More Doors of SMA
2748:
Cover Up!!
Back in the day, before my restaurant choices were based on whether the establishment offered crayons, chicken nuggets, and a giant mouse or talking tree, I used to frequent a local cantina. The "naked" door closer on their ladies room door drove me nuts, so one night I showed up with a closer cover, screws, and a set of hex wrenches. As you can probably imagine, they looked at me like I had two heads and made me hand everything over to the bartender.
A Pair and a Half = 3
A couple of weeks ago, someone asked me why hinges traditionally come in pairs. I asked two of my favorite hinge experts - Matt Bouchard and Bob Jutzi, and they both gave me a variation of the same answer. In the 17th and 18th centuries there were 2 hinges on a door, so they were sold in pairs because you'd never use just one. In the early 1950's it was determined that a 3rd hinge would supply additional support and that became the standard. Our industry called that "a pair and a half" of hinges. There's some great hinge history at www.hardwaresource.com in case there's other hinge trivia you've been wondering about.
Shear Locks in Action
One of the disadvantages of a shear lock is the noise associated with locking/unlocking. This post has a video of the operation of a shear lock.
Means of Egress Reliability
A while back I posted a photo of an egress door in an indoor soccer arena, which had nets hanging in front of it. I asked my blog visitors to comment on whether they thought the application was code-compliant or not.
Schlage LiNK
The other day, one of my friends asked me about the new Schlage LiNK, which is a remote access system that connects you to your home from anywhere via cell phone or computer. With the monthly subscription and Z-Wave enabled products, you can remotely control and monitor your door locks, check on your pets with live video, turn lights on and off, and control and monitor your home's heating and cooling system.
In Case of Smoke…
I've seen plenty of inventive hold-open devices on fire-rated doors, but I've never seen instructional signage to go along with them! Coincidentally, I received photos of a chain hold-open and the signage for a chain hold-open on the same day from two different people. The photos are not from the same facility or even the same country for that matter.
Industry Profile: Hal Kelton, AHC/CDC, CDT
Name: Hal Kelton, AHC/CDC, CDT
“Look Out Beloooow!!!”
Just when I think I've seen it all, someone always surprises me. I received this photo today, and at first I couldn't really tell what was going on. Then I realized that the pipe has been cut to length to act as a hold-open. That's a first! When I asked what was holding the pipe in place, I was told that it's the pressure from the door closers! I pity the fool who leans against the door (especially if his friend leans against the other one)! BONK!
BOCA? Or No BOCA?
That's the question I was asked on Friday..."If someone orders a delayed egress exit device or delayed egress mag-lock, when do they need the 'BOCA' feature?"
Panic Hardware on Balanced Doors
Last week, someone asked me about code requirements related to panic hardware on balanced doors. The project in question is in Israel, and apparently the code requirements there do not include any specific requirements for panic hardware on balanced doors. However, the codes used most often in the U.S. do contain applicable requirements.
Restaurant Egress
I'd be rich if I had a dime for every time I explained that panic hardware is required for Assembly and Educational occupancies with an occupant load of more than 100 people (per IBC 2000 or 2003, NFPA 101) or more than 50 people (per IBC 2006 or 2009). Well, maybe I'd just have a bunch of dimes, but I've said it lots of times and sometimes people still have a hard time remembering it. Here's a true story that will help.
Is this your idea of *fun*??
I just said to my husband, "I've got to post something *fun* on the blog tonight." I figured that after a couple of very technical, code-heavy posts, we all needed a break. He looked at me like I had two heads...I guess this isn't his idea of fun.
Elevator Lobby Egress
Fair warning...this is going to be one of those posts that makes your eyes glaze over, especially if you haven't had your coffee yet. But since I've seen several people come to my site looking for this information and leaving without it, I need to post about it before the next person comes looking. I'll try to make it as concise as possible, and remember, the red italicized paragraphs are the code excerpts so you probably don't need to read those unless you're really digging into this issue.
