We are having repetitive issues with lever sets breaking– are there preventative measures I can take, or an alternative to the lever sets we’re currently using?
This can be one of the easiest issues to address when it comes to your locking hardware. The first step is troubleshooting – in order to determine if the issue is with the hardware itself, or if there are other issues causing the lock failure is to verify the hardware grade of your current lever set. The easiest way to do this is by looking up the part number on the manufacturer’s website.
Hardware grades are a set of minimum performance standards that apply to products. The standards are developed by ANSI/BHMA, and can also be used as a way to determine appropriate hardware application. Your lever set will fall into one of three grades.
Hardware Grades
- Grade 1 hardware is made for heavy-duty commercial usage
- Grade 2 is made for light-duty commercial usage
- Grade 3 is made for residential usage
Hardware Grades – What’s the Difference?
Hardware grade determination is based on durability, lifecycle expectancy, and application uses – the predominant being the number of cycles (uses) a product will withstand before replacement. As grade three lever sets are designed for residential usage, they are built to withstand a low cycle count. If installed in a high-use environment, grade 3 levers will quickly need replacing.
Hardware Grades – Troubleshooting Your Current Hardware
If your facility is currently using grade three residential lever sets, I can all but guarantee that is a majority of the problem. We recommend replacing all of the grade three products to grade one or grade two. The return on your initial investment will be clear in performance immediately, and you will quickly realize you’re calling your locksmith a lot less frequently.
If your hardware is rated as grade two, it’s important to remember a couple of things: grade two lever sets are designed for light-duty commercial applications, so if you’re facility has regular daily traffic of 100+ patrons – it’s simply being over worked.
There are plenty of facilities that are perfectly satisfied with grade twos as long as the traffic is on the light end of the spectrum – which makes it equally as important to remember that, unlike grade ones, all grade twos are not created equal. The minimum standards set by ANSI/BHMA are just that, a minimum. While some grade two lever sets will perform at the higher end of the cycle count, others will barely surpass that threshold. I recommend consulting a lock company to determine the quality of the product and decide if upgrading to a higher quality grade two or a grade one lever set would make sense.
It’s possible that the door could be hitting something that’s helping to damage the lock – do a quick walkaround to verify that’s nothing in the door’s opening path. While you’re there – does the door have a closer? If not, consider adding one to control the door and prevent slamming. If it does, have a door/lock technician adjust it properly. The door shouldn’t be hitting a wall or any other objects directly impacting the lock or allowing it to slam and jarring the lock. This repetitive abuse will wear down hardware much faster than it is designed to.
If you went for the gold and installed grade one levers but you’re still having issues, there’s hope for you yet. The lackluster performance could be a result of improper application (an office door lever set sees a lot less traffic than a public restroom’s lever set), or there could be a defect in the product line. As always, proper installation is crucial in hardware performing the way it was designed and intended to; if there are underlying door issues or the hardware was installed poorly – there will be performance issues throughout the entirety of the door hardware.
In order to see the best results, you should consult with a lock company to determine the root cause of the issue and map a plan for resolution.
I can’t stress this enough – it’s important to bear in mind that while the higher grade locks have a higher initial cost, the lifetime cost of the lock decreases as the grade increases. Take a look at the chart below.
It’s easy to see that your maintenance costs are much higher with locks of lower hardware grades. If you find yourself scratching your head during this process, a door specialist at LockNet is always available to troubleshoot. Good luck!
Jeff Kirkner, AHC
Project Manager
Google