Given the added expense and maintenance issues that can come with vertical rod panic hardware, I can’t think of a reason why someone would use a vertical rod device on a single door. Can you? If this is a fire door I doubt this application is compliant with the listings, because less-bottom-rod (LBR) fire exit hardware is typically used in pairs. Maybe the door or the delayed egress device was moved from another location?
Thank you to Fred Rudiger of Allegion for today’s Wordless Wednesday photo!
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The Frame also has Hospital stops.
The last 6″ of frame stop is missing.
This will not pass positive pressure fire code.
Hi Charlie –
I noticed the hospital stops too – they are acceptable on fire door assemblies in most locations. Here’s some more info: https://idighardware.com/2020/07/code-update-terminated-stops-on-fire-door-assemblies/.
– Lori
“hardware group said SVRxLBR, so that is what they got”
LOL – you’re probably right!
– Lori
IF IT IS FOR A FIRE DOOR OPENING IT WILL INCLUDE A FIRE BOLT FOR THE BOTTOM L.B.R.
VERT. RODS ARE TYPICALLY FOR PAIRS OF DOORS USING SPLIT ASTRAGALS NOT OVERLAPPING ASTRAGALS.
RIM ARE FOR SINGLE OR PAIRS WITH VERT. MULLION.
RIM EXITS ARE LESS $$$ AND EASIER TO ELECTRIFY FOR ACCESS CONTROL & MAINTAIN THAN S.V.R. OR C.V.R.
L.B.R. X FIRE BOLT EXIT DEVICES SHOULD ONLY BE USED ON FIRE DOORS THAT ARE BEING HOLD OPEN ON A FIRE RELEASING MAG HOLDERS.
I WOULD NOT USE THEM AS A SECURED OPENING TO A SUITE/OFFICE DUE TO NO LATCHING AT THE BOTTOM AND THE TALLER THE DOOR 8/0 >
THE EASLER TO FORCE OPEN AND DAMAGE THE ARCHITECTURAL $$$$ WOOD DOORS.
Maybe they had the SVRxLBR laying around and thought, why not use it?
That’s what I was thinking too, but if it’s a fire door they may have a problem when the fire door inspector comes along.
– Lori
This was my guess as well. It’s something they had in attic stock that had delayed egress on it, so that’s what they used.
Just curious–but wouldn’t the keyed dogging cylinder make any fire rating null and void?
Hi Terry –
I think that cylinder is for the delayed egress feature.
– Lori
i think that is for an alarm on the panic bar
Door looks a bit narrow. Doesn’t a surface mount panic add a catch on the frame that protrudes out instead of a recess for a deadbolt kind of latch? If so, perhaps that door catch reduced the required width. Just thinking aloud.
That’s a thought, but the model codes allow certain projections into the clear opening width.
– Lori
I think that had to be a leftover device, else they would have used the supplied signage. Speaking of signage, doesn’t code state it must be affixed within 12 inches of the device, and aren’t they fairly picky about color usage and typeface? Then, to top it off, I believe any rod device is only fire rated when installed in pairs due to the potential gap from the bowing of the door in a fire.
So, yeah, the potential fails abound on this.
Yes to all of the above! 🙂
– Lori
I’d bet that most of the other exterior doors in the facility are double doors and whoever was buying the hardware just bought the same devices across the board.
Any crazy chance this is an LBR x mortise and they didn’t want a strike sticking out off the stop? I’m still not sure why they’d go there…
I don’t think so, but I’ve seen stranger things!
– Lori
maybe to the right of the picture there’s a pair of doors with two LBR devices, and they want to match it on this single?
Hmm…I guess that’s possible, but I’m guessing someone found a delayed egress lock laying around and reused it.
– Lori
Do you know of any manuf. that has a fire door with top latch only for a single door? I was always told the center latch would not allow the fire door to warp as much…
Hi Peter!
I don’t know of one…it’s possible that someone has tested that application but I have not seen it.
– Lori
I’m betting this door was either added and the Architect tried to come up with a set on the fly or the Architect tried to re-use sets from an existing project and took a paired opening and modified it for this single not knowing what the hardware items really were.
Those are all probable answers, Kyle. 🙂
– Lori
There are some big city fire codes that mandate 4-hr fire doors in building-to-building or building-to-addition fire separations, esp in high-rise buildings.
During renovations, esp when floor coverings are added bottom rods have been known to mysteriously disappear…
and it’s usually years until anyone notices…
Yes, some deficiencies are present for years or even decades. Hopefully this will start to change with wider enforcement of the inspection requirements.
– Lori
From the photo I would not say this is the case the back set is wrong but I have converted to LBR when I have some equipment going into and out of a room enough times that strike damage becomes an issue.