6mm) means that plenty of breeze and airflow still comes through your window. In addition, with security screens you can leave your doors or windows open all day, even when you’re asleep or not home, providing a constant flow of fresh air through the house. No more coming back home to a hot and stuffy house!

Stainless steel security mesh products (ForceField and SecureView) will provide slightly more airflow that perforated aluminium (Protec and Decoview). Guardian and flyscreens provide more airflow again, but are not security screens.

Living in Brisbane, keeping cool is a priority for most of the year! Security screens not only act to keep solar heat and UV light out in summer, they can also help reduce heat loss during winter. ForceField screens by Prowler Proof have been tested under the Window Energy Rating Scheme (WERS) They reduce heat gain and UV light by up to 67% (5 stars) and heat loss by up to 28% (3 stars). Protec perforated aluminium screens perform nearly as well, reducing heat gain and UV light by 62% (4.5 stars) and heat loss by up to 18% (2.5 stars).

Installing security screens can help improve the thermal comfort of your home, and assist in making your air conditioning and heating more efficient.

For most screens, the frame is powder coated in your choice of colour, and mesh is black stainless steel security mesh, black perforated aluminium, or flyscreen. For welded diamond grille screens and heritage aluminium, the grille or panel is also powdercoated in your colour. With snaplock diamond grille screens, the grille is black and the frame your choice of colour. 

For Decoview, the whole door or screen is powdercoated, and the frame and infill can be powdercoated in different colours.

In most cases, security screens are installed on the outside of the window glass, meaning it is easy to clean the inside of your windows, but not the outside. The simplest option to clean the outside of your windows is simple to make sure they are shut tight, place a towel on the inside window track, and use a hose or high pressure cleaner (on moderate pressure) to blast the windows through the security screen mesh. If you require a more hands-on clean, it may be possible to remove and re-install the screens to allow for cleaning.

If you are looking for new security screens and are concerned about being able to clean your glass, the best option is to install an escape window. These are hinged security window screens that can be opened from the inside, giving you complete access to your windows, and allowing you fast exit in the event of an emergency. They’re great for serveries too! Prowler Proof opening windows can even be completely removed for extra easy cleaning. 

Installation time will vary on the product and the fitting arrangement. At Southside Screens, Steve will always take the time to ensure that everything is installed and working perfectly to your satisfaction. As a rough guide, allow a couple of hours for a single door, or a few hours to half a day for multiple windows and doors. Larger jobs such as a whole house or patio enclosure, or complex jobs involving customised fitting arrangements, may require multiple visits over a few days.

We will start work on your job as soon as we receive the deposit. Lead times for all Prowler Proof products – that’s ForceField, Guardian, Protec, Diamond grille and flyscreen – are two to three weeks. Lead times for SecureView are around four to five weeks.

If your doors need tracking or build out frames, we will install that first, then do a final check measure before starting on the doors, to make sure the fit is correct down to the millimetre.

If you need your screens or doors installed at a particular time, please let us know. Faster turnaround times can sometimes be met for urgent situations, for example to make your home secure after a break-in.

We always need to come out on site to provide a firm quote, and before any orders can be started. To comply with Australian Standards, a security door must be fitted exactly. In some cases new tracking needs to be installed, or a build out frame is required, and this needs to be included into the quote.

However, if you would like to just obtain a rough idea on how much your security screens might cost to guide your budget, we can provide an estimate based on your own measurements, for the cost of the door or window screen only. This is not a firm or binding quote, and it is important to note that the final price might be higher, depending on the fitting arrangements, tracking, colour selection etc. If you are interested in an initial estimate, please us with your requirements.

Please note though that an estimate or a quote will only be valid for 30 days. If you are building a house, we are no longer estimating from the plans, due to the number of price rises that are coming through regularly. Please let us know once the doors and windows are in place and we can quote then. 

There are several things to consider and take into account when installing security screens.

Sliding doors require tracks to slide in – sometimes your existing door suite will have suitable tracks, sometimes we will need to install new tracks. This is particularly common for stacking doors, which need double tracks.

