Tall Doors

Before you say anything…no – these are not the doors I’m asking about. These are just some tall wood doors, and yes – I realize that they have 5 pairs of hinges (not 4) and that’s probably not a mortise lock. I just like to include a photo to liven up the blog post. If you have a photo of a pair of doors that more closely resembles the pair in this post, send it along.

This is a real-life problem on a current project and I know someone out there has a good answer.  Here is a description of the doors:

  • new wood doors
  • 90-minute rated
  • each leaf 3′-0″ wide x 8′-9″ high
  • 2 7/8 inches thick
  • weight of each leaf approximately 350 pounds
  • STC – 35 (sound door)
  • hung on ball bearing hinges (4/leaf)
  • equipped with a mortise lock and automatic flush bolts

The architect would like concealed closers.  The doors are not required to meet the 5-pound force requirement of the accessibility standards because they are fire doors, but they must meet the requirements of the IBC:  15 pounds to release the latch, 30 pounds to set the door in motion, and 15 pounds to open the door to the fully-open position.

Which closer would you use, considering the criteria above?  WWYD?

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