Glass Door Locks and Aluminum Door Hardware

Glass door lock replacement depends on which kind of glass door you have. A glass door in a narrow aluminum frame takes a lock built into the frame, from the same family of hardware covered on our storefront door locks page. A frameless glass door has no frame, so its hardware clamps to the glass itself. We repair and replace the locks, cylinders and strikes on aluminum-framed glass doors across the Phoenix area. Frameless doors depend on the fitting, and from photos we can tell you whether a job is one we take.

We do not cut, drill or replace glass, or rebuild a floor box, header or frame. When a job needs that, we tell you early and you will need a glass company for that part.

Two kinds of glass doors

Frameless glass is cut with holes and notches at the factory to suit its fittings. That is why replacement hardware has to match what is already on the door, and why a change in fittings can mean new glass.

Frameless door parts, in plain words

Details vary by maker. A different brand of fitting may use different holes, setbacks and closers, so photos matter. For closer adjustment and replacement, see door closers.

Locks for glass doors

• Patch locks. The common lock on a frameless door. The cylinder, the lock body and the thumbturn can often be replaced when the new one matches the fitting and the holes in the glass.
• Bottom rail locks. Some doors carry the lock in a rail along the bottom edge. Adams Rite, for one, lists a bottom-rail lock with a horizontal bolt that suits single or paired doors.
• Frame-mounted deadlocks and deadlatches. On aluminum-framed doors, a narrow mortise lock sits in the stile. We cover those in detail under storefront door locks.
• Strike options. Whatever the lock, the bolt needs something to enter. Depending on how the door was built, it may enter a strike in the floor, the header, the frame or the second door of a pair. We confirm where it goes before ordering.
• Exit hardware. Glass doors can also carry panic handles or narrow-stile exit devices. See panic bars and exit devices.

Keypads, readers and exit rules on glass doors

Many glass doors are unlocked by keypad or reader by day and locked with a key at night. On an aluminum-framed door the usual options are an electric strike used with a deadlatch, an electrified deadlatch, or an electrified narrow-stile exit device. A frameless door usually has no frame around it to hold a strike or carry wiring, so it takes more planning and depends on how the door is hung.

However a glass door is locked, people must be able to leave freely, and magnetic locks need extra release devices for that reason. The fire marshal or building inspector has the final word on what an exit door must do. For the options, see electric strikes and electrified locks and access control systems.

What a locksmith repairs and what a glass company handles

In practice the work usually divides like this. It is general guidance, not a rule, and every building is different, so we sort it out from photos before we quote.

What a locksmith usually handles

• Locks, cylinders, cams and thumbturns, and rekeying
• Strikes, including moving or replacing one that has shifted
• Deadlocks and deadlatches on aluminum-framed doors
• Handles and pulls that attach to existing holes
• Exit device and closer adjustment or replacement on aluminum doors
• Adding a keypad or electric strike to an aluminum door

What usually goes to a glass company

• Anything that changes the glass: cutting, drilling or notching
• Cracked, chipped or shattered glass
• A new fitting layout that needs new glass
• Damage to the floor box, header, threshold or frame
• A new door or new storefront framing

Floor closers and pivots sit in between. Depending on the door, we may take that work or recommend the glass company, and we say which on the first call.

How we work a glass door lock job

1. Identify the door. From your photos we tell framed from frameless and, where we can, name the lock.
2. Check how it hangs. We look at the pivots, the closer and the strike line, because a door that has dropped will defeat a good lock.
3. Test the lock. We work out whether the fault is in the cylinder, the cam, the lock body or the strike.
4. Decide. We adjust, repair or replace what is ours to fix, and say which part belongs to a glass company.
5. Agree the price. A simple lock swap is priced on the phone. For bigger jobs we look at the doors first and agree on the price before work starts.

Common problems and typical causes

These are typical field causes, not manufacturer data.

• The key will not turn or sticks. A worn cylinder or cam, or grit inside the lock.
• The door will not latch or lock. The door has dropped on its pivot so the bolt misses its strike, or the closer is worn or set wrong.
• The door drags on the floor or rubs the frame. A loose fitting, a worn pivot or a worn floor closer. This is often glass company territory.
• The closer leaks oil, slams or will not close. A closer that is dripping oil has a failed seal and needs replacing, not topping up.
• The lock or handle is loose. Worn or loosened fasteners, or a worn fitting.
• Lost keys or staff turnover. Rekeying makes old keys stop working. See commercial rekey.
• A keypad or electric strike has stopped working. See electric strikes and electrified locks.

If a door will not open at all and you are locked out, see commercial lockout service.

What to photograph

1. The whole door. Both sides, far enough back to show the frame, header and floor.
2. The top and bottom corners. The patch fittings, rails or pivots, close up.
3. The lock and handle. A close photo of the lock, any stamped name or number, and the face of the cylinder.
4. Where the bolt goes. The strike or keeper, wherever it is: the floor, the header, the frame or the second door.
5. The closer. The overhead closer, or the floor box cover if the door has a floor closer.
6. Any damage. Cracks or chips in the glass, especially near hardware.

Send photos to info@desertlocksmithaz.com or have them on your phone when you call (602) 301-5243.

When we will refer you to a glass shop

We would rather tell you than sell you a lock job that will not fix the problem. We will point you to a glass company when:

• The glass is cracked, chipped or shattered, especially around a fitting or hole
• A hole or notch is in the wrong place, or a fitting no longer matches the glass
• The floor box, pivot housing, header or frame is damaged or corroded
• The job is a new door, a new frame or a change in glass thickness

Where a job has both parts, we handle the lock side and your glass company handles the glass side. We say which is which before any work starts. For several doors, or a project that mixes both, begin with the commercial quote page.

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