Panic Bar Repair
Alamo Key and Lock provides top quality Commercial Panic Bar repair and Locksmith services in the Houston and Surrounding areas. Our expert Commercial Locksmith experts have the knowledge and experience to service or install Panic Bars. Our experienced staff is highly trained to handle many Commercial Locksmith services for many types of Panic Bars.
No Monkey Bars — Only The Strongest Heavy Duty Commercial Panic Bars
Since panic bars, also called exit devices, are required under the building code for commercial buildings, if you’re a business owner you need to understand what exit devices you need for your business and what options you have.
Alamo Key & Lock has done exit device and panic bar installations and consultations since 1982. Make sure you pass your building code inspection! Hire a professional locksmith now.
Call 713-688-3887 today and speak with a real, human locksmith. No call centers!
GALLERY OF CUSTOM HOUSTON PANIC BAR INSTALLATIONS AND EXIT DEVICE FAQS
Alamo Key & Lock is proud to showcase recent custom installations of panic bars and exit devices for our Houston area customers. If you have any questions or get in touch, we’re happy to hear from you! Contact us.
FAQS ABOUT PANIC BARS
We listen to our Houston customers’ questions and find they often like to be educated about what security devices are available. Here are FAQs for our customers.
WHAT TYPES OF PANIC BARS ARE THERE?
Since there are three different kinds of panic mounting hardware and three different kinds of panic bar designs, plus many styling options, this list could be endless. Instead, we’ve trimmed this list down to help our Houston business customers understand some considerations for panic bars. Alamo Key & Lock hopes to show that choosing and installing an exit device is a task that requires professional and clear communication between you the client and our technicians.
The different kinds of panic bar designs are the crossbar style, the touchpad, and the recessed design. Let’s explain each of those in turn.
We are fully licensed, insured, experienced, and bonded to handle all of your commercial panic bar repair and replacement.
THE CROSSBAR STYLE PANIC BAR
has a lowered bar that latches from the mounting hardware, creating a small out of the way design. The benefits of the crossbar style panic bar are that they look minimal, so they are good for glass doors and other high-finish doors that need to look aesthetically pleasing.
TOUCHPAD PANIC BARS
The touchpad style is most common to Houstonians, and you see these everywhere. There’s a simple push mechanism along the horizontal bar.
RECESSED PANIC BARS
Finally the recessed panic bar, like the name implies, requires a recess in the door to install, but is less obtrusive and sticks out less from the door.
HOW ARE PANIC BARS INSTALLED?
Every panic bar is different and requires a professional locksmith to install, but it’s still important to understand what your options are.
RIM EXIT DEVICES
The rim exit device mounts directly to the surface of the door, so it’s easier to maintain and install, but it does stick out more. These kinds of panic doors are installed on single doors or even on double doors.
MORTISE MOUNTED PANIC BARS
A mortise mounted panic bar has a mortised locking device installed inside the door, so it requires more intrusion and preparation of the door itself.
VERTICAL RODS
Vertical Rod or Cable are simply exit devices that are mounted in a vertical fashion, and are most often used on conjoined pairs of doors. Since they can be installed on the surface of the door or concealed inside, they have some flexibility in how they’re installed.
MULTI-POINT HARDWARE
And lastly the multi-point hardware installation uses both a rim device and vertical rods, so that you achieve 3-points for the latch. Windstorm requirements dictate the use of multi-point exit device mounting.
Interesting Aside: Another term for all these panic bars are crash bars, since in a panic people crash into them. Although not a joke, it does highlight the importance of emergency egress from a commercial building.
ARE PANIC BARS REQUIRED FOR MY BUSINESS?
If you have a commercial building, then yes, your doors will need to need to have a fast egress device, such as a panic bar. In fact, the Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA, for short), requires that at least one door can be opened from the inside without the use of a key. In addition, the hardware for this emergency exit device door must be certified ANSI A156.3, 2001, Grade 1 standards.
HOW DO PANIC BARS WORK
The basic idea of panic bars is that they can allow people on the inside to quickly exit a door that is locked from the outside. Also, the door can be locked, but still, suddenly open without the need to unlock the door using a key or keypad. This would be ideal for after-hours businesses when the store is closed to customers, hospitals, theaters where the play has started but audience members and staff still need to be able to leave, and many other scenarios.
The key to having the door locked outside while able to open from the inside is the dogging mechanism of the panic bar. Locknet has a great and thorough explanation of what a dogging mechanism is if you want to better understand how panic bars work.
HOW TO FIX A PANIC BAR?
Many internal pieces of a panic bar can break requiring maintenance or a fix. We recommend hiring a professional, licensed locksmith to handle all of your exit devices since they are code enforced. But if your device is broken, some common problems are forced and frequent use, poor installation, and misaligned internal rods.
HOW TO INSTALL A PANIC BAR?
We don’t recommend business owners try to install their own panic bars or exit devices. Not only are these devices building code regulated by OSHA, but they are also tricky to install. Especially if you choose a mortice, multi-point or concealed exit device. Because anyone of these more complex panic bars requires specialized door preparation.
WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PANIC HARDWARE DEVICE AND FIRE EXIT PANIC DEVICE
A panic bar is an exit device that’s used on a door which is required to have a panic bar, and it can’t be used on a fire door. On the other hand, a fire exit door can be used on both panic and fire doors, it’s tested for both conditions. Furthermore, the main hardware difference between fire exit hardware and panic door hardware is that fire exit hardware doesn’t use mechanical dogging, which is what fire exits use. For a thorough explanation of the difference between fire exit doors and panic bar doors, check out Allegion’s FAQ page. They did a great job describing the requirements and the mechanical differences.
WHY CHOOSE ALAMO KEY & LOCK TO INSTALL YOUR PANIC BARS?
If customers search for the right Commercial Houston Locksmith Services then they will help you. They will be able to come and look at your Panic Bars whenever you need them. Night or day, rain, sleet or shine. Somebody will be there to assist you and get you back into that office as quickly as they can. Professional locksmiths will be able to deal with the problem in minutes most of the time.
YOUR EXPERT PANIC BARS LOCKSMITHS IN HOUSTON TX!
Getting into an office or commercial building which has damaged Panic Bars is quite a large task. It gets more difficult every single year as locking technology gets better. The right Commercial Houston Panic Bars Services provider will be able to tackle the job.
If you wish to find out more about the Commercial Houston Locksmith Services that we offer, call us. It is our intention to help you get back into your building in the quickest and safest possible manner.
OUR PANIC BARS LOCKSMITHS ARE FULLY LICENSED AND INSURED
Alamo Key and Lock Commercial Locksmiths in Houston TX are fully Licensed, Bonded and Insured to make sure we provide quality craftsmanship and excellent customer service when it comes to your Commercial Panic Bars Locksmith needs.