Panic Bar Installation in Lakewood, CA

What is a panic bar, and why does the exit door matter so much?

A panic bar is the horizontal bar across the inside of an exit door that opens the latch when someone pushes on it. The trade uses several names for the same family of hardware: push bar, crash bar, exit device, panic hardware. If a vendor or an inspector uses one of those terms, they are talking about the same job.

The reason it matters is simple. In an emergency, people do not stop to find a key, turn a knob, or work out a lock. They push. An exit door has to open from the inside with one motion, every time, without a key or special knowledge. A panic bar is what makes that possible on doors that serve a store, an office, a shop, a warehouse, a classroom, or a meeting room.

This page is about that one job: putting exit devices on doors that need them and getting existing ones working again. If you need broader door hardware advice for a business, our commercial door hardware page covers the wider picture. Here we stay on the exit side of the door.

What goes wrong with panic bars and emergency exit doors?

Exit devices live a hard life. They get pushed, slammed, kicked open with a dolly, and propped with a milk crate. Most of the calls we get for panic bar repair come down to a short list of causes.

• The bar pushes in but the latch does not pull back, so the door stays shut. This is the one that matters most, and it should be fixed the same day it is noticed.
• The bar sticks down, feels gritty, or does not spring back out. That usually means a worn internal mechanism, a bent bar, or a loose mounting.
• The door does not latch when it closes, so it sits slightly open or is held shut with a wedge or a chain. A door that is not truly secured is a security problem for the business, and a chained door is a safety problem for everyone inside.
• The latch no longer lines up with the strike because the door has sagged on its hinges or the frame has shifted.
• An outside trim, such as a lever, pull handle, or keyed cylinder, is loose, stiff, or no longer works with the key.
• Vertical rods or cables on double doors are bent, disconnected, or binding.
• The device was cheap, wrong for the door, or installed a long time ago and has simply worn out.
• An alarmed exit device is sounding, or has stopped sounding, because of a wiring or sensor fault.

How do we handle panic bar installation and repair, step by step?

We keep the process plain so you know what is happening and why. Whether it is a first-time panic bar installation or an emergency exit door repair, the order is the same.

1. You call (213) 577-1366. A person answers at any hour, and we ask what the door is, what it does now, and whether it can be secured or opened right now.
2. We ask about the door itself: single or double, wood, hollow metal, or aluminum storefront, and whether it is a designated exit. Photos of the door, the existing hardware, and any label on the device help a lot.
3. On site, we look at the door, frame, hinges, closer, and the existing device before touching anything. Many exit door problems turn out to be a door-and-frame problem, not a bar problem.
4. We explain what we found and whether the sensible route is repair or replacement, and we explain what affects the cost before we start work.
5. We install or repair the device, set the strike or latch position, and adjust the door so it closes and latches properly under its own closer.
6. We test the push action from the inside several times, test the outside trim and key if there is one, and test any alarm or electric function that is part of the device.
7. We show you how it works, point out anything that still needs attention, such as a failing closer or hinges, and leave you with a door that opens when pushed and secures when closed.

Should you repair or replace the panic hardware?

Panic bar repair is often the more economical route when the device is basically sound and a part is worn, such as a latch, a spring, a trim, a strike, or a cable. Exit devices are built to be serviced, and a lot of problems come down to adjustment and alignment rather than failure.

Panic bar replacement makes more sense when the device is bent or cracked, when parts are no longer available, when it has been repaired repeatedly, or when it is simply the wrong type for the door. A light-duty device on a busy back door will keep failing no matter how often it is patched. We will tell you honestly which situation you are in.

Replacement also comes up when a business changes. A door that used to be a plain storage exit may now serve customers, or a space may be converted, and the old device no longer fits the use. In those cases the right answer is to put on the correct hardware once, not to keep nursing the old one.

What kinds of exit devices do we install?

Exit device installation starts with matching the device to the door. The main families are straightforward.

• Rim devices mount on the surface of the door and latch onto a strike on the frame. They are common on single doors and are often the simplest to service.
• Mortise devices work with a lock body cut into the door edge. They are common on aluminum and storefront-style doors and on doors where the cutout already exists.
• Surface vertical rod devices run rods to the top and bottom of the door, and are used mainly on pairs of doors or where there is no center post.
• Concealed vertical rod devices hide the rods inside the door and give a cleaner look, but they take more care to install and adjust.
• Outside trim options include a blank plate, a fixed pull, a lever that is always locked from outside, or a keyed lever or cylinder. Which one you want depends on whether the door is for entry, exit only, or both.
• Electrified options let a device be controlled by an access system. That work overlaps with our access control installation service, and we plan the two together so the exit still works freely from inside.

