Be it employee theft, safety concerns, or general awareness, there are multiple reasons why organizations need to know if their back of house door is opened.  We have received questions from many of you asking:

What exit door alarm products can I use that will restrict access to the back of house door and/or alert store management if the door has been opened?

There are two main options:

•  Alarmed exit devices
•  Pilfer Guards

Exit Door Alarms – Alarmed Exit Devices

The most expensive option is an alarmed exit device.  Unless the alarm is deactivated by a key prior to opening the door, it will sound whenever the door is opened.  Once the alarm sounds, it can only be deactivated by key.

If you are installing an alarmed exit device on an exterior door, it’s important to make sure that the unit is weatherized.  Back of house doors are often times propped open when accepting deliveries, rain or shine.  If the unit is not weatherized, while the exit device will continue to secure the door, you will end up with a failing alarm.

The benefit to an alarmed exit device is that you only have to install one piece of hardware.  Moreover, you don’t need to worry about additional wires that can be tampered with or door sensors that can create false alarms.

Exit Door Alarms

An exit alarm is installed either on the wall next to the door or directly onto the door.  It operates using contact sensors.  Unless the alarm is deactivated by a key, when the magnetic field between the contact sensors is broken, the alarm sounds.  Much like an alarmed exit device, once the alarm does sound, it must be deactivated by a key.

Similar to alarmed exit devices, be sure to purchase a weatherized unit if you are mounting it on an exterior door.

The benefit of standalone exit alarms is that they are a much lower-cost option and can easily be added to any existing door.

There are a few things to consider when using exit alarms.  Should you decide to mount the device on the wall, you will have exposed wires that will run from the device to the contact sensor mounted on the frame.  These wires can easily be tampered with by either pulling the wires loose from the exit alarm and/or door sensor, or they can be cut.  For this reason, we recommend installing an armored cable to protect the wires.

Another issue with standalone exit alarms is that they can easily be plagued by door alignment issues.  The tolerance between the magnets is generally very small.  As a result, if the door goes out of alignment, or if it is jarred ever so slightly by wind, it will cause the alarm to sound.  In these instances, the sensors will need to be adjusted.

There are a number of both alarmed exit devices and standalone exit alarms available in today’s market.  A few brands we recommend are Dorma, Von Duprin, Detex, and a number of ASSA brands.  Each company manufactures high-quality devices that will surely suit your needs.

If you have further questions or need assistance in selecting an exit door alarm product that suits your needs, let us know.  We’re happy to help.