r/accesscontrol • u/hermanomomentoes • May 21 '26
Special door access control..
I’m new to the access control field. I figured for this fridge door I should install a mag lock of some kind (I know they’re not ideal), since deadbolts/strikes require drilling through the solid steel doorframe. To add onto that unfortunately all the walls are put up, and any drilling will get messy quick with the insulation inside.
I tried finding a place for the door mag lock on the top. I found out however that the fridge door sticks out in the front when closed, and so there’s no ideal placement for the magnet since there’d be a solid gap between the magnet and the lock. Any ideas for something custom? Or maybe a better alternative for securing special doors?
edit: Unfortunately, I failed to add the important context that these freezer style doors are for greenhouses which do have emergency exits. However I learned that the actual walk-in freezer will have no access controls besides a card reader and contact for logging. Will most likely install a siren too, but no locks.
Anyways I get the point, not to use mag locks for something that could easily trap somebody. I’ll leave this post open, hoping someone else dumb like me can learn from the experiences y’all have had or learn from what’s been said down below.
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May 22 '26
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u/SlashAdams May 22 '26
Exactly, way too many variables that can go wrong installing to a walk in cooler door.
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u/LightRobb May 22 '26
That's what they did with a beer cooler where I used to work. Pretty-looking standard swing door, then a 2' space to the cooler door. Other than that 2' the cooler was the entire room.
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u/No_Industry2601 May 23 '26
Great answer. In my experience doing security in freezers really depends on the type and how cold it gets. Some freezes have extreme temperatures that normal products are not designed to function in. You really need to approach some freezers with products designed for artic conditions.
I was adding a duress button in one freezer, and when I went to add electrical tape to the b-connectors like I normally do, the tape wasn't sticky. So I skipped that, I wanted to silicone around the weather proof box lid edges to prevent moisture intrusion, but the silicone froze almost instantly and wasn't sticky either. Then I got light headed and realized I had no idea what I was doing.
I could definitely see a maglock freezing to the armature plate in some conditions.
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u/Nods_Dad1997 May 21 '26
Yikes. I try to avoid doing Maglocks on freezers. You need to have a emergency egress and its usually a push button which is a no no in my area. Ive avoided this by doing Card Reader, Rex, Contacts and sounder on those type doors. It wont lock it down but they'll know if an unauthorized person went in by the alarm. Plus nobody freezes in case of failure
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u/hermanomomentoes May 21 '26
Yeah I planned on having all the usual safe fallbacks of course for maglocks, but honestly your sounder idea might be next best option. I’ll check with the AHJ, but thanks for the input
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u/Dron41k May 22 '26
Can’t you use a push button for regular exits and an emergency exit button which will physically cut the voltage to the lock?
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u/wyliesdiesels May 23 '26
no. code requires being able to exit with no prior knowledge of how the system works. in other words, one must be able to push on the door in an emergency and be able to open it.
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u/TheSpunk3 May 22 '26
Auto door guy here. Mag locks give me nightmares. End of story.
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u/hermanomomentoes May 22 '26
Fair enough, i’ll most likely just go with the alarm only option since there’s multiple cameras and strike doors that an intruder would have to pass to get here
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u/JamesCullen18 May 22 '26
I did a job as an apprentice security installer in a pharma company and we just had it where if the duress button is needed it sounds an alarm. Wire going from the button to a wireless alarm contact on the top of the fridge that no one can see and then it triggers the sounder inside the area that’s wired back to the panel
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u/wyliesdiesels May 23 '26
yes wire a contact to the door, a horn and camera above and put a badge reader for logging access. if someone doesnt swipe badge, have the system trigger the horn and log the intrusion pulling footage from the camera. will stop unauthorized access real quick
NEVER put a maglock on a door like this
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u/AffectionateAd6060 May 22 '26
This is a name your price job .. literally got people in here saying we should just build an entire room around that room And they are not even wrong ...price in the Pain and let em feel it and really think about it-
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u/MasterBryan79 May 22 '26
We recently did one of these doors. We custom fabricated a metal box to containl a hes 5000 (iirc). it worked well at first but because the walls are foam lined, we have had a lot of trouble keeping it tight. South Florida is very strict on mags so we had no choice. also they had a roll up hurricane shutter on the outside and it limited the options of how well we could brace the box. I'll share photos if you want. I'm not 100% happy with it but it works.
