Panic Bar Replacement When The Lock Cannot Be Seen

Concealed vertical rods are aesthetically pleasing because most of the hardware is hidden inside the door. The problem with repairing or replacing concealed vertical rods is solving the puzzle of how the hardware comes apart. Since most of the locking mechanism is “concealed,” inside the door many of the screws which hold the hardware together are not obvious to the untrained eye. And this of course is the whole purpose of concealed hardware, to make the architecture look clean and flawless, yet work smoothly and offer good security.

High traffic doors on schools and other places of assembly must have panic hardware on all exit doors, commonly referred to in the trade as a “means of egress.” The panic bar replaced in this blog was a Jackson concealed vertical rod exit device on a trade school. The original plan was to keep the doors locked at all times, even during school. The Life Safety Code demands the doors must be unlocked with one motion in a place of assembly. So the doors were installed with a lock which throws bolts into the top header and the threshold of the door frame. Even though they are double doors each door works independently of the other door.

The concealed rods offer another advantage in that hand trucks cannot run into them and damage the locking system. Students cannot hang on the rods or tie things to the exposed hardware. These reasons help the hardware last longer and keep repair cost down. If the school wanted the doors to remain unlocked there is a mechanism built into the device which locks the panic bars in the “pushed down,” position, thus saving wear and tear on the moving parts of the panic device.

When replacing concealed vertical rods, whether it is a three-point deadbolt or a panic device, the door will have to be removed 99% of the time to allow the lock enough room to slide into the door cavity.

This is rarely a Do-It-Yourself project, or a maintenance man job. Your best and most economical option is to call a locksmith experienced with these types of locking systems.