FF: Mag Holders
RB Sontag of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos, and I'm wordless! In all of my years in the industry, I don't recall ever seeing electromagnetic holders installed this way. How about you?
FF: Wall Mag
This one's going to be a tough fix...a wall magnet in a school corridor that is missing a crucial component. Without the electrified hold open to release the door during an intruder situation, the security of this wing of the school is compromised.
FF: High Security Hold-Open
My ooooold friend and coworker, Chuck Gulla of Allegion, sent me this Fixed-it Friday photo from a school in Vermont. Since it's not a fire door, it's not a code issue, but it's definitely a creative solution. I'm sure the school is trying to cut down on "mischief" in the restroom.
WWYD? Floor Stops and Holders
When a stop or holder is mounted on the floor, at what point does it become a tripping hazard? I have not found a specific reference in the model codes or referenced standards on the acceptable mounting location.
FF: Closer/Holder Fix
You may have to look closely at this Fixed-it Friday photo from Brian Lavallee of Doors by LAVA Inc. Have you ever seen this "creative" application in use?
Fire Door Assemblies: Protect the Door
Wrapping up Fire Prevention Week is our final category in the hardware set: Protect the Door. Although these are not typically the most complex components of a fire door assembly, proper product selection, installation, and maintenance are crucial.
FF: Pull-Up Bar
Steven Wehofer of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo of a magnetic holder modification in a school, and the first thing I thought about was how many kids must be doing pull-ups on it every day.
FF: This is why we can’t have nice things.
During the pandemic, many facilities changed to hands-free door pulls to minimize contact with the hardware. It was only a matter of time before someone found a way to make creative use of the touchless design.
FF: Baby Grand Hold Open
I spent a few hours yesterday on Cape Cod, and I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've seen a baby grand piano used as a hold open. Happy Fixed-it Friday! Send your photos before midnight tonight if you want them considered for the 3,000-post celebration!
FF: Road Trip Part 2
Here are a few more applications that I saw on my road trip - I'm finally heading home on Sunday! I stayed at a total of 8 different hotels on my trip, so you can imagine how many problems I saw...
FF: Hold the Line
Kevin Latimer of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, and while this hold-open method gets some points for creativity and cost-effectiveness, it will eventually have a negative impact on the panic hardware.
FF: Hold onto those hold opens.
This elementary school fire door "fix" is one way to keep the wedges from disappearing but might be tough to explain when the fire marshal shows up for an inspection.
WWYD? Sound-Activated Automatic-Closing Devices
I have not commonly seen automatic-closing devices on fire door assemblies released by the sound of the fire alarm system vs. the detection of smoke, but maybe it's a viable option for the US market? WWYD?
One More Allegion 101
If you are new to the hardware industry (or you know someone who is), the Allegion 101 series offers an introduction to our products and their applications. Feel free to share these sessions with anyone who could benefit!
FF: What’s wrong with this picture?
Not too many people would be walking down a hospital corridor and notice the problem shown in today's Fixed-it Friday photo. Can you see it?
WWYD? Hotel Suite
How have you been specifying/supplying the hardware for hotel rooms that are sometimes used as a suite - with door closers on the individual doors, or without?
FF/WWYD? Magnetic Holder
The story here is that the cross-corridor doors in this hospital were scheduled to be 8-foot doors, but the wrong (7-foot) assembly was installed. WWYD?
FF: Another Electrified Hold-Open
Restaurants are notorious for creative hardware applications...next time you go out to eat, look around at the doors and send me some photos! :)
FF: Clamp Hold-Open
The creative solutions never end! RB Sontag of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, and if this is a fire door, we've got a problem.
FF: Another Creative Hold-Open
Kelly Reese of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, and I have to admit, it's pretty creative. Unfortunately, if this is a fire door the purpose of the fire door assembly has been completely defeated.
FF: Wood Wedge Problem Solvers
There's more than one way to hold open a door for convenience, and if it's a fire door, the method needs to be code-compliant. Here's a great Fixed-it Friday example.
FF: Whatever Works
Kick-down holders (prohibited in most commercial locations) are meant to flip down and hold the door open. This one is being used for a different purpose. Any ideas?
FF: Mag-Holder / Mag-Lock Conflict
I've heard it said that there are a thousand ways to screw up a door, and I think it's probably true. Here's just one of the many conflicts to watch out for.
FF: Kick-Up Stop
This isn't the best practice from a security standpoint, and would be an even bigger problem if this was a fire door, but it does qualify as Fixed-it Friday ingenuity.
FF: Door Holder
Thanks to Kelly Reese of Allegion for today's Fixed-it Friday photo! Hopefully this isn't a fire door!
