Electric Strike Installation: A Straightforward Guide

What an Electric Strike Actually Does

A standard strike plate is a fixed piece of metal: the latch bolt snaps into it and stays put until someone turns the handle or key. An electric strike swaps that plate for a spring-loaded keeper, a small hinged gate. When the strike gets its electrical signal, the keeper pivots and the door can be pulled open even though the latch is still extended and the lock itself never moves. Two useful things follow:

• It controls entry only. The inside lever, knob, or panic bar still retracts the latch mechanically, so people can always exit.
• Your existing lockset usually stays, so the door keeps its normal key override for times when the electronics are down.

Fail-Secure or Fail-Safe: The First Decision

Every electric strike is built one of two ways, and this choice matters more than the brand on the box.

• Fail-secure: the keeper is locked whenever power is off and releases only when voltage is applied. In a power outage the door stays locked from outside, and a key still works.
• Fail-safe: continuous power holds the keeper locked, and cutting power releases it.

Fire-rated door assemblies generally have to stay positively latched during a fire, which is why fail-secure strikes are the usual pick on rated openings. Fail-safe strikes also draw current around the clock, so they need continuous-duty coils and DC power. A locksmith can read the fire label on the door edge and match the strike to it.

Matching the Strike to Your Lock and Frame

Electric strikes are matched to both the lock they release and the frame they sit in.

• Cylindrical (bored) locksets use a shallow-keeper strike sized for a standard latch bolt.
• Mortise locks need a deeper strike body, and most standard strikes cannot accept a projected mortise deadbolt - the bolt must stay retracted or a deadbolt-rated model is required.
• Rim panic bars pair with surface-mounted rim strikes, while vertical-rod exit devices generally cannot use a strike at all.

Frame material sets the labor: hollow metal frames need precise cutting, aluminum storefront frames need slim strike bodies, and wood frames need a deep, clean mortise pocket. One alignment detail matters most: the deadlatch plunger beside the main latch must rest on the strike's flat faceplate, not fall into the keeper pocket, or the latch can be shimmed open.

Power, Wiring, and What Triggers the Release

Most electric strikes run on 12 or 24 volts, AC or DC, fed by a plug-in transformer or a supervised power supply. AC operation makes the familiar apartment buzz-in sound; DC is silent and is the right choice for continuous-duty fail-safe use. The strike is only the release - something must send the signal: a keypad, a card or fob reader, an intercom button, or an access control panel. A latch-monitor option can report to an alarm or access system whether the door is truly latched. Because wiring, frame cutting, and fire-code questions all interact, this is a job worth talking through before anyone opens a toolbox. Call (916) 913-5080, describe your door, lock, and frame, and confirm whether this service can help before any technician is scheduled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a fail-safe or fail-secure strike on a fire-rated door?

Fire-rated door assemblies are generally required to stay positively latched so the door holds back smoke and flame, and a fail-secure strike keeps the keeper locked whenever power is lost. That is why fail-secure is the standard choice on rated openings. The fire label on the door or frame edge shows the rating, and a locksmith can confirm which strike models are listed for use on that assembly.

Will an electric strike work with my panic bar?

It depends on the exit device type. Rim panic bars, where the latch unit is surface-mounted on the door face, pair with rim-style electric strikes made for that purpose, and mortise exit devices use mortise-style strikes. Vertical-rod devices latch at the top and bottom of the door, so a frame-mounted strike has nothing to release; those doors usually need different electrified hardware.

Does an electric strike trap people inside during a power outage?

No. An electric strike only controls entry from outside. Egress is always mechanical: the inside lever or panic bar retracts the latch regardless of what the strike is doing. During an outage, a fail-secure strike keeps the outside locked while a key still works; a fail-safe strike releases, so the door can be pulled open from outside as well.

Call (916) 913-5080 about electric strike installation.