What affects the cost of panic bar installation in Lakewood?

We do not quote numbers on a web page, because a panic bar job depends on the door, not on the city. Here is what actually moves the cost up or down, so you can see where a quote comes from.

• The type of device. A basic rim device is a different product from a concealed vertical rod unit or a fire-rated device with an alarm.
• The door material and condition. Wood, hollow metal, and aluminum all take different mounting methods, and an old or damaged door may need preparation before a device will hold.
• Whether the door is already prepared. Replacing a device on an existing cutout is usually simpler than cutting a new door for a first-time installation.
• Single door or pair. Double doors involve more hardware, more adjustment, and often a removable or fixed center post.
• Fire rating. If the door is part of a rated opening, the hardware has to be listed for that use, which narrows the choices.
• Outside trim and keying. A blank trim is different from a keyed cylinder that must match your existing keys.
• Electrified functions or alarms, which add parts and testing.
• Related repairs. If the closer, hinges, or frame need work to make the door function, that is part of the real job.

What about code and compliance?

Exit hardware exists because of life-safety rules, so it is worth being direct about our role. We install and repair devices so the door opens freely from the inside. We do not issue approvals. Whether a particular door needs panic hardware, and what rating it needs, is decided by building and fire codes and enforced by your local building department or fire authority, and an inspector has the final say on your specific space.

What we can tell you from experience is the practical side. Doors that serve as exits should not be chained, blocked, or fitted with a key-only lock on the inside. Latch retraction should be smooth and require only a push. On rated doors, the device should be listed for fire exit use. If you have received a notice, bring it to us or send us a photo, and we will work from what it actually says.

One more point that helps any business owner. California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, and you should ask any locksmith for their license number and check it with the state before work begins. That applies to us and to everyone else who works on your doors.

Panic bar work in and around Lakewood

Lakewood is a postwar planned suburb, and most of what people picture is rows of 1950s ranch homes. The commercial work is concentrated on the corridors. Storefront lock service along Lakewood Boulevard, South Street, and Del Amo Boulevard is a regular part of what we see in the city, and storefronts and shop back doors are where exit devices come in. A retail or service business near the Lakewood Center district typically has at least one rear or side exit that has to open from inside without a key, and that is the door we are usually looking at.

For businesses near Mayfair or in the Del Valle Park area, the story is similar. The street side of the building gets the attention, while the rear door that employees use for deliveries and trash takes the daily abuse. That is where a push bar wears out first. If your address falls within 90712, 90713, or 90715, we can look at the door and tell you what it needs.

Climate is a minor factor here. Lakewood sits several miles inland with a morning marine layer and mild temperatures, so salt-air corrosion is much less of an issue than near the Long Beach shoreline. Damp winters can swell older wood doors, though, and a swollen door that rubs the frame can make a latch bind or fail to catch. If an older wooden exit door started sticking when the weather turned damp, we check the door fit before we blame the device.

Our storefront is at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, and Lakewood is about 29 miles from it. We serve it with our mobile service vans, which carry the tools to work on doors on site. If a door cannot be secured after a failed device or a break-in, our emergency locksmith service is the right place to start, and you can reach us on the same number at any hour.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for exit device work?

We have been in business since 1987, which means a lot of exit doors have come through our hands, from simple rear doors to double-door pairs. We run a real storefront in Westwood plus mobile vans, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, so Lakewood is a normal part of our service area, not a stretch.

You deal with one company. There is no dispatch middleman who passes your call to whoever is nearest and unknown to us. The person who answers the phone at (213) 577-1366 works for the company that will do the job, and our owner and lead technician, David, oversees the work.

We also try to be honest about scope. If the door needs a new closer for the exit device to work properly, we will say so and point you to our door closer repair service. If the real problem is a front-door lock and not an exit device, storefront lock repair is the better fit. And if you are locked out of a business, our business lockout page explains how we handle that. For ongoing needs across a whole property, our commercial locksmith services give you a single contact. You can also reach us through our contact page.

More locksmith help in Lakewood

• Access Control Installation in Lakewood
• Commercial Door Hardware in Lakewood
• Commercial Locksmith in Lakewood
• Door Closer Repair in Lakewood
• Master Key System in Lakewood
• Storefront Lock Repair in Lakewood
• All services in Lakewood

Panic Bar Installation near Lakewood

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