Practical Advice Regarding Glass Exit Doors and Thumbturns

Sometimes, I receive a call from a customer who wants to have an additional swing-bolt lock installed on the front door of their business.  Of course, there is always a lighted exit sign above the door which identifies this door as an emergency exit.

You cannot put two locks on a door that is designated as an emergency exit.  Why?  Because, in the event of an emergency, the emergency exit door must be able to be opened with one motion.  If there are two locks on the door, an person leaving the building will have to use two motions to leave the building.  This, as you can see, could be problematic.  Imagine, for example, that a disgruntled employee starts shooting after closing time.  Having to unlock two locks could mean the difference between life or death for a person trying to escape such a situation.  Imagine that a door does have two locks and that one is unlocked and the other locked.  In an emergency situation, a person trying to leave the building will unlock the locked lock and lock the other.

You must have thumb turn on the inside of your door if the door is a glass door using the Adams-Rite deadbolt.  In the event of an emergency, the person leaving the building can unlock the door in one motion.  However, the thumb turn is not intended to be used in banks, for the reason that bank robbers can conveniently lock the doors behind them.  Also, it seems to me, a person who runs a business alone should be exempt from the thumb turn requirement.  It could happen that a person wanting to commit a crime could easily enter, lock the door behind him, and proceed with his crime.

Although codes exist for good reasons, it is simply absurd for the local governing authorities to uphold codes if there are valid reasons why a code should, and must be, ignored.  In the event you have question on one of these issues, call your governing authority (perhaps your local fire marshal), tell him about your concerns, and ask him or her to waive the rule.  But, if he or she rules in your favor, be sure to get it in writing.

Locksmith Advertising Postcard!

If you would like to target small business, try using David's postcard below.  I am using Vista Print to make this card!  Thought you would like it!

Consider WD-40s New Silicon Out Perfoms Houdini!!

Although it is true that all petroleum-based lubricants attract dust, I still love WD-40s original formula lubricant, especially since the manufacturer began fitting the cans with a dual action sprayer. 

If you are lubricating door hinges, commercial store-front glass door locks, and the actual deadbolt bolts and latches, keep on using the original formula.  Why?  Because the oil-based lubricant is going to have a longer life span.

However, now that WD-40 has introduced the silicon based spray, I have quit using the original formula as a lubricant for the pins in the locks themselves.  If you do come across an ancient lock cylinder that is oily-gluey-sticky because of years of being oiled, flush it with the old WD-40.  When you are finished, follow up with the silicon-based product.  When you do, be sure to flush the lock cylinder well.

The new silicon-based product leaves behind a nice dry lubricant while creating a water-proof barrier and a residual dry coating.

As a locksmith, I have since quit using Houdini.  My experience has been that Houdini does not last very long in lock applications.  Not only that, when you spray Houdini, it shoots out like a geyser, soaks you, the door, and your customer's merchandise.  Why Houdini cannot design a nice, easy-to-use spray can is beyond belief. 

Be sure to add WD-40 silicone spray to your arsenal.  You can find it Lowe's or Home Depot.  Just look for the yellow, black, and green can.

HIBU and YP? Obsolete and Unnecessary. Avoid Them and Do Your Own Advertising!

As a locksmith of over 25 years, I have taken my last two "yellow pages" ads out.  One ad is with YP in the Tullahoma , TN area and the other is with HIBU in  Murfreesboro, TN.  With HIBU, formerly known as Yellowbook, I also subscribed to their internet product called "Web Reach".  In Tullahoma, the YP ad dominates; and the HIBU ad for Murfreesboro is a full page ad with color that matches my competitor's ad in size and appearance.

As a locksmith that specializes in commercial lock service, including services for residential homes, I have found that Internet pay-per-click advertising is not the way to go.  Although the search phrase "commercial locksmith" is gaining ground, my experience has shown that most people are looking for auto locksmiths online.  Or people looking for any kind of locksmith will just search the phrase "locksmith".  Once these people click my ad, I am charged a hefty fee; and that person will not be my customer.  The conversion rate is poor for me.  To date, I believe that my disastrous HIBU Web Reach program has cost me as much as $40 per customer.  That is just too high for a small business like mine.

But it gets even worse.  By the time I land a paying job from the pay-per-click ad, that call, when taken with all of the other clicks that did not result in a sale, costs me the profit on the job.

It gets even worse. HIBU could do nothing about it.  Even after talking with my representative, and the expert at corporate who monitors the ad, they never got around to listening to me.  I wanted commercial lock clients.  I spent my entire wad of money, thanks to their inattentiveness, on clicks from customers I was not seeking.  The general feel I get from HIBU is that they are there to sell you a product and take your money. After that, forget it.  I am not saying that, if you offer one service, say, like car towing, you will not be able to do well.  I am saying that, if you are focusing on commercial lock service, you are going to end up with a poor campaign.

