Panic Bar and Door Closer Repair in Philadelphia

What Mike handles

His old commercial copy put it simply: he identifies and resolves "KEY" issues, "such as repairing or replacing panic hardware, door closers, locks and lever sets." That covers most of what goes wrong on a business door:

• Panic bars that stick, won't latch, or have a dead outside trim or cylinder
• Door closers that slam, drift, leak or have come loose from the frame
• Locks and lever sets that are worn, loose or no longer lock
• Storefront doors with narrow aluminum frames and their own style of lock

Panic bars

A panic bar, also called panic hardware or an exit device, lets anyone leave by pushing a bar across the door. No key, no knob, no thinking about it. That's why they're on exit doors in stores, offices, restaurants, schools, churches and anywhere people gather.

There are a few common types. A rim device latches at the edge of the door into a strike on the frame. A mortise device has its latch inside the door. Vertical rod devices latch at the top and bottom, often on double doors. The type matters when parts need replacing.

Signs a panic bar needs work:

• The door closes but doesn't latch, so it can be pulled open from outside
• The bar sticks, or takes a hard push to release
• The outside lever, pull or key cylinder no longer works
• The bar or rods are bent from the door being forced or propped

An exit door that won't secure at night is a security problem. One that won't open easily is a safety problem. Either is worth fixing quickly.

Fire exit doors

Fire-rated doors are built to hold back fire and smoke, but only when they're closed and latched. That's why a fire door needs a working closer and hardware that latches every time. Hardware on a fire-rated door is labeled fire exit hardware, and unlike some ordinary panic bars, it can't be mechanically held in the unlatched position. Propping, wedging or tying a fire door open defeats it.

If you're not sure whether a door is fire-rated, or what your building needs, your fire marshal or code official has the final word. Mike's part is making sure the hardware on the door works the way it's meant to.

Door closers

A door closer controls how a door swings shut. Inside is a spring and hydraulic fluid, with valves that set how fast the door closes and how hard it snaps shut at the end.

• Door slams: usually an adjustment. The closing speed or latch speed is set too fast.
• Door drifts and never latches: also often an adjustment, or a closer that's too weak for the door.
• Oil on the closer or the floor: the seals have failed, and the closer needs replacing.
• Arm or closer pulling away from the frame: loose or stripped mounting, which gets worse fast.

On a back door or fire door, a closer that doesn't pull the door shut leaves the building unsecured, often without anyone noticing.

Locks, lever sets and storefront doors

Commercial lever sets see far more use than anything in a house, and they're made in grades for that reason, with Grade 1 the heaviest duty. A worn lever droops, a loose one wobbles, and eventually the lock stops working when it's locked. Glass storefront doors use narrow aluminum frames with their own locks and cylinders, which need parts made for them.

When keys need to change too, Mike can rekey the locks or set the building up on a master key system.

What to send Mike

1. A photo of the hardware, including any brand name on the bar or closer.
2. What it's doing: not latching, sticking, slamming, leaking.
3. Whether it's a fire exit or a door with a fire rating label on its edge.
4. When the door can be worked on without disrupting customers.

Text the photo to (661) 927-7473 or email it to info@aspiresafeandlock.com. For everything else on business doors, see commercial locksmith.