Panic Bar & Fire Exit Hardware for Doors
By Mike C Business Locks Change • Commercial Locksmith • • • • 0 Comments

Panic Bar & Fire Exit Hardware for Doors

If you own or work in a commercial building or one with heavy public traffic, you will need to meet certain qualifications for panic bar & fire exit hardware for doors. The reason for this is to make sure the occupants have a safe way to quickly exit during an emergency. Your local code requirements will determine which type of exit device is appropriate and needed for your specific needs.

Panic hardware must consist of a door-latching assembly incorporating an activating device. The activating device is usually a horizontal bar or push pad that causes the door to unlatch when a force is applied in the direction of egress travel.

In official, complicated legal terms, panic bar and fire exit hardware need to follow specific requirements that are explained as follows:

Panic Bar Hardware must:

  • Have a maximum unlatching force of 15 pounds and able to be opened without special effort or knowledge.
  • The activating portion of the releasing device must extend at least one-half the width of the door leaf.
  • On balanced exit doors, the activating device must be a push-pad type and may not extend more than one-half the width of the door leaf from the latch side.
  • The activating device must be mounted at a height greater than 34 inches but less than 48 inches above the finished floor.

 

The International Building Code, IBC is the Life Safety Code that requires:

  • Panic hardware shall be listed in accordance with UL305
  • Fire exit hardware shall be listed in accordance with UL 10C and UL 305
  • The actuating portion of the releasing device shall extend at least one-half of the door leaf width and the maximum unlatching force shall not exceed 15 pounds.
  • If balanced doors are used and panic hardware is required, the panic hardware shall be the push-pad type and the pad shall not extend more than one-half the width of the door measured form the latch side.

In words a bit easier to understand, the difference between panic hardware and fire exit hardware basically comes down to one allowing fast exit in an emergency and the other allow a quick exit with some limitations for non-emergency use.

Panic Bar

Each specific device has its own purpose:

Panic hardware & Fire Exit Hardware are two different types of exit devices. The most obvious difference is the lack of mechanical dogging on a Fire Exit Device. Some internal parts may be different and the method it is secured to the door may vary.

 

Panic Hardware – An exit device that is used on a door that is not intended to be used as a fire door. Panic hardware allows the latches to be held retracted to create a push/pull function. Panic hardware is designed to provide building occupants fast egress in the case of an emergency. Because of its durability and ease of use, panic hardware is often installed on doors that don’t require it by code.

 

Fire Exit Hardware for Doors –  Fire exit hardware is panic hardware that is listed for use on fire door assemblies. These doors must be labeled as a fire exit with words “Listed” and “Fire Exit Hardware” and indicate a control or serial number. An exit device that is designed to be used for both panic and fire conditions and is required to be used on doors used during an emergency evacuation in case of a fire. Fire exit hardware does not incorporate mechanical dogging. Fire exit hardware must have positive latching. The swinging fire doors must be closed and positively latched to protect exit stairways, corridors, and other areas of the building from the spread of smoke and fire. They also must self close and automatically latch after each use.

 

Dogging devices are not permitted because swinging fire doors are required to positively latch. A dogging device mechanically defeats the latching feature of panic hardware preventing the door from positively latching when in the closed position. Dogging devices are usually activated manually with a small wrench or tool.

Feel free to contact our commercial locksmiths for more information. 

Business Locks Changing
By Mike C Business Locks Change • Commercial Locksmith • Locks • • • 0 Comments

Business Locks Change

Business Locks Change

If you own or manage a business, the locks on your door is the main line of defense standing between your investment and a criminal or potential thief seeking to do harm, create havoc or damage your company’s good name. You know that your employees and your company property are valuable. You and your employees come in and out of the office daily to help keep the business operating well. As a business owner or manager in charge of an office building, make sure you know when it is necessary to have a business locks change services performed.

Your business is your livelihood. You put a lot of time and invest a lot of money into your company, so don’t take chances with the security of your business or your staff. Take every step to make sure everything is secure by having the locks on your business changed from time to time.

When you have a company, employ a staff of personnel, or have an office away from home, you need to take great defense against unwanted entry from unauthorized individuals who could do a great deal of harm to what you have spent time building. Provide your place of work the every proper precaution to safeguard your place of business and provide peace of mind by changing your commercial business locks.

Business Locks Change

Commercial Locksmith

A professional locksmith who handles commercial needs is able to change out your locks and provide you with a business locks change service that’s done right. This is a cost-effective way of making sure your employees, important work documents or equipment, and your property is kept safe. Whether or not you rekeyed or had a locks change done when you initially moved into the building, the time has come to consider changing those business locks now. There are many reasons why you need to consider changing your business locks in your commercial space.

Change of Staff

You would like to think that each and every one of your employees is a loyal staff member who would never do you or your business any harm. In reality, as a business owner, one of your duties is to ensure the safety of not only your building and property but also of the employees who come and go through your doors every day to get the job done.

Companies that have more than one employee are going to experience staff changes now and then. Sometimes, these changes are friendly, but other times they are hostile. When an employee is out to get revenge after being fired or quitting in a huff, you don’t want that person having access to all of your company’s private documents or to the office and property. Keep your business secure and your loyal employees safe by changing the locks after there has been a major change of staff.

