Archive for August, 2009
I’m not normally the type of person who would ask for fans…what if I didn’t have any?? That would stink. Well, Friday afternoon I was talking to a colleague about how Colonial Williamsburg found my post about the doors there and posted a link on their Facebook fan page. When I looked at my blog’s statistics, [...]
Today I went to a jobsite, and on the way there I stopped at a very busy urban rest area of sorts. I asked an employee at the food court where the restrooms were, and she handed me a token. When I was working on the Trinity Church undercroft project a few years ago, I [...]
In a post about opening force a while back, I wrote that fire doors do not have to meet the opening force requirements of the accessibility codes and standards. While that IS true, someone recently asked me a question that led to this further explanation. The question was regarding egress doors in a stairwell on a [...]
Just a reminder that the 2009 amendments to the 2005 Connecticut State Building Code and the Connecticut State Fire Safety Code went into effect on August 1, 2009. Connecticut will continue to use the 2003 International Building Code as the basis for their state codes. Click here to access the 2009 amendments. Here’s where to find [...]
Last weekend I opened the door to a sports facility where my son was attending a birthday party, and I saw an interesting (to me) application. My three friends scattered when they saw me whip out the camera…I still don’t know why it’s so embarrassing to be seen with someone taking a picture of a [...]
When I started working in the door and hardware industry, we regularly installed fusible link louvers in fire-rated doors, as allowed by various door manufacturers’ listings. Although fusible link louvers are still available, their use is limited by current codes: The IBC – 2009 does not allow louvers in smoke barrier doors in I-2 occupancies [...]
I received this photo the other day and I knew it was the perfect opportunity to talk about application-specific closers vs. universal closers. The closer in the photo is an LCN 4041-Cush, and because of the Cush arm (built-in stop) it is supposed to be installed on the push side of the door. I can’t tell why [...]
During Chip’s Road Trip I gave you two opportunities to join in by answering a trivia question. Thanks to everyone who participated! The two grand prize winners are listed below, and will receive a little something from the IR Prize Vault. Wayne Lozier of Kamco Supply correctly identified this statue as Mary Virginia Ginnie/Jennie Wade, [...]
One of my (non-hardware industry) friends commented recently that she’s been reading this blog and can’t believe how complicated doors and hardware are. It’s true! There are a thousand ways to screw up a door and I’ve made my share of mistakes over the years, but at this point I often spot problems from across [...]
We had planned to get on the road early yesterday afternoon but we ended up leaving Williamsburg around 5 p.m., about the same time everyone else coming home from everywhere decided to leave. The traffic was terrible, and after 6 hours of driving we had gone as far as Elkton, Maryland and couldn’t stay in [...]
We’re on our way home today, and barring any surprises we’ll arrive tomorrow. For the first time we’re hitting the road without knowing where we’ll be sleeping tonight, but I’m sure we’ll find a hotel and if not, I’ll be calling my Mid-Atlantic or Metro New York SSC buddies to see who has room at [...]
Yesterday we decided that there was still too much to see so we can’t go home just yet. We haven’t run out of clean clothes, so why not? We spent the entire day taking in the sights of Colonial Williamsburg, without a thrill ride or water slide in sight. I saw so many interesting doors [...]
If there weren’t a lot of doors at Busch Gardens, there were even less at Water Country, where we spent the day today. For me, a day without hardware is like a day without sunshine, but I survived. Since I don’t have any funky applications from today, I’ll answer a question from the mailbag. Debbie [...]
Several people have commented that I’m supposed to be on vacation, I should be relaxing, enjoying quality family time, etc. Well, I just returned from 10 HOURS at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia and I am SO TIRED. But I know I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t post something for you to [...]
Today we drove from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Williamsburg, Virginia. It was a long day in the car but Chip insisted that we stop in FALCON, North Carolina to buy some personalized souvenirs for him. We had no luck with the FALCON souvenirs…Falcon is a VERY small town without even a general store, but [...]
We’re in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the good news is that the specwriter Chip and I came to see has agreed to include Falcon exit devices in his specifications! Yippee! The bad news is that we arrived a bit early for Bike Week, but I figured it’s still a good place to mention cycle testing. [...]
Today we headed north toward Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and on the way we passed through Waldo, Florida. Apparently Waldo’s claim to fame is that it is one of two official speed traps designated by AAA. The other is just up the road in Lawtey. Lucky for us, the Waldo police were at Dunkin Donuts and [...]
…Another funky hardware application. When we visited the zoo in Albany, Georgia, I saw this restroom door with applied wood trim and I thought it was pretty cool how they detailed the trim around the push plate and deadbolt. Then I went inside and saw the homemade parallel arm shoe mounting bracket – YUCK! And just [...]
. It’s true! The new Falcon 24/25 device has a 10-year mechanical warranty (1-year electrical). 10 years is a really long time. 10 years ago I was single, living on my own, and working for Reyn and Harris at MPS Sales as the only specwriter in our office. The highlight of my life at that [...]
There are almost 600 Cracker Barrel restaurants in the United States and I’ve been to most of them. Well…not most, but a bunch. The kids like the food and there’s a lot of miscellaneous stuff on the walls that we can use to play, “Who can find the _______?” When you drop a whole cup [...]
For all of you loyal late Friday afternoon and weekend blog readers, here’s another opportunity to win something from the Ingersoll Rand prize vault. This morning, Chip visited the statue at left – where are we? If you think you know, click here and scroll down to leave a comment with the answer. I will [...]
When Chip heard that we’d be passing through Atlanta he insisted on visiting the Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons. We stopped for a look around, and he gawked at the banks of multiple exit doors, all equipped with Von Duprin 99 devices. It was a proud moment for Chip, especially since the Falcon 24/25 [...]
We interrupt this road trip to announce that this website has received visitors from 50 different countries!! And coincidentally, the 50th country to visit was Morocco, where my husband was born (and the visitor was NOT my mother-in-law!). 50 countries in the 2 months that I’ve been keeping track…so cool! If you’re interested in seeing [...]
There’s the beef! We’re in a beautiful spot in Grassy Cove, Tennessee, on a farm full of Black Angus cattle, Belgian draft horses, and Boer goats. There’s literally not an exit device around for miles (except Chip, of course), but being surrounded by all of this beef gives me the perfect opportunity to talk about the noticeably [...]
Yesterday we drove from Front Royal, Virginia to Grassy Cove, Tennessee, which is a VERY long drive. We usually plan on stopping somewhere for the kids to burn off some energy, and yesterday’s stop was at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. I can find an interesting (to me) hardware application just about anywhere, [...]
We continued our road trip yesterday with a visit to the zoo and a drive through Amish Country. A stop in Paradise confirmed that they could use some Falcon 24/25 exit devices out there, and Chip’s up to the challenge. As I’ve said before, I’m very picky about which products I specify, and after taking this new [...]
