Dor-O-Matic Dogging Kit: When to Replace Your Allen Key Strip

If you work with commercial push bars and exit devices, you’ve probably dealt with a Dor-O-Matic dogging kit at some point. These kits allow a door to be held in the unlatched position — called “dogging out” — so it can be pushed open freely without activating the latch. It’s a common feature on high-traffic commercial doors in offices, schools, and retail spaces across Brevard County.

But like any hardware that gets used dozens of times a day, the dogging mechanism wears down over time. The most common failure point? The allen key strip.

What Is the Allen Key Strip on a Dor-O-Matic?

The allen key strip — also called the hex dogging key slot — is the small channel built into the push bar that accepts an allen wrench (hex key) to lock the latch in the retracted position. When you insert the hex key and turn it, the bar dogs out and the door swings freely. Turn it back and the latch re-engages.

On Dor-O-Matic models like the 1690, 1790, and 2390 series, the dogging kit assembly includes this strip along with the internal cam and spring components. The strip itself takes the most wear because it’s the direct contact point every time someone dogs or un-dogs the door.

Signs Your Allen Key Strip Needs Replacing

The allen key strip doesn’t fail overnight — it gradually wears out. Here are the signs we see most often on service calls here in Melbourne and throughout Brevard County:

• The door is hard to dog out. You insert the hex key and turn, but it takes excessive force or doesn’t catch properly. The strip’s internal edges have rounded off from repeated use and no longer grip the key cleanly.
• The door won’t stay dogged. You dog it out, but the latch pops back in on its own. The strip can no longer hold tension against the cam.
• The door is hard to un-dog. The key goes in fine but won’t turn back. The strip has deformed enough that it’s binding instead of releasing smoothly.
• The hex key spins without engaging. This means the strip is completely stripped out — the key has nothing left to grab onto.
• Visible wear or corrosion. On older hardware or exterior doors exposed to Florida humidity, the strip can corrode and seize up entirely.

Don’t Wait Until the Door Won’t Function

A worn dogging strip might seem like a minor inconvenience, but on a high-traffic commercial door it becomes a real operational problem fast. Staff end up forcing the hex key, which strips the slot further and can damage the internal cam — turning a simple strip replacement into a full dogging kit replacement or worse, a complete push bar rebuild.

The Dor-O-Matic PBX-16 dogging kit (or the equivalent for your specific series) is a relatively inexpensive part. Catching the wear early means a quick swap. Ignoring it means a bigger repair bill.

Replacing the Allen Key Strip — What’s Involved

On most Dor-O-Matic models the dogging kit can be accessed by removing the end cap of the push bar and sliding out the assembly. The strip itself presses or screws into the cam housing. It’s a manageable repair for someone familiar with exit device hardware, but the tolerances are tight — if the new strip isn’t seated correctly the dogging function won’t engage properly.

We also always recommend checking the spring tension and cam condition while you’re in there. A worn strip often means the cam has taken some abuse too, and replacing both at the same time saves a second service call.

Call Key-En-Lock for Dor-O-Matic Service in Brevard County

At Key-En-Lock in Melbourne, FL, we stock Dor-O-Matic dogging kit components and service commercial exit devices throughout Brevard County. Whether your push bar is hard to dog, won’t stay dogged, or the hex key just spins freely, we can diagnose and fix it the same day in most cases.

Give us a call or stop by our Melbourne storefront. Commercial door hardware is what we do — and we’ve seen every variation of a worn dogging strip there is.

Key-En-Lock Team

Brevard County's Trusted Locksmith

Providing expert locksmith tips and security advice for Brevard County residents. With over 25 years of experience, we help keep your home, business, and vehicle secure.