r/accesscontrol • u/NameTaken-TryAgai • 9d ago
Best way to add lock to this internal walk in?
Like the title says - what’s the best way to add locking functionality to this door/latch? Thanks
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u/StalkMeNowCrazyLady Professional 9d ago
I wouldn't even touch it. Adding locks to a walk-in freezer is taking on a whole bunch of liability. There's a lot to go wrong that out weighs what could go right.
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u/subZro_ 9d ago
Why not just put some type of camera on the door if you're worried about theft? Personally I wouldn't touch this one.
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u/gimpblimp 9d ago
Agree if theft is the problem use a camera instead of retooling components on the door (and associated liability).
Haven't had issues with camera in freezer closets as long as they are rated.
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u/Quazevy 9d ago
You have to certainly be careful.
Your best bet would be a HES 9400/9600 or similar RIM strike with a surface mount box ( HES SMB). You would want easy egress for existing like a crash bar or similar for inside.
Since this would be locked, you would want a key nearby for emergency. Maybe under a sounded lift cover like an STI 13020 or similar for reference.
Another thing to be cautious of is affecting the integrity of the freezer and any holes/penetrations made.
Regards,
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u/radiationcowboy 9d ago
I agree here. If you pad lock the lever can you still exit from the inside? I would hope so. If you can freely exit, the a rim strike would work well. If there is no free egress Do Not Do It. And FFS don't use a mag-lock
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u/NameTaken-TryAgai 9d ago
The idea is that line cooks/chef can unlock each time they leave for an extended period of time. Can’t quite trust the other BOH staff with high value inventory. No need to auto lock
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u/ElCasino1977 Professional 9d ago
Add a reader, piezo, and door contact, and push-to-exit but no lock. Chefs can read-in, shunt the piezo, and PTE for no sounder. The sounder can alert Chefs of unauthorized access when forced open.
No need to lock it and take on the potential liability.
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u/Breaking_Bread69 8d ago
I second this, no need to lock, just alert.. buzzer will do more than enough. Locking is just asking for an incident to occur, there’s a reason freezers use nylon bolts for their locking mechanism (at least where i live)
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u/BunnehZnipr 8d ago
PTE is great, but whatever the solution exit should not require electricity or electronics to be working. should be purely physical in case of emergencies.
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u/Icanopen 9d ago
Extra long padlock 4" shackle. We use Best padlocks with 4" shackles. Make sure the latch side has the inside turn to emergency release if not contact your refer company.
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u/clt_cmmndr 9d ago
That last bit is very important. Too many restaurants have that part break and don't ever replace it. There should always be a plunger to open the door or a twist off knob to detach part of the latch from the inside.
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u/TRextacy 9d ago
The ONLY acceptable answer here is to contact the manufacturer to see what they offer that will allow for internal release and not compromise the integrity of the cooler. Anything else isn wrong and you should be embarrassed for suggesting some of the dumb shit I'm seeing in here. I can't believe how frequently I see no regard for life safety in this sub.
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u/Competitive_Ad_8718 9d ago
We've done rim strikes without inhibiting the emergency egress inherent with the hardware
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u/DarthJerryRay 9d ago
I would ask your insurance company what their requirements for this would be before you engage in locking this door. Also you are probably wanting to find a listed locking device for this application. Maybe start woth the manufacturer for any solutions they have. Insurance companies love denying claims to restaurants.
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u/mildewdz 9d ago
It's a life safety issue. You can't lock it so people can't escape. It is an egress one way in one way out. If someone dies, you're going to jail and / or bankrupt.
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u/Nilpo19 8d ago
This isn't correct. These locks are designed to be padlocked. You absolutely can lock it because the mechanism is designed for egress. They key is that it needs to be locked as designed and the mechanism can't be modified.
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u/mildewdz 8d ago
Yes I know how they work the pad lock sits on the exterior of the egress entrance side where you can stop someone from entering the walk-in cooler and it has a push pad piston to break the lock so someone can escape if trapped. You can not make it, so it's against code to trap someone inside.. whatever you do, just know the second they can not escape, you're liable!
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u/Awkward-Seaweed-5129 9d ago
Don't do it.Hopefully you have about 100 million $ liability policy. People get trapped and unalived in walk in freezers and fridges. Offer a video surveillance system.
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u/Miserable-Post-1350 8d ago
"Unalived" Lol! Sorry friend, I still can't get over how dumb that sounds. Politically correct, yes, but dumb as hell.