Hinged doors may require a build out frame, to ensure that there is enough room for the handles on your existing door and the security door, or to make sure that there is a secure frame to attach your door to. Build out frames may also be needed if your doorway is out of square.

Fitting arrangements may also vary for window screens – for example, if we are not able to properly access your windows, the screens may need to be fixed to the outside.

All this affects exactly how we fit your screens, as well as the final price. This is why a site visit and measure is so important – we need to inspect the fitting arrangements and allow for any additional costs when we provide your quote.

As much as we'd like to help everyone, we can't make it out to all areas of South East Queensland. We service all of the southern suburbs of Brisbane and some northern areas of Logan. We're located on the border of Coorparoo and Holland Park, and basically service all areas within about a 20 minute drive. Unfortunately we are not able to service Ipswich, the Gold Coast, northern suburbs and eastern Redlands. 

Surprisingly, there’s no such thing as a standard door size! The cost of your security screens will depend on many factors, including the fitting arrangements. However, the following provides a comparison of costs between products (door only in a standard colour, assuming no tracking or framing is required). Please note these should not be taken as actual prices for a particular door, but only relative prices to give you an idea of the difference between screen types.

​

Insect screen       $630

Diamond grille     $850

Protec                $

SecureView         $

ForceField           $

What is a Security Screen why you should consider adding it to your home?

A security screen looks like a standard fly screen but is designed to keep a home or commercial property safe from burglary, severe weather, and accidental damage. Crimsafe security screens can be made into door screens, window screens, patio enclosures, and almost any custom egress. Although a security screen looks like a standard mesh screen, they are made from powder-coated, marine grade, stainless steel mesh. It is cut-resistant, bash-proof, and stops almost all bugs from entering your home.

Why would I need a security screen?

Adding Crimsafe Security Screens to your home has many benefits but the most popular reason why people get security screens is for burglary and intruder protection. Crimsafe Security Screens create a physical barrier between the bad outside and your family inside. Unlike rust-prone iron doors, Crimsafe security screen doors can allow you to keep your doors open while keeping your home secure without reducing your home aesthetic. Often compared to window burglar bars, Crimsafe provides security for windows without the eyesore having bars on your home. Best of all, we warranty all our screens for 10 years. With proper care, your screens should never rust.

How do Crimsafe Security Screens stop burglars?

Crimsafe spent 25 years researching and developing its screens to create a product that could not only withstand a physical attack but also hold up to everyday forces. It all starts with our stainless steel mesh. Powder-coated to protect itself from buildup and rust, our mesh is up to x3 thicker than the box chain stores and other competitors. It is extremely hard to cut and can stretch to absorb an impact protecting the door or window behind it. Using a lever tech, our mesh is Screw-Clamped into the frame. In short, the more force applied, the stronger the structure holds. The frame itself has layers upon layers of anti-break-in tech to stop burglars from entering your home. Watch the short clip below to see how the mesh is screwed into the frame.

Why would I need security screens when I have a camera or security system?

Security systems are not true home protection. They are a deterrent and simply monitor the property. A burglar can still get inside a home even with alarms and cameras. Even if an alarm is triggered, chances are the intruder will be in and out before any help can reach the property. Crimsafe Security Screens stop criminals from ever getting inside your home. To read more about all the differences between Systems and Crimsafe, click here.

I live in a safe area; I don’t need home security.

Unfortunately, the world isn’t always safe, and things happen. “Safe” communities are being affected by burglary more and more. Being prepared is never a bad thing. Crimsafe Security Screens are also more than a security screens. They are pet friendly, are solar screens, can reduce heat gain and UV, and add air circulation to your home. To read about all the other benefits of Crimsafe Security Screens, read our Crimsafe Full Benefits blog.

How do I get Crimsafe Security Screens for my home and how much do they cost?

Crimsafe works through a network of distributors across North America. These Dealers have been vetted and trained to ensure you are partnered with installers that match our level of customer service. All screens are custom-made to your exact door, window, or patio. Because of this, we cannot quote the project site unseen. All Dealers provide free, no-obligation quotes with in-home or virtual visits. To find security screens near you, visit our Dealer list or fill out our form below.

For more aluminium fly screens for windowsinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.