Contract Personnel

It is common for businesses to have employees coming in at different times of the day and night. Cleaning crews or a housekeeping service that you have hired, maintenance workers keeping up with details like changing light bulbs, landscape crews, and IT department personnel tending to computer and server issues are just a few of the many people who have access to keys. Think about it, though, in just one year’s time it is possible to have changed staff members, maintenance workers, or cleaning agents many times over. With all of the potential employees or help coming and going, it’s very likely that any one of them could have lost or given a key to someone who doesn’t work there. Don’t risk taking the chance on countless keys ending up in the hands of strangers who now have access to your place of business.

The convenience of allowing access to the building for those servicing it for a temporary project without the thought of being wokenup in the middle of the night just to unlock or lock a door is sometimes a wise decision. Once the job is complete, however, if you have hired contract workers to do work in your building during after hours, you may have felt confident providing them with a key to let themselves in and out. When the work is complete and you have collected all of the keys, it’s a good idea to go ahead and change the locks, because you don’t know if any copies were made of the keys.

Lost Keys

Even the most careful and organized people lose keys. It happens, so you need to expect it and be prepared. Especially expect it if you have a large staff of employees who each have their own key. Anytime you don’t know for sure who has access to your office building through use of a spare or lost key, it’s time to have a business locks change done. The cost is a necessity when the security of your employees and the confidentiality of business documents and equipment are at stake.

Worn Out Locks

Even the top-of-the-line, most secure locks don’t last forever. Because of the many moving parts inside a lock, it sustains daily and constant wear and tear that requires maintenance, upgrading and repair when necessary. When the locks begin to fail to work, it’s time for a business locks change to install working locks with fresh new keys.

Breach of Security

If there has been a break in or a break-in attempt at your place of business, the first thing to do is to change the locks. The next step is to consider upgrading your security system entirely.

The benefits of periodically changing your business locks routinely far outweigh any inconvenience or cost. It’s recommended to do a business locks change at least once a year, and to alternate the month or date of the business locks change so that a potential criminal will not recognize a pattern and cash in to do your company harm.

As a business owner, you should constantly be aware of who has access to your company’s property. Find a locksmith who handles business needs. Hire one that is a reliable specialist and an expert in commercial locks. Many companies find a locksmith they trust and build a lasting, commercial business locksmith relationship.

Deadbolt Locks
By Mike C Business Locks Change • Deadbolt Locks • High Security Locks • Keyless Locks • Locks • • • • 0 Comments

Deadbolt Locks

Deadbolt Locks

The FBI reports that 60% of home and office break-ins occur with use of force. Take the extra secure step on your home or office doors by having deadbolt locks that provide extra strength when kicked or slammed during an attempted break-in. A deadbolt provides you with an extra step of safety by adding another point of security, and when it comes to burglars, even seconds that cause of delay can mean the difference between them finishing their break-in attempt or finding another victim. Doors usually come standard with a locking system that has a spring inside the handle. Adding a deadbolt provides extra safety measures that prevents break-ins.

The term “dead” bolt means that the part of the lock that extends into the door frame, the bolt, cannot be manually pushed back into the door like the common spring latch can. The bolt in a deadbolt lock can’t be forced open once it is closed, so it is said to be “dead” when it is in the locked position.

Deadbolt Lock

The three main parts of a deadbolt lock are:
  1. Key-accessible cylinder on the outside
  2. Throw or bolt that slides in and out of the door jamb
  3. Thumb turn that allows for manual control of the bolt from the inside

Deadbolt Lock Types

There are two main types of deadbolt lock cylinders. Single cylinder deadbolts are the most commonly used. They operate with a twist knob on the inside of the door and have a keyhole on the outside. These are really secure in most cases, though if you have a glass panel door, the glass may be broken to gain access to the inside knob that turns the deadbolt making it less secure when installed on glass panel doors. To remedy this situation, double cylinder deadbolts require a key to operate the lock from both the outside and inside of the door, making it near impossible to break open even if a crook has broken the glass on the glass panel door. However, some fire codes do not allow double cylinder locks because of safety concerns in the case of an emergency where you need to quickly exit only to encounter a lock that requires a key to escape.

Deadbolt locks also have two types of bolts, referred to as the throw. There is a horizontal and a vertical throw. On the standard horizontal throw, the bolt extends one inch beyond the edge of the door into the door jamb.

High Security Deadbolt Lock

Even though deadbolts provide an added layer of security from break-in attempts, sometimes a technique called lock bumping allows a burglar to pick the deadbolt lock. Consider this when selecting your deadbolt lock. Some systems offer a special cylinder and high-security box strike plate that is highly resistant to picking and bumping attempts. Also, the door itself and the door frame play a part in how secure your home or office will be.

Of course, even the most secure deadbolt locks won’t provide the safety you need if you forget to remove your key, and leave it for anyone to use, or if you turn the lock halfway thinking it’s fully engaged. Remedy the latter problem by having a twofold chamber deadbolt, and always ask to have the door jamb secured by fortifying the strike plates with longer screws mounted into wall studs or consider a digital deadbolt lock. The vertical throw, also called a surface mounted deadbolt, engages by interlocking with a set of cast metal rings that are affixed to the frame of the door making it almost impossible to pry open.

 

Take the extra step to a more secure lock today by calling a licensed locksmith who will install deadbolt locks for you in a hurry!