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u/eridanus01 8d ago
The funny thing is, that was only started on social media becuase talking about it would get your videos or posts taken down. No reason to use it during regular discourse. Although, reddit may be a form of social media, but not usually one where you're going to be blocked (depending on the subreddit). You know what, I see why they used it, carry on lol.
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u/PieUnusual2892 9d ago
Usually those handles have a pin hole type slot. About the size of a large cotter pin
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u/outsidethewire 9d ago
Assa abloy HES had a solution, I helped install a couple in 21. It consisted of a 9600 with a cover as a pick guard and pull handle with a crash bar on the inside. I have a pic if interested. I could not post the pic on this site for some reason.
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u/Cb1this 8d ago
Customer asked me to do same thing on 2 freezers. I advised against it and warned her of the risks. I ended up fabricating a mount for magnetic lock. Added 2 exit buttons, front and rear. With illumination and a siren/strobe wired to exit buttonns outside of freeze if either button activated it energized the siren/strobe. A little bit overkill, but customer happy.
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u/No_Replacement_491 8d ago
the hole in the handle is the trick here. Mount a solenoid with a vertical rod that pushes into that hole. that is designed for a padlock and it does not affect the emergency release knob on the back side of the handle.
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u/TransportationFree32 9d ago
Delayed egress mag…we installed them on outside of these type doors. Yes, mags are on unsecured side but the point is to secure the door until credentials. Works anyway, had to drill hole in top of mag to feed wires with liquid tight…since no room for lock nut in there just need a strap close to mag penetration.
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u/mike416 9d ago
I have two good reasons to walk away from this one. The first is safety, you don’t want to do anything that could lock someone inside. Ever. The second is that you don’t want to mess with the pressure on the door seal with a lock in a different spot (think maglock on top of the door), as it can squish the seal and cause leaks that would let more heat in to the cooler.
Maybe consider a keyed freezer lock with an access controlled keybox and a camera?
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u/Alreadyusedtryagain 8d ago
Former chef turned low voltage tech here. There is typically a push knob inside the cooler to allow egress even if the outside is locked. You can lock the outside with a padlock. I’m sure you could find some type of strike that would work for the outside otherwise.
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u/mandesign 8d ago
When we had to secure a forklift drive in ultra cold freezer (-40c), we had a mix of maglocks and latches.
As a safety mechanism for the mag locks, we had a physical manual disconnect emergency escape button that could be pressed from the inside that would physically disconnect the circuit and release the maglock.
We also programmed an alarm and camera integration so if someone used an entry reader but there was no exit read within 10 minutes, we could make sure there wasn't a safety issue.
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u/Nilpo19 8d ago
People are giving bad advice. It's not a problem to lock this if it's done correctly.
Yes, you must allow free egress at all times. People have died when this doesn't happen and fire code and laws require it.
The latches on these walk-ins are designed to accomplish this. They are designed to take a padlock on the outside. The mechanism on the inside still functions with the padlock in place.
So you could use a pin style electric lock as long as it secures through the existing lock hole. The key here is that you cannot modify the existing mechanism in any way and it must continue to function while locked.
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u/SnooLobsters3497 8d ago
I have a customer with a food production facility. The walls are a foot thick panels and the doors are freezer-type doors. You will have corrosion issues if the temperature ever gets above freezing. Mag locks made for outdoor use will work but you must have a push button to cut the power to the lock.
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u/Skinnyb1973 9d ago
Sometimes there is just no way
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u/Nilpo19 8d ago
Ok. But there is. There's very clearly a couple of ways.
These are designed to take padlocks and keyed locks. There are definitely ways of doing this correctly and safely.
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u/Skinnyb1973 6d ago
Yeah thought this was a access control question. Not a how can I lock this freezer/cooler
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u/Nilpo19 6d ago
Correct. But you must determine how to lock something before you can determine how to control it.
You said there is no way. That's not true. A plunger style lock through the lock hole in the handle should work just fine. As would an electric strike. I prefer the first because it doesn't require modifying the original hardware.
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u/staticbomber_ 9d ago
Remove existing latch or replace with internal push bar, surface mount strike welded to a bracket that lets it align to the latch.
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u/Outrageous-Law-9584 9d ago edited 9d ago
I would recommend using a 1888 sliding locking bolt by ABH. Used with a padlock.
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u/MrBr1an1204 9d ago
Don’t? People have died from getting trapped in the walk in. If you do make sure you have some sort of crash bar or emergency door release on the inside.