Search results for "Undercut"
WWYD? Clearance vs. Undercut August 30, 2016Last week I got a call about a problem that led me to do some research on the difference between the clearance and the undercut on a fire door. On the project in question, the fire doors were supplied with a 5/8-inch undercut…
Solution for Oversized Undercuts March 14, 2013Last year as one of my projects neared completion, the architect called me to say that the bottom latches of the fire exit hardware were not long enough to reach the floor-mounted strikes. This is a pretty common problem because that clearance needs to be very tight for the latch/strike templating – sometimes as little […]
Decoded: Update on Storm Shelter Doors (March 2018) February 6, 2018If you have seen more projects incorporating storm shelters lately, this is likely due to changes in the International Building Code (IBC).
Decoded: Alterations to Fire Door Assemblies (Updated October 2017) October 19, 2017You may remember that I’m working on a series of online code classes, which will be available early in 2018. To support those classes, I am updating some of my past Decoded articles to include revisions from new editions of the codes and standards. Here is the latest information regarding alterations of fire door assemblies. […]
Fire Door Clearances – Webinar Notes October 5, 2017The other day I posted a video of a webinar about the clearances around fire doors and the effects of those clearances on the performance of the assembly…
Decoded: Alternative Methods and Equivalency (June 2016) April 19, 2016I’m on vacation this week and I could really use your help. This is my next Decoded article…if you’re willing to check it out and leave any comments below, I could submit it to the editor and try to enjoy a little time off. Please help! 🙂
NFPA 80 – 2016…Sneak Peek! January 21, 2016I’ve been working on updating my code reference guide – adding new information from the 2016 edition of NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives. There are quite a few changes to NFPA 80, and although this edition of the standard won’t be used in most jurisdictions until the 2018 model codes are adopted, some of the changes may help to clarify the requirements of previous editions…
Decoded: Smoke Door Requirements of the 2015 International Building Code (January 2016) November 16, 2015Several of you have asked me to update the article on smoke doors that I wrote several years ago. I have looked at this until my vision is blurry, so if anyone is willing to review it for errors I’ll offer a bounty for any mistakes found…
Decoded: Double-Egress Pairs in a Health Care Occupancy (June 2015) April 19, 2015There is an IBC exception regarding smoke barrier doors that has to be one of the most confusing and widely debated door-related sections in the code. In the 2015 edition, Section 709.5 Exception 1 exempts smoke barrier doors in some health care occupancies from the requirements that apply to smoke barriers in other locations…
Fire Doors: The First Line of Defense January 26, 2015This article was published in the January 2015 issue of Locksmith Ledger. Fire doors are a vital part of a building’s passive fire protection system. When properly installed and maintained, they will help to compartmentalize a building to protect occupants and property from the spread of smoke, flames, and toxic gases, and aid in providing […]
The Effect of Oversized Clearances on Fire Door Tests (August 2014) June 17, 2014Rectifying clearance problems can be difficult and costly, so it may be tempting to leave non-compliant doors in place and assume that a little extra clearance won’t affect the performance of the fire door assembly; I can now say from first-hand experience that this is not true…
Code Implications for Mechanical Hardware June 9, 2014Locksmiths are often called upon to increase security at an existing door or replace hardware that is damaged or defective. There are several code-related issues to note before getting started…
Multi-Family Fire Door Safety – The Role of Fire Doors April 24, 2014Fire door assemblies play a vital role in the protection of life safety, yet many people remain unaware of their existence. We pass through these doors every day in commercial, institutional, and multi-family residential buildings. A lack of awareness…
Fire Doors – Everything you always wanted to know (but were afraid to ask) October 10, 2013This article was published in the October 2013 issue of Construction Specifier and won CSI’s Construction Specifier Article of the Year Award!! Fire doors are an important part of a building’s passive fire protection system, and doors in a means of egress provide life safety by allowing people to exit quickly when necessary. Still, the requirements […]
Science Lab Doors July 5, 2013Several questions have come up lately regarding the door and hardware requirements for science labs in schools. When a short article about a chemical fire in a lab storage cabinet came across my desk, I decided to do a little digging. I found that fires in school science labs are not uncommon, in fact, the […]
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