How it works
A panic bar, or exit device, lets anyone open a locked door from inside by pushing. This one is a rim device: its latch bolt catches a strike on the frame. The second view adds vertical rods and outside trim.
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The rim device
The rail runs across the door with the push bar in it and an end cap on the hinge end. At the lock end, the chassis holds the works under the head cover. Pushing the bar draws the latch bolt back out of the strike.
Vertical rods
On a vertical rod device the bar works two rods. The top rod runs to a latch at the head of the door and the bottom rod to a latch at the floor, each with its own strike. Rod guides hold the rods to the door.
- Dogging: a hex key in the dogging hole holds the bar in, so the door does not latch and swings freely.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a panic bar called?
The push bar, the rail it sits in, the end cap, the chassis under its head cover, the latch bolt and the strike on the frame. Outside the door are the trim and the rim cylinder.
What is dogging on a panic bar?
Dogging holds the push bar in the pushed-in position, usually with a hex key, so the latch stays back. The door then opens with a push or a pull anywhere on it, which suits a shop entrance in opening hours.
What is the difference between a rim and a vertical rod exit device?
A rim device has one latch at the door's edge that catches a strike on the frame. A vertical rod device latches at the top and bottom of the door through rods, which suits a pair of doors with no post between them.
What is a panic bar also called?
An exit device, a crash bar or a push bar. Hardware catalogs use exit device; panic bar and crash bar are the everyday names for the same thing.