FF: It ain’t pretty…
Although this is not one of the most beautiful solutions I've seen, I couldn't think of a code issue as long as the hold-opens are above the minimum clear headroom of 80 inches. What do you think?
FF: Trading One Problem For Another
In the case shown in today's Fixed-it Friday photo, a retail store has implemented this creative hold-open because of an assault that occurred in their public restroom...
FF: Double-Strength Holding Power
When Deputy Jeff Tock of Allegion sent me this Fixed-it Friday photo of double kick-down holders, I knew what you would ask...
FF: Extension Rod
Charles Anderson sent me this Fixed-it Friday photo of a creative solution he saw at a university. Is it me or do some of those parts look like they came from the "leftover box" in the lockshop?
FF: Light Duty Hold-Open
This problem-solving application was found in a school, but at least the door is not fire-rated...
FF: Do Not “Prop” This Door Open
Rick Jermain of Allegion sent me this Fixed-it Friday photo. Very cute. :D
FF: Custom Mag-Holder Bracket
Frankly, I'm surprised this magnetic holder has enough strength to keep the door open, considering that the armature is mounted right at the closer instead of near the door edge...
QQ: Holding Force for Automatic-Closing Doors
I've received this question a couple of times lately...What is the maximum holding force allowed for an electromagnetic holder (or other automatic-closing device)?
FF: Kick-Up Holder
Tim Weller of Allegion sent me this Fixed-it Friday photo, which features a kick-down stop (holder) in the new and improved "kick-up" custom mounting configuration...
WW: Kick-Down Stops
Nathan Burkhardt of Opening Technologies sent me this Wordless Wednesday photo of the kick-down stops (holders) they removed from the fire doors on one of their projects. Wow.
Decoded: Delayed Egress vs. Controlled Egress
From the November issue of Doors & Hardware...the table below addresses the requirements for delayed egress and controlled egress, for both the IBC and NFPA 101. Do you know the difference?
Reader Photos
It's been a really long time since I posted a collection of reader photos because I've been using a lot of these submissions for Wordless Wednesday and Fixed-it Friday. Here are some of the reader photos that have been patiently waiting in my inbox...
FF: Do Not Bend
The theory is that the stick on this hold-open is there so you don't have to bend over to install/remove the wedge. I'll bet the architect who chose those door pulls didn't have this aesthetic in mind. Thank you to Rachel Smith of Karpen Steel for this Fixed-it Friday photo!
FF: Residential Corridors
The purpose of cross-corridor doors in this application would be to compartmentalize the building. The magnetic holders make it clear that the intention is for the doors to close if there is a fire alarm. This is obviously not going to happen if there are wood wedges in place...
WWYD: Fusible Link Arms
NFPA 80 does not prohibit their use but the International Building Code (IBC) requires automatic-closing doors in certain locations to be smoke-activated...automatic-closing by the actuation of smoke detectors...
FF: Serendipitous Hold-Open
It's Fixed-it Friday! And just announced...I will be conducting my online Decoded course on behalf of the Door and Hardware Institute starting next week!
FF: Magnetic Holder Bracket
For the record, this is not a code-compliant way of providing an extension for a magnetic holder...
FF: Canadian Ingenuity
My friend Bill Elliott sent me these photos from a recent trip to Canada. The hold-open device is pretty crafty, but check out the non-slip surface on the ramp!
WW: Duct Tape
I received this photo from Chuck Noble of Certified Fire Door, and it is the epitome of Wordless Wednesday...
FF: Fire Door
This photo from Linda Varnadore of Allegion left me Wordless, but I couldn't wait until next Wednesday to share it. I guess this qualifies as a Fixed-it Friday photo, since someone obviously fixed whatever problems this fire door had by holding it open for the foreseeable future. :(
Back to Cape Cod
A few years ago I took my family to a resort on Cape Cod for winter break, and I spent this past weekend at the same resort. On our first visit, I found a lot to write about...the hinges on all of the cross-corridor doors had been modified (sometimes very badly) and were no longer code-compliant for fire doors, the fire doors connecting the 8 buildings were propped open with wedges and the latches had been removed, the swimming pool egress doors were questionable, and there were a few other issues.
Swing Free in School?
Over the weekend I visited a local high school for a swim meet. Right away I noticed MANY pairs of fire doors equipped with LCN Sentronics, which are designed to hold the doors open until the fire alarm sounds and then close the doors to deter the spread of smoke and flames. Some of these doors were propped open with wood wedges (uh-oh). When I took a closer look, I realized what the problem was.
Music City Center – Nashville, Tennessee
I know what you're thinking..."When is she going to stop talking about Nashville and get on to something interesting like gasketing or clear opening width?" :D
Hold-Opens on a Bank of Doors
Am I the only one bothered by this? Probably.