Subscriber Discussion

Narrow Width Electric Strike Recommendation

BL
Brian Leander
Feb 11, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Hi All,

We are working on a small Access Control job and have run into an issue finding a strike that will fit these very narrow metal door frames in this office building.

The dimesions are so that we need the total width of the strike to be at or below 1-1/8". I'm finding several at 1-1/4"-1-1/2" that would work with a slight overhang on the keeper box, but the door also has a lip that prevents it from closing if there is a portusion beyond the edge of the jamb, so no go on those.

Any recommendations?

We are still fairly new to AC, so don't make any assumptions on our knowledge base ;-P

Thanks!

Brian

KL
Keefe Lovgren
Feb 11, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Brian,

When you say "keeper box" are you referring to the dust box that is inside the door jamb? If so you can cut that out using you dremel or similar tool, this should free up some more space for you. See this video of Brians for some help.

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BL
Brian Leander
Feb 12, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Hi Keefe,

Thanks for the link, I'm familiar with that article and the videos, great tips as usual.

I might be usign the wrong terminology here, but what I'm getting at is that I can't have any portrusions past the edge of the door jamb like in this installation (note: these pics are just borrowed from the interwebs, not the actual doors):

Electric Strike Portruding

There is a lip on the door that would avoid it from closing (it would just hit the black part and the latch would never reach the keeper. BTW the black part is what called the "keeper box" previously).

Instead it needs to mount flush like this:

Electric Strike Flush

This is why the overall width is critical. Hopefully it is a bit clearer now.

Brian

MI
Matt Ion
Feb 12, 2015

In a situation like this:

Electric Strike Portruding

where the door has a full-length guard lip that will hit the strike, I've just notched out the lip to clear the strike, then added a plate like this to protect it from access:

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BL
Brian Leander
Feb 12, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Good idea Matt.

We are trying to avoid notching the door, but that was indeed the first option I considerred.

We won't need the plate since these are internal offices and are not at risk of someone trying to defeat the lock. We might have to go this route if I don't find a narrow enough strike. Thanks for your input!

DD
Dan Droker
Feb 12, 2015
LONG Building Technologies • IPVMU Certified

What type of lock is on the door? What depth does the strike need to fit into (as both width & depth are usually problematic in narrow frames)? What type of door?

BL
Brian Leander
Feb 12, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Hi Dan,

It's a mortise lock, the dead bolt won't be used. The depth should be manageable, we have about 2". The width (outside edge of the jamb to the stop) is 1-1/8". Two doors have strikes on them (that need to be replaced) but I was not able to take them off to find a brand or model unfortunately. The install was a bit of a hack job, so I didn't want to risk tearing it down until we are ready to replace it.

I will post a picture of the door and frame in the next reply as Brian also asked for some images.

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Brian Rhodes
Feb 12, 2015
IPVMU Certified

It sounds like you're working with a surface/rim mounted lock. Can you give particulars or even take a picture of the door?

Is it a firedoor?

If not, you could cut-in a surface mount strike like this:

BL
Brian Leander
Feb 12, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Hi Brian,

Here are some shots of the jamb and door:

Door. Note the edge that I was refering to earlier.

Jamb. THis shows the width we have to work with. The stop actually has a cover with the weatherstripping attached to it, this can be eaasily removed/notched out giving us an extra 1/8" from what is visible there. The total width is 1-1/8".

Old Strike. This is how oe of the old strikes is installed. The plate does not sit flush, so they actually had to shave the door for it to work. Not very clean at all, this will all need to be replaced.

These are all interior office doors, none provide ingress/egress to the building, none are fire doors.

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MI
Matt Ion
Feb 12, 2015
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BL
Brian Leander
Feb 12, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Hi Matt,

Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like that strike would require a lot of modifications to the door in order to accomodate for the thickness of the strike (3/4") since it is surface mounted. Is that correct?

