As much as I want to talk about nothing but candy canes and all of the goodies Santa’s bringing this year, I suppose it’s best I at least treat you all to one lock-focused blog post this week. It’s been awhile since we touched on mag locks so I thought it would be nice to go over some of the basics.
Mag locks are one of our most popular products. In fact, they’re so popular, we have an entire department dedicated to them. However, it’s important for people to be clear on a few basics before they run out and purchase them.
Mag Locks: The Details
Holding Force
With mag locks, you have a choice in how much holding force is needed for the door and it can vary from 200 pounds of pressure all the way up to 2,000 pounds.
If you have a fairly low traffic facility, such as a doctor’s office or a hair salon, you would only need a holding force for traffic control. That can range between 200-600 pounds.
If your facility sees a lot of traffic throughout the day such as a popular department store like Wal-Mart, you need to look into a mag lock that comes equipped with a holding force that is best suited for security. Those can range between 600-1,200 pounds of pressure.
You should have a general idea of what the traffic flow of your facility is like and this is a basic guide to the holding force you might need to work with.
Variety of Mag Locks
There are a couple of options with style with style with mag locks, as well. The traditional mag lock is used most often as it’s most cost effective and requires less labor. They’re easier to install and therefore take less time for techs to come out for the installation.
A shear mag lock has a more sleek look to it as it’s cut into the frame and door. It’s hidden and can’t be seen by the average customer, but it requires more labor and cutting by the technician. These are great for doors that don’t have a big enough header, as well.
If you need one for an outside gate, you also have that option available. They’re called gate mag locks (how original!) and they’re weatherized for outdoor applications.
Fail Safe
It’s important to know that these are considered fail safe. This means they’re locked with power. If the power fails, the doors are no longer locked and the magnets don’t work. However, mag locks need two means of egress to comply with code. This can be done with a touch sense bar, a motion sensor, or an exit button.
Those are just a few of the basic touch points when it comes to getting started with mag locks. They cover a wide range of information though, so if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Our EMS team will be happy to assist!