Why won't my panic bar door latch or lock?

It is closing time and the back door of the shop will not stay locked. Or the bar on the office exit door pushes in and stays in, and the door swings open in the wind. Or the outside lever has stopped letting anyone in. A push bar, also called a panic bar or exit device, is a simple machine, and when it misbehaves the cause is almost always one of a short list.

This guide covers business, apartment, and residential doors only. Roger does not handle vehicles of any kind.

First, how a panic bar works

Pushing the bar pulls the latch back so the door opens from the inside without a key. That is the whole point of the device: anyone inside has to be able to get out in one motion, with no key and no special knowledge. When you let go, a spring pushes the bar back out and the latch springs back into the strike on the frame.

There are three common styles. A rim device has one latch on the edge of the door that catches a strike on the frame. A vertical rod device has rods running up and down inside or along the door, with latches at the top and bottom instead of the side, which is common on double doors. A mortise device works a lock body built into the edge of the door. Knowing which you have narrows the problem fast.

Why the door will not lock

• It is dogged. Most non-fire-rated panic bars have a dogging feature, a small hex key or cylinder on the bar that holds it pushed in so the latch stays retracted during business hours. If someone dogged it and nobody undogged it, the door will push open from both sides. Look for a small hole near the end of the bar. Turn the dogging key the other way and the bar should spring back out.
• The latch is not reaching the strike. The door closes but the latch rides past the edge of the strike or stops short of it. Look for fresh scrape marks on the strike plate. Loose hinges, a sagging door, or a strike that has worked loose are the usual causes.
• The closer is not finishing the job. If the door stops an inch short or drifts shut too slowly, the latch never gets a firm push into the strike. This is especially common once the weather turns cold. See the door closer guide linked below.
• The outside trim is set wrong or worn. The lever or pull on the outside is what controls whether people can get in. If its cylinder or internal parts are worn, the outside can stay free when it should be locked.

Why the bar sticks or the door drifts open

• The bar stays pushed in. A broken return spring, a bent bar, or dirt in the mechanism keeps the latch from springing back. The door then opens with a light push from outside.
• A bottom rod is bent or dragging. On vertical rod devices, the bottom rod and latch take a beating from carts, mops, and feet. A bent rod or a bottom latch packed with grit stops the top latch from catching too. Many building owners have the bottom rod removed entirely for this reason, which a locksmith can do the right way on doors where it is allowed.
• The top latch is out of adjustment. On a vertical rod device, the top latch has to hold the door, and if it is set too short it releases with a shove.
• Building pressure. On a windy day, or when the heating or cooling is pushing air through the building, a door with a weak closer can be pulled open past a latch that barely caught.

What is safe to check yourself

• Look for the dogging hole on the bar and try the dogging key in both directions. A bar that was simply left dogged is the most common call that turns out to be nothing broken.
• Close the door slowly by hand and watch where the latch meets the strike. If it hits the edge, the strike or the door is out of line.
• Tighten the screws you can see: the hinge screws, the strike plate screws, and the end cap screws on the bar. If screws spin without biting, stop and leave it for a locksmith.
• Clean out the bottom latch and the hole in the floor or threshold on a vertical rod device. Grit and debris in that hole stop the latch from dropping.
• Check the closer body for oil. A leaking closer cannot be refilled, and it needs replacing.

What not to do

• Never chain, padlock, bar, or block an exit door so it cannot be opened from the inside, even overnight and even if the bar is broken. Exit doors have to open from the inside without a key. That is a life-safety rule, and a blocked exit door is how people get trapped in a fire. If the bar is not securing the door, get it repaired, not locked shut.
• Do not add a slide bolt, hasp, or second deadbolt to an exit door to make up for a failing bar. Anything that adds a second motion or a key on the inside defeats the device.
• Do not dog down a fire-rated door, and do not wedge one open. Fire exit hardware is built without dogging on purpose, because a fire door has to close and latch on its own. If a fire door needs to stay open during the day, a locksmith can talk you through hold-open hardware that releases when the fire alarm sounds.
• Do not remove or rewire an electrified bar, a door alarm, or an access control reader. Electrified hardware is tied into the building's power and often the fire alarm. Anything behind a cover plate on an electrified device is pro-only work.

Adjust, repair, or replace

Many panic bar calls are small: an undogged bar, a strike moved a fraction of an inch, a bottom latch cleaned out, or a closer adjusted for the season. Worn return springs, bent rods, and tired outside trim are normal repairs. A bar that is cracked, badly bent from abuse, or so old that parts are no longer made is usually a replacement, and the locksmith can match a new device to the door, its rating, and how the building uses it.

What moves the price is the type of device (rim, vertical rod, or mortise), whether it is fire rated or electrified, whether it is an adjustment or a replacement, whether the closer or hinges also need work, and whether it is after hours. You see a qualitative range up front, and the locksmith confirms the price in person after seeing the door.

Booking through Roger

Describe the door: business, apartment building, or home, single or double door, whether the latch is on the side or at the top and bottom, and what it does now (will not lock, drifts open, bar stays in, outside lever will not open). A photo of the bar and the label on the end cap helps. Roger books one vetted local locksmith and confirms the appointment, so you know which company is coming. Home and business only.

You can describe the problem on rogerrepair.com and get one locksmith booked.