Let’s start with a look inside a regular Push-Button Release Kit. The usual stuff, with brief explanations of what each item is:
Security Box (Metal, 2″ x 6″)
2. A rod for pushing things, typically made of gold and measuring 11 inches in diameter.
Strike Pin (a round pin 2 inches in length and 5/8 inches in diameter, typically silver)
4. Cardboard Circle, 4″ in Diameter
5. Flange (1.50″ aluminum cover diameter)
6. A button with an aluminum diameter of 3/4 inches.
Seven screws for attachment (often four tiny screws in a micro-sized plastic bag).
8. Plastic Guard (a plastic cover with a two-1/2-inch diameter)
Here are the extra materials and hardware you’ll need:
1. Knife
2. Sharpened pencil
Third, a sufficiently long half-inch drill bit (long enough to penetrate the wall of your structure)
4. Drill
5. 1/4″-3/8″ screws, washers (optional), and a nut driver to assemble the Lock Box.
Drill bit for the screws, number six
7: A Hammer
8. Ruler
Bolt cutters or a grinder powerful enough to slice through a metal rod of at least 1/4″ thickness.
What are we waiting for?
First, secure your window guard using the Strike Pin.
The window guard (hereafter WG) Strike Pin (3) must be securely fastened to the exterior metal framing, on the “door” side opposite the hinge, toward the middle (where a doorknob would be). It needs to protrude from the WG toward the wall, then slide in point-first when the Lock Box is closed.
The Strike Pin must point as straight as possible, meaning it must not lean to the left, right, up, or down. When it’s perfectly straight, everything works perfectly.
If you want to secure your strike pin to your WG, you can use the threads on the back of the Strike Pin to screw in a 1/4″ bolt, a standard method. Still, you don’t want the bolt to be easily removed from the outside, so it must be securely fastened to the WG. Spot welding the associated Strike Pin into place is the most common method, but utilizing one-way bolts or any other way that renders the bolt unturnable will accomplish the trick in a pinch.
Secondly, set up the window guard.
Put the WG in your window if you haven’t done so before. Lock your pin in place by securing the Lock Box (1) to its tip. Suppose it doesn’t; try inserting the end of the Push Rod (2) into the Lock Box’s smaller hole to open it. Install the WG so that the Lock Box can be securely fastened to the building’s exterior via the top and bottom screw holes so that it cannot be easily removed (for example, by prying).
In addition, a hole will be bored through your wall (about 1/2 inch in diameter) in the exact center of the Lock Box, and a Flange (roughly 1 5/8 inches in diameter) will be attached to the inside of your wall to cover the hole. When installing the WG, the Lock Box must be positioned near the window opening while yet being far enough away to provide a 1/2″ hole to be drilled through the wall and, ideally, free of any inner wall obstructions (such as inside framing) for a 1 5/8″ diameter around the hole center.
3. Make a tally mark
Once you’ve secured your WG to your building with the Strike Pin, the rest is a breeze.
We need to locate the little hole on the back of the Lock Box and mark the wall where the hole will be drilled. The Strike Pin can be easily removed from the Lock Box by pushing the Push Rod (2) into the hole. Wrap the Cardboard Slip (4) entirely around the Strike Pin and snip off the excess with a knife to overhang the pin by a hair’s breadth. Slowly shut the WG door until the circle of cardboard touches the wall, and then trace the process with a pencil.
4. Drill
The Push Rod will fit into a hole 3/8 inches in diameter. However, I recommend using a 1/2″ bit because it provides more room for error and is easily concealed. Drill a hole straight through the building wall using the circle you have marked until you reach the opposite side.
Now is the time to secure the Lock Box back onto the WG. If someone were to look at the Lock Box from the inside, they would be able to see the entire little hole drilled. If it is only partially exposed, you must make a hole to access it.
5. Put the safe in place.
If not already, secure the Lock Box back onto the WG. Use the pencil to mark where the upper and lower holes of the Lock Box will go, then open the WG and use the drill bit (NOT the large one!) that corresponds to the screws you’ll be using to attach the Lock Box (these are not included with the kit). This hardware requires screws measuring between 1/4″ and 3/8″ or around 2″ to 3″.
You already know how to do this, but drill two holes above and below your BIG one, then hang the Lock Box on the wall using the screws. Tighten the screws until they are snug, but don’t overdo it yet.
Sixthly, Line Up The Safe
Carefully move the WG toward your mounted Lock Box and close it slowly, but DO NOT lock it. Just what is that? So, you’re saying that the Strike Pin is misaligned? You can relax now; I’m almost done.
Use your hammer to tap the Lock Box in the direction you want it to go. If it’s stuck, it means you tightened the screws too much. When everything is in its appropriate position, you can secure it. Naturally, you may open it by inserting the Push Rod (2) through the wall hole and forcing it to give. Remember that you might have to “fish” around for the Lock Box’s smaller hole before moving it in.
Lock Box screws should be fully tightened once everything is aligned. When everything is in position, the Push Rod can unlock the WG, and the WG can securely close. The hammer may be needed even after the screws have been tightened.
No. 7: Sever the Push Rod
Let’s go inside the building now. Once the WG is closed and locked, insert the Push Rod (2) THREADS FIRST into the hole, and then into the cavity of the Lock Box (which you may have to “fish” for) until it can go no further WITHOUT unlocking the WG.
Even though it may be difficult to discern, you must make sure the Push Rod is entirely inside the Lock Box. You can verify that the Push Rod has reached its final position by repeatedly unlocking and relocking the WG.
Mark the Push Rod with a pencil or marker 5/8″ beyond the interior wall face once it has been pushed in as far as it will go. In other words, we need to snip the Push Rod to protrude only 5/8″ from the wall.
Make a clean cut in the Push Rod at your mark using bolt cutters or a grinder. If you placed it correctly, the end you’re cutting off shouldn’t be the threaded end.
8. Set up the Switch
Turn the Push Rod around so the threads face up, and reattach the Button (6) to the end. The Push Rod is reinserted into the wall, and the Lock Box is reinstalled in the same manner as before. If it doesn’t go far enough, the Push Rod was probably cut too short, and you’ll need to start over. Wrap the Flange (5) around the button and screw it in place by pressing the Flange (not the controller) against the wall. The Push Rod is too long; you’ll need to shorten it if the WG unlocks. If that doesn’t work, press the Button!
Simply attach the Flange to the wall using the included screws (7).
With the other two screws, you can attach the plastic guard (8) over the button and flange.
The end.
G. Michaels has 20 years of experience in the metal fabrication field. He has worked as a welder and installer of Steel Window Guards [http://www.homesecuritywindowbars.com] and Door Guards on residential and commercial properties.
In need of a Lock Kit with a Push-Button Release? Simply navigate to Products & Parts > Open Release Kits on www.HomeSecurityWindowBars.com [http://www.homesecuritywindowbars.com]. Push-Button Window Guards are also offered with an installation already completed.
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