What is a Foot Bolt ?
Definition of Foot Bolt in Construction Mechanism at the bottom of a door panel, that allows the activation of a pin assembly, which engages in the sill of the door assembly, providing a means of securing a door panel from moving. Used in double swing doors to secure the inactive door or in sliding panels to secure one panel from moving. Stability of the fixed panel is maintained by the use of a foot bolt as well as a head bolt. The use of a foot bolt will enhance the security of the door assembly as well as keep the non-active panel from movement as the active panel of the door is used. Many times the foot bolt is a decorative piece of hardware that is architecturally selected to match the adjacent hardware and mounted on the exterior of the door assembly. In other applications, the foot bolt is actually built into the door panel itself and the mechanism is fully hidden from view and only activated by a small projection that is pushed down with the foot. The deactivation of the foot bolt can be assisted with a spring assembly mounted within the foot bolt or manually by the physical lifting of a small projection with your foot.