Commercial
Panic bars and exit door locks, fitted and repaired
We fit and replace panic bars and exit devices on business doors, and adjust how they latch.
Where
South-eastern Pennsylvania
What we cover
Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Lancaster County and Philadelphia
How we work
We are a mobile locksmith. We come to you.
What this covers
Panic bar installation fits or replaces the push bar on an exit door: the bar or pad people push to get out, the latch it works, and the trim on the outside. It is the hardware on rear doors, side exits and busy entrances, where people need to leave by pushing rather than turning a knob. We also replace worn or broken exit devices and adjust existing ones.
How we approach it
We check how the door is used and how it closes before fitting anything. The exit device has to suit the door, and its latch has to meet the strike as the door swings shut. After fitting or replacing it, we adjust the latch, test the bar from inside, test the outside trim and key where there is one, and check that the door latches on its own.
Where it stops
We fit and adjust exit hardware; we do not make claims about building or fire requirements, and alarms on exit doors are outside this work. If a door has to meet a particular rule, check it with your landlord or building manager. A door that sags or does not close square needs fixing first, because no exit device latches reliably on a door that does not close properly.
What panic bar installation covers
Fit or replace a panic bar or exit device on a business door, adjust it so the door latches.
Worth knowing
A door that looks latched is not always latched. Exit devices wear, and a latch that no longer catches leaves a rear door that anyone can pull open from outside even though it looks closed. At the end of each day, pull on exit doors from the outside. A door that opens has a latch problem, and it is far better found by you than by someone else.
Some exit devices can be held open during business hours, a feature called dogging. It is useful for deliveries and busy periods, and easy to forget at closing time. If your devices can be dogged, make undoing it part of the closing routine, or the door stays unlocked overnight however good the hardware is.
Heavy use shows up first in the latch and the trim. A bar that needs a harder push than before, a latch that clunks, or outside trim that has worked loose are signs of wear. Dealing with them early keeps a busy exit door working and heads off the day it will not latch at all.