Panic Bar Installation and Repair in Milwaukee

Panic bar problems we fix

A panic bar, also called an exit device or a push bar, lets people leave with one push and keeps the door locked from outside. Panic bar installation and repair calls in Milwaukee usually start with one of these:

• The door does not latch. It swings shut but stays loose, so anyone can pull it open from outside.
• The bar is hard to push or sticks. Worn parts or a bent latch make the bar drag.
• The latch stays pulled back. The door locks only when someone pulls it shut by hand.
• The outside key or lever does nothing. The trim or the cylinder no longer reaches the latch.
• A rod latch misses. On a vertical rod device, the top or the bottom latch no longer finds its strike.
• The bar is loose or bent. After years of carts, deliveries, or a forced entry.

A panic bar repair usually takes 30 to 60 minutes, and a new installation about 2 to 3 hours.

Kinds of panic bars

• Rim devices. One latch on the edge of the door that catches a strike on the frame. The most common kind on single doors.
• Vertical rod devices. Rods run up and down the door to latches at the top and the bottom. Used on double doors, on the surface or hidden inside the door.
• Mortise devices. The bar works a mortise lock set inside the door, with a strong latch and a cylinder outside.

We work with Von Duprin, Detex, Sargent, Precision, Falcon, Yale, Corbin Russwin, and other common brands, and we bring the parts for the usual repairs.

Outside trim and keys

From outside, a panic bar door can show nothing at all, a key cylinder, or a lever with a cylinder. An exit-only door has no trim. A night latch trim lets staff open it with a key. A lever trim lets people in when it is unlocked and keeps them out when it is locked. We install or change the trim and rekey the cylinder to the building's key, so the back door does not need its own key.

Dogging: open during business hours

Many panic bars have dogging, a small hex key or a cylinder that holds the latch pulled back. During business hours the door works as push and pull, without the latch clicking every time. At closing, the bar is undogged and the door latches again. When dogging no longer holds, or the hex key is lost, we repair the bar or add cylinder dogging, so only staff with the key can set it.

Installing a new panic bar

A new device starts with measuring: the door width, the stile, the frame, and whether the door is single or double. We mount the bar, set the strike or the rods, fit the outside trim, and adjust the latch so the door closes and latches on its own. A panic bar works with the door closer above it, so we check the door closer on the same visit. Our answer on when panic bars are required explains the building code rules.