I found this model Padde EF24 , which looks it would fit in terms of the width and depth (we would have to put some mounting tabs tp adjust for the length). But all the sources I am finding are in Australia. Anyone know where we can source these in the US?

MI
Matt Ion
Feb 12, 2015

The 0161 doesn't appear to be surface mounted, although it's hard to say for 100% certain because the ONLY pics I can find of it are the straight-on one from the link above... no different angles, no A&E drawings, nothing. Thanks, Rutherford, that's very helpful.

Looking at those pics, it looks like no matter what you do, there will a lot of modifications needed, at the very least to build the jamb back up where it's all hacked away. We did a similar kind of job recently, adding strikes to a half dozen or so block pump houses, where every single one had a different kind of door and frame and latch setup. Some required more extensive modifications than others...

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Tyler Graham
Feb 12, 2015

I would recommend something like the Securitron MUNL-24 which is a motorized unlatch unit. It pushes the latch out of the keeper, rather than the keeper opening up. You would have to shave the lip off so it sits flush, but I think it would work. Otherwise, I would recommend an electrified lockset.

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DD
Dan Droker
Feb 12, 2015
LONG Building Technologies • IPVMU Certified

Based on my experience, I would urge caution with using the MUNL for office doors. I worked on some that were used in a residential application, getting maybe a dozen uses a day, and they required replacement every couple years. In a higher traffic environment, I would not be comfortable with those.

The existing strike looks like an effeff. Catalog here.

I was also going in the direction of recommending an electrified lockset, which is generally the best performing and best looking option. After seeing the picture of the lock, though, this is more complicated than normal. It would require expanding the mortise pocket to accomodate a standard mortise lock, and using a rabbeted door kit like this:

Rabbeted Door Kit

This would be tough in your metal frame application.

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Brian Rhodes
Feb 12, 2015
IPVMU Certified

That's a great call on EffEff, who is an Assa company. I was looking at Dorma who makes all kinds of 'fancy' architectural hardware, but I think you've found the ringer here.

Here is EffEff's USA contact:

Alarm Controls Corporation

19 Brandywine Drive
Deer Park, NY 11729
Toll Free Phone (800) 645-5538
Phone (631) 586-4220
Fax (631) 586-6500
ffsales@alarmcontrols.com

It is not surprising that a European product is needed here, because the door the OP posted is a classic euro profile/door thickness. In the US, it's 1.375" or 1.75", not 1.125". As it stands, the EffEff Model 14 is 24mm wide, or about 0.94 inches:

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BL
Brian Leander
Feb 13, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Hi Brian,

That looks very much like it will work (EffEff 14). I was finding these types of strikes in Australia and England, which makes sense because this is indeed a European door (the project is not in the US, but we are sourcing most of our materials here). Your explanation on the typical widths confirm this. I will look into sourcing the Effeff.

Tyler, thanks for shedding light on this type of lock. Will keep it in mind for possible applications. I was a bit concerned about the possible current surges that the motor can generate if the mechanism binds a bit (mentioned in their documentation). Maybe this is one of the reasons why Dan mentioned the durability issues he has experienced. Thanks for the info on the electrified lockset as well, Dan!

Amazing amount of knowledge here! Thanks a million to all who took the time to reply. I will post an update on the results!

Brian

HD
Howard Dame
Feb 13, 2015

Brian,

Sounds like you've identified what you're looking for so I'm a bit late with any suggestions. Glad you solved your issue. As you know, both the lock and the door/frame are European designs. Most US made door hardware simply won't play well mechanically with European door hardware. I have, however, run into European doors in a US business. For a while Armani was importing doors from Italy to install in their US shops. Interfacing with US made hardware was pretty challenging -- not to mention expensive.

JH
John Honovich
Feb 12, 2015
IPVM

I just wanted to thank everyone in this discussion, lots of really informative comments.

Remember, please vote up your colleague's comments as it rewards / recognizes them.

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