An electromagnet holds the door; the engineering is in everything around it — alignment, power, exit devices and the emergency release that must never fail. We repair maglocks that have stopped holding and install new ones that release exactly when they should.
An electromagnet has no moving parts, so it is rarely the component that dies. What fails is the geometry and the supply around it. A commercial door drops on its hinges or pivot over time; a few millimetres of misalignment leaves an air gap between magnet and armature plate, and holding force collapses. The lock gets the blame; the door is the patient.
This is where being door engineers first pays off. Before we replace any electrics we check the hang of the door, the pivot or hinges, the closer and the frame fixings. Then we work through the electrical chain:
Maglocks are fail-safe by nature — cut the power and the door swings free. That makes them the right electric lock for escape routes, but only when the releases are installed and tested properly. On an escape route the lock must drop when the fire alarm activates, at a green emergency break-glass beside the door, and on any power failure — with no scenario in which a person inside the building meets a locked door on their way out.
We install to that standard on new work. Just as importantly, we inspect for it on repairs: a surprising number of maglocks we attend were fitted with no break-glass, no alarm interface, or a backup battery wired so the lock stays energised during a fire alarm — the exact opposite of safe. Where we find it, we tell you plainly and quote the fix.
In rough order of likelihood: door misalignment leaving a gap between magnet and armature plate, a loose or worn armature plate, a failing power supply, or a controller/exit-device fault cutting power at the wrong time. Genuine magnet failure is rare — which is why we inspect the door before condemning the lock.
Yes, if it is installed to release correctly: maglocks are fail-safe (they release when power is cut), and on escape routes they must drop on fire alarm activation and at a green emergency break-glass beside the door. If your maglock lacks a break-glass or is not linked to the alarm, it needs correcting — we do exactly that work.
Standard commercial units hold around 270–545 kg (600–1200 lb). The magnet is rarely the weak point — a misaligned door or flexing frame is. Correct fitting on solid fixings matters more than the headline holding force.
Yes. Maglocks are the release device most intercoms and fob readers control. We fit the lock, the power supply with battery backup, the exit device and the emergency release, and tie it into your existing entry equipment.
Send a photo and a short description of the fault and we’ll come back with a fixed-price quote the same day. Most diagnoses don’t need a site visit.
Get in touch
Head Office:
Commercial Door Maintenance and Security Ltd
61 Bridge Street,
Kington,
HR5 3DJ
t: 0800 774 7998
e: info@cdms-ltd.co.uk
Office Hours
Mon - Sat: 8am - 10pm
Sun: Closed
