Archive for June, 2009
I recently needed to refer to a copy of HMMA-850, the NAAMM/HMMA standard for fire rated doors and frames. I was pleasantly surprised to find this standard on-line as a free download. Upon further digging, I found that almost ALL of the HMMA and SDI publications can be downloaded for free from their websites. There [...]
There’s an exception in the Health Care chapters of NFPA 101 that I’ve always wondered about. It’s in the chapters regarding New & Existing Health Care Occupancies (18 & 19), in the section about corridors: 2009 Edition of NFPA 101: 18.3.6.3.12*/19.3.6.3.12* Nonrated, factory- or field-applied protective plates, unlimited in height***, shall be permitted. A.18.3.6.3.12/A.19.3.6.3.12 It [...]
As promised, I’ve added another page to this site which lists the codes and standards that have currently been adopted for each New England state. I can see from the statistics that people are accessing the site from all over the US and also from 30 other countries, but our office covers New England so [...]
After over 20 years in the hardware industry, my family has grown accustomed to me taking photos of doors. They still think it’s strange, but it’s no longer surprising. Last weekend we were on a Fathers Day outing and I saw this sad door on a gas station ladies’ room. I couldn’t help but wonder…who would be [...]
The new Vermont Fire & Building Safety Code went into effect on June 15, 2009. The new code references the 2006 edition of the International Building Code, and the 2006 edition of NFPA 101 – The Life Safety Code. You can access the new code on the Department of Public Safety / Division of Fire [...]
Years ago, glass doors were commonly locked with a deadlock in the bottom rail. Many of these doors are still in use, but in order to comply with current codes, I don’t recommend the use of a bottom rail deadlock on most new projects. Assuming that the glass door is a required egress door and/or [...]
My last post referenced the term “exit enclosure”, and I received a few questions about its meaning. An exit enclosure is the enclosure around an exit. For our purposes it usually refers to a stairwell. According to the IBC, exit enclosures connecting 4 or more stories require a 2-hour fire resistance rating, and those connecting [...]
A temperature rise door is a fire-rated door which limits the heat transfer through the door for a period of 30 minutes. Temperature rise ratings indicate the maximum rise above ambient temperature on the non-fire side of the door, and will be either 250°, 450°, or 650° F. The 250° door is the most restrictive because it limits the heat transfer to [...]
My only hesitation in posting these photos is that they are probably the best photos of Doors Gone Wrong that I have ever seen, and any future photos will pale in comparison. These are the holy grail of bad door photos, which I received from Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd. in Israel. According to [...]
I started this website a few months ago as a way to connect with our customers and help them find answers to their code questions. I have been amazed at the response to the site, from all over the United States and 18 other countries (and counting!). It really is a small world. I received an [...]
The ADAAG Manual was created by the Access Board of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board as companion information to the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). It explains and clarifies many of the requirements of the ADAAG, and gives insight on the intent of the requirements. I recently found a downloadable version available [...]
I’ll get back to the long, wordy posts about code questions soon, but in the meantime here’s another cool door photo from Paul Goldense of Goldense Building Products. This opening is used by a water authority to access their pumps for maintenance. It’s hung with continuous hinges on a channel iron frame. As an extra challenge, [...]
Well…the latch is retracted and it involves a wire! As a follow-up to yesterday’s post about retrofit dogging accomplished with a tie-wrap, here’s a photo from Brendan Daley of Horner Commercial Sales that was taken in a new hospital. I’m guessing they weren’t happy with the lock function so they came up with this ingenious [...]
I’ve spent several phone calls this week discussing “dogging” with one of my favorite clients. I guess it is kind of hard to keep straight if you’re not a hardware person. The term “dogging” refers to holding the latch(es) of a panic device retracted to create a push/pull function. When the panic device is dogged, [...]
I love it when I’m able to solve one of life’s great mysteries. Today I was asked whether a 90-minute fire rated door required a threshold. The short answer is “no” but my coworker Greg chimed in to ask about fire rated openings with combustible floor covering running through. There’s a paragraph in NFPA 80 [...]
This is one of those openings that makes me cringe…yuck! But I can’t let a teachable moment go by. Yesterday I got a call from an architect who asked whether it was acceptable to put a panic device on one leaf of a pair when only that leaf is required for egress width. The codes [...]
