Last week, Whitney walked you through the ins and outs of mag locks.  Mag locks are a great solution for securing doors in certain applications; however, like other locks, if mag locks aren’t properly installed, or if there are other issues with the door, they cannot do their job, leaving the door unsecure.

We are a member of the Access Control Specialists Group on LinkedIn.  If you are investigating access control systems, or if you are in charge of managing one, I highly recommend this group.

The other day, a member posted that he was having trouble with the armature plate (the magnet installed on the face of the door) on a mag lock continually coming loose from the door; the bolts kept backing out making it so that the door could not lock securely.

We, along with many other contributors, had three main recommendations:

• Loctite Thread Locker
• Door Closer Inspection
• Door Alignment Inspection

Mag Lock Malfunction – Solutions

Loctite

Good old fashioned Loctite can do wonders when installing door hardware.  It is a thread locker that ensures that bolts stay in their secured position.

You can use either the red or the blue Loctite.  The red hardens more than the blue and is more of a permanent solution.  The blue one will allow for some adjustment down the road should the door need it.

Door Closer Inspection

Since Loctite was the number one suggestion of almost all contributors (including us), it is my suspicion that the individual posting the topic had already exhausted this option.  If that is the case, he either used the semi-hard Loctite (the blue one), or there are deeper issues with the door causing it to jar so strongly that the Loctite can’t hold up.

As we have talked about in the past, improperly adjusted, underpowered, or broken door closers can cause a host of issues with your door.  When the door continually slams, the sudden impact and vibration can affect door alignment and hardware operation.  In this case, the slamming could cause the bolts of the mag lock’s armature plate to gradually loosen over time.

If you are having issues with hardware continually breaking or malfunctioning, the closer is one of the first things you should inspect.

• Do you see any oily residue on the closer or on the ground?  If so, the closer needs to be replaced.
• Is the closer properly rated for the door?  If you are using a low-grade closer on a commercial door, it’s time to install a grade one or grade two closer.
• Is the closer working but still allowing the door to close too quickly?  The timing (a.k.a. closing speed of the door) is probably off.  This is a simple adjustment that any locksmith can do.  If you’re feeling handy, you can turn the adjustment screw yourself.
• Is any part of the closer visibly damaged?  If so, the closer should be replaced.

Door Alignment Inspection

Similar to door closer issues, door alignment issues can wreak havoc on any door hardware, including mag locks.  The mis-alignment can cause the door to grind on either the frame or the floor.  This causes vibrations that could be impacting the mag lock.

Mis-aligned doors also put undue stress on the hardware.  If you are having difficulty latching or locking the door, it’s important to have the alignment checked.  Failure to do so can result in malfunctioning hardware down the road.