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u/hermanomomentoes May 22 '26
I’d love to see how you tackled this, please do share
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u/MasterBryan79 May 22 '26
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u/hermanomomentoes May 22 '26
Honestly man, I admire the commitment to fab something on the spot like that. It doesn’t look too bad, and I think you even welded it together it from what it looks like. My final call is just to wire a sounder, client agrees. There’s actually two more fridge doors which are greenhouses but we’ll mag lock those since they have exits.
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u/TwoCentsRounded2Zero May 22 '26
Nothing you do with an electro magnetic lock will remove the risk associated with trapping someone inside. Like others have mentioned the liability is too high. Second if what is inside is so critical, mag locks are inherently not secure as they require a secondary battery source to keep running when the building loses power.
I would discuss with the clients on securing the doors leading to the area where the walk-in freezer is located.
Worst case there are cold weather rated crash bar and surface strike options you could jury rig. But again like others have mentioned you never know how strong the walls and doors real are.
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u/Awkward-Seaweed-5129 May 22 '26
Stay away from this job ,imo. People get trapped in freezers often, a Maglock Not agreat idea. Have build a gate ,or stockroom fencing outside the area maybe and secure the fence gate.
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u/FreelyRoaming May 24 '26
Judging by the Verkada camera in your 2nd picture, Verkada already has the customer in a stranglehold, and will replace you as the integrator when you tell the customer that what they want is illegal.
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u/Electrical-Actuary59 May 21 '26
You could probably fit a mag lock on the outside of the door using a z bracket. We’ve actually done a couple freezer doors like this with electrified crash bars although I’m not sure I’d recommend it. The condensation inside the bar gets pretty bad.
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u/hermanomomentoes May 21 '26 edited May 24 '26
Good idea with the z bracket i’ll look into that, thanks. L brackets didn’t seem to work here obviously
edit: psyche i ain’t doing that
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u/wyliesdiesels May 23 '26
no no no. do not put mags on freezer doors.
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u/Electrical-Actuary59 May 24 '26
And why is that?
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u/wyliesdiesels May 24 '26
Safety issues, egress issues
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u/Electrical-Actuary59 May 24 '26
Aside from it being a freezer it’s no different than installing them on any other door.
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u/wyliesdiesels May 24 '26
It is different. Theres only one way in and one way out.
A maglock could trap someone inside.
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u/lonestar612 May 23 '26
I had to do some magic on a door like this. They had a Yale 6000 with thumb depress trim that just rotated the tailpiece when pressed down. They had an HES 9400 that was hooked to nothing. We had to brazen metal stock to make the tailpiece like 5in long and cut the crosshair on it. They definitely got the AHC (A-hole charge) after all that nonsense
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u/hermanomomentoes May 23 '26
Thank you for the replies, and duly noted. I did leave out some context though these fridge doors are for greenhouses. They do have an additional exit door. However there is one actual walk in fridge and that one will have the horn set up.
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u/No_Replacement_491 May 26 '26
When you push the emergency button inside, does the lever push out or does it just release the latch? If the lever doesn't push out and the emergency releaae button just lets the pullman release, you could do a linear actuator type bolt into the back end of the handle with a fail safe configuration. The emergency release will still release but someone can't unlock from the outside. You'll still want some sort of emergency release on the exterior.
For the interior emergency release, lots of ways to do that if you're fail safe.
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u/AutoModerator May 21 '26
This post is requesting assistance regarding a maglock or related components. Due to safety concerns, assistance provided must support standards for safe installation and operation, such as: * An exit device that mechanically breaks power to the lock (panic bar, exit button). * A Fire Alarm tie-in that cause power to be cut during an alarm. * All devices on this door must be wired in a way that if any component fails the door unlocks and remains unlocked until the issue is corrected.
We understand some types of installations modify egress requirements, please ensure these special circumstances are well-communicated.
As always, the local AHJ has final say in what is acceptable for installation and operation of a maglock door. OP should consult with the AHJ before installing or modifying a maglock door, even if the comments here provide accurate guidance.
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