The YP people offer the exact same products. Yellow pages and Internet advertising.  My Tullahoma yellow page ad, after almost a year, has not generated enough calls to pay for the $180 per month I spend.

After three months, there hasn't been any meaningful results from the HIBU ad, which costs me $615 per month.  But HIBU was happy with my purchasing an obsolete product.  To get me to buy, they showed me yellow page results from a competitor that looked great -- only the results were for six months.  I find that interesting now that I have thought about it.  Though I have been in the book for years, my results are poor.

As a learned, and now "burned", advertiser with HIBU and YP, let me tell you what you can do as a locksmith with your advertising.  You do not need HIBU nor YP.  What you need to do is appear on Yahoo, Google, and other search engine's maps for businesses.  In my target area, I often appear twice on Google Maps!

1.  Buy a three month subscription at UPS stores in the towns you serve. Maybe you do not have UPS stores.  Just look for a place that provides mailboxes with real street addresses.

2.  Go to Vistaprint and buy a small website for around $20 a month.  Under business name, insert Locksmith Murfreesboro, or what ever name you wish that indicates the area you are targeting.  Also include that the site is owned by your lock company.

3.  Through Vistaprint, click the option to have your website submitted to the search engines. The result will be that you will appear on the search engine maps.  However, to be fair with your customers, indicate in your website that you offer mobile service only and that no business is conducted at that business address.  After all, if you lie on your website, your customers will rightfully deduce that you will lie to them.

4.  Remember that it will take a few weeks for Google to send a postcard to each address at which you want to be listed.  Make sure you get the postcard and call to verify the listing.

5.  If you want to do pay-per-click advertising, go to Yahoo or Google and set up your own program. Before you do, find out what the the most popular search terms are for your service.  By doing this, you can control how much money you spend and end the campaign whenever you wish.  You can also upgrade and change the search parameters.  Be sure to include your phone number on the display so people can call you without having to click your ad.

In the end, you will be spending pennies versus dollars for you advertsing.

HIBU and YP are, in my opinion, obsolete and are hanging on to revenues by doing anything they can. Simply put, businesses do not need such middlemen, as  HIBU and YP.  It is time these two companies go the way of the dinosaur.  Your money is better spent in other ways!

Using Locks on Outside Gates

Although you will rarely need to install a knob on an outside wooden or iron gate, I will here offer some things that you should think about if you are going to use a knob on an outside gate.

First,  do not worry about whether or not the lock is weatherproof. Of course, the cheap Kwikset and Schlage residential grade locks are not going to hold up very well in a total, outdoor situation.  If you want to install a lock that has durability, you should consider the commercial grade 1 or grade 2 locks.

Second, you should consider using a storeroom function lock that always locks back into place.  However, if people can simply reach through the gate or over it, then you will need to install an asylum function that is always locked but operated on either side with a key.

Third, a lever may not be in your best interest, as kids often stand on them in order to jump over the gate.  If you must use a lever, be sure to get one that has a clutch mechanism that will cause the lever to resist vandalism.  Yes, kids will also stand on knobs in order to climb over the gate.

Fourth, if there is any chance that kids will be climbing over the gate by standing on your lock, do know that the lock will loosen over time.  You may need to install a gate wheel on the bottom of the gate.  These can be purchased at your local farmer's supply, as they are used on cattle gates. This gate wheel will also keep the intruders weight from damaging the latch which inserts into the post.

Schlage B250

Fifth, a good alternative to a knob or lever is a double sided deadbolt that uses a LATCH instead of a BOLT.  Schlage makes such a dead bolt and it is known as the B-250.  Normally, this lock comes with a 2 3/4 inch backset latch.  Contact Schlage for specifics.  You may need a 2 3/8 backset latch.



Sixth, if you are installing a lock on a wooden gate, the gate is often too thick.  Use a large hole saw (one that will allow the lock to pass through completely), and cut into the wood a small way.  Once you have drilled this hole, use the small 1/8 bit and make a through-hole. Then, use the hole saw and drill a little into the other side.  What you are doing is trying to make the gate 1 3/4 inches thick by removing some of the wood face.  Just measure the thickness of the door.  If it is a total of 3 inches thick, subtract 1 3/4 from 3, divide that number by 2, and that is how deep the large hole saw should cut into each side of the gate.  Once you have done that, take the 2 1/8 hole saw and drill through the door on both sides. Then, take a wood chisel and hammer and remove the outer cut sections.

Seventh, if you have a metal gate, you can have your local welder install a box that is uniquely designed for the purposes we are now discussing.