I saw today’s Fixed-it Friday photo posted by Jason Stayton on the Crap Locksmithing Facebook page, and I asked if I could share it here. What I want to know is…WHY? All of the panics in the theater had been cut down like this. Any ideas?? It’s not a code issue, it’s just odd.
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Maybe that’s an exterior door & they got cold!
🙂
The bar got dented over time and rather than repair it they decided to cut out the damaged portion of bar.
It has been awhile but I remember some building codes required panic push bars to be 1/2 the total width. It was considered safe and reduced the numbers of different lengths needed to be stocked. I have seen this in one building.
Below is an excerpt from NFPA 101. I do not believe these devices do not meet the requirements state.
7.2.1.7.1
Where a side-hinged door assembly, a pivoted-swinging door assembly, or a balanced door assembly is required to be equipped with panic or fire exit hardware, such hardware shall meet all of the following criteria:
(1)
It shall consist of a cross bar or a push pad, with the length of the actuating portion of the cross bar or push pad extending not less than one-half of the width of the door leaf measured from the latch stile unless otherwise required by 7.2.1.7.2.
That seams crazy to cut the tubes down………unless they were non-fire rated and didn’t want the dog-down to be accessed, which we have delt with in the pass, and just inserted the trim in backwards so that the ‘hole’ for the Allen key went nowhere.
Doesn’t the actuating portion of the hardware need to be at least half the width of the leaf? I have my doubts here.
How wide would the pad be if it was for a 24″ door? Wondering if the pad would be the same length as a normal 36″.
Hi Austin –
For a 24-inch door, the pushpad is still 18 inches like for a 3-foot door.
– Lori