Panic Bar & Exit Device Repair in Tampa
Panic bars that stick, rattle, or won't latch, and exit doors staff can't open from outside. We repair, adjust, replace, and install exit devices for Tampa offices, medical suites, restaurants, warehouses, and multi-tenant buildings, and every exit we work on opens from the inside with one push.
What's Wrong With Your Panic Bar?
Crash bar, push bar, exit device, panic hardware: whatever you call the one on your back door, here's what goes wrong with them, and why:
Bar Sticks or Won't Spring Back
You push the bar and it stays in or creeps back out. Worn or dry internals, a bent bar, or a door rubbing the frame are the usual causes, and many are fixable without a new device.
Won't Latch, Drags, or Rattles
The exit looks shut but the latch never catches, or it scrapes and rattles on the strike. Often the door has moved rather than the device, so we check both.
Dogging Won't Hold
Dogging holds the latch back so the door works push-pull during business hours. When it slips, staff end up propping the door. We repair dogging, or set it up where the device allows it.
Outside Trim or Key Won't Work
The lever, pull, or key cylinder on the outside is how staff get in at opening. When it wears out, someone props the door. We repair or replace the trim and rekey the cylinder.
An Exit Has to Open From the Inside, Every Time
A panic bar's first job is letting people out; keeping people out comes second. Anyone inside should be able to leave with one push, while the door can stay locked to the outside. Federal workplace rules say employees “must be able to open an exit route door from the inside at all times without keys, tools, or special knowledge.” The same rule adds: “A device such as a panic bar that locks only from the outside is permitted on exit discharge doors” ( OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.36(d)(1)).
In Florida, the fire code incorporates the Life Safety Code: state law says the State Fire Marshal “shall adopt the current edition of the Life Safety Code, NFPA 101” (Fla. Stat. 633.202). Which doors need panic hardware is set by the codes for your type of building, and your fire marshal or building official makes that call. Our job is making the hardware on the door work the way the code expects.
That's also why a chain through the bars or a padlock has no place on an exit: the door no longer opens with the bar alone. If the worry is who gets in, the fix belongs on the outside of the door, with key control or access control.
We Check the Door Before the Device
Plenty of panic bar trouble starts with the door. A door sagging on its hinges, a shifted strike, or a closer that doesn't pull the door shut will make a healthy device look broken, so we check those first. If the closer turns out to be the problem, see door closer repair.
Then the device: the latch, the springs, the dogging, and the outside trim and its cylinder. Many exit devices go back in service after an adjustment or a part. When one is cracked, bent, worn past adjustment, or wrong for the door, replacement is the honest answer, and we'll show you why first.
On a fire-rated door, we keep the hardware rated. A device that isn't listed can cost the whole opening its rating, so listed hardware gets replaced with listed hardware.
Panic Bar Installation and Replacement
We install rim and vertical-rod exit devices: replacing worn-out devices, swapping the wrong device for the right one, and fitting new hardware during a remodel. A rim device latches into a strike on the frame. A vertical-rod device latches at the top of the door, and often the bottom too, which is common on pairs of doors.
The outside trim decides how staff get in: a key cylinder only, a lever with a key, or a pull. That cylinder can be keyed to your other doors or into a master key system, including Mul-T-Lock restricted keys that a hardware store or kiosk can't copy. Where the device allows it, we set the dogging so staff can run the door push-pull while you're open.
Where the exit is on an accessible route, the 2010 ADA Standards put the operable parts of door hardware “34 inches (865 mm) minimum and 48 inches (1220 mm) maximum above the finish floor or ground” (2010 ADA Standards, 404.2.7), and we check that height whenever we mount a device on a door like that.
Exit Devices for Tampa Offices, Shops and Warehouses
We work on exits in offices and medical suites, stores and restaurants with a back-of-house door, warehouses with personnel doors beside the roll-ups, and multi-tenant buildings and the property managers who run them, across Hillsborough and Pinellas. Our techs work in English or Spanish.
For the front entrance, see storefront door locks. For codes or fobs instead of keys, see commercial access control or keyless entry for homes and businesses. Or bring photos of the door and the device on it to the shop at 4556 S Manhattan Ave, open to walk-ins Monday through Saturday, 8am to 8pm.
How It Works
- Step 1
Bring Photos or Call
Walk in with photos of the door, the device, and the outside trim, or call (813) 832-4777.
- Step 2
Quote Before Work
We quote the adjustment, part, or new device for free, and nothing starts until you've seen the price.
- Step 3
Door, Then Device
We fix what's wrong with the door, then repair, adjust, or replace the exit device.
- Step 4
Tested Both Ways
Every exit is tested: one push out from the inside, and the key or trim from the outside.
Exit Door Giving You Trouble?
Tell us which exit it is and what the bar does when you push it; a photo helps. Call Monday through Saturday, 8am to 8pm. Quotes are free, and nothing gets done until you've seen the price.
Call (813) 832-4777Panic Bar & Exit Device Questions
Can a panic bar be repaired, or does it have to be replaced?+
Often it can. Sticking bars, latches that don't catch, and dogging that won't hold usually come down to an adjustment, a part, or the door itself. We replace the device when it's cracked, bent, worn past adjustment, or wrong for the door, and we'll show you why first.
Why won't our panic bar latch?+
On the device itself, check for a worn latch, dogging that's still engaged, or, on a vertical-rod device, rods that have slipped out of adjustment. If the device checks out, look at the door: one that sags, or a closer that stops it short, keeps any latch from catching (our door closer repair page covers closers). An exit that doesn't latch isn't locked, so it's worth fixing.
What is dogging, and can you set it up?+
It's the setting that holds the latch retracted, so staff can push or pull the door without the latch catching. Undo it at closing and the door latches again. Not every device or door allows it, so we check both first; a photo of the whole bar helps us quote it.
Is it OK to chain or padlock a panic bar door?+
Not on an exit. A chain or padlock means the bar alone no longer opens the door, so people inside may not be able to get out. If the worry is break-ins, the fix belongs on the outside of the door: the trim and cylinder, who holds keys, or a keypad or card reader.
Do you install new panic bars?+
Yes: rim and vertical-rod exit devices, with outside trim and a key cylinder when staff need to get in, keyed to your other doors or into a master key system. Which doors need panic hardware is set by your building's codes, and your fire marshal or building official has the final word.
Do you work on fire-rated doors?+
Yes. On fire-rated openings we keep the hardware rated, replacing listed hardware with listed hardware. Look for a label on the edge of the door or on the frame, and mention it when you call.
How much does panic bar repair cost?+
It depends on the job (an adjustment, a part, or a new device) and on the hardware: a rim or vertical-rod device, the trim on the outside, and whether the door is fire-rated. That's why we don't post prices. Call or bring photos for a free quote before any work begins.
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