WW: Trends
Today I visited a third location of the same retail chain, and again, the restroom doors had padlocks and hasps like the second location, and a saggy door (no foot pull) like the first one. I'm seeing a trend.
WWYD? Egress Doors Serving Exterior Spaces
The balcony in these photos is located in a conference center. It's not too high above grade, so yes - you could jump off, but generally that's not how the egress requirements work. What would you do?
See you in New Orleans!
I'm heading south today after teaching a class in Knoxville, and tomorrow I'll be arriving at the DHI conNextions conference in New Orleans. I'm teaching my brand new 1 vs. 100 class on Thursday, October 21st at 8 a.m. I hope to see you there!
FF: Road Trip Part 1
I've got another week left in my 3-week training expedition, so I'm assuming there will be a Part 2...I can find something going on in just about every hotel, retail store, restaurant, or restroom, which is a pretty sad state of affairs.
WWYD? Exit-Only Doors
If areas with high-piled combustible storage are required to have fire department access doors with hardware on the exterior to allow access, doesn't it seem like doors to other types of buildings should have the same requirements?
WW: Are the cost savings worth the risk?
Another day of driving, another restroom door. Coincidentally, this is the same retail chain as the restroom door I posted last week. Why is it so important to lock the restroom doors that someone has installed non-code-compliant locks?
QQ: Hotel Door Guards
As I continue on my training adventure, staying in multiple hotels along the way, I'm reminded of a "Quick Question" that recently hit my inbox: Are swing bar door guards prohibited by NFPA 80 for fire door assemblies on hotel rooms?
Lots of options this week!
I'm making my way around the Southeast, heading for my final destination - the DHI conNextions conference in New Orleans. I'll be teaching my brand new 1 vs. 100 class on Thursday, October 21st at 8 a.m. Meanwhile, there are lots of classes on the schedule for this week!
Knowing Act Operation
In yesterday's post I shared some photos and videos of the entrance door of a hotel, where we had been having our BHMA meeting. The doors were equipped with automatic operators, but were they code-compliant?
What’s happening here?
When I passed through these doors last night, I had to stop and take a second look and then do some more investigation. Can you tell what made me do a double-take? Leave a comment...I'll wait. :-)
WW: Which came first?
I'm wondering whether this restroom door, which is dragging on the floor and won't close fully, was damaged before the foot pull was added, or if the downward force on the foot pull contributed to the problem. What do you think?
WWYD? Keyed Removable Mullion
Today is the second day of a 3-week work trip for me, where I will be doing a lot of training and attending two conferences. In a perfect world, I would have already written and scheduled 3 weeks worth of blog posts...
Let’s Play: 1 vs. 100!
If you will be at the DHI conNextions conference in New Orleans, I hope to see you in my class on Thursday, October 21st! And if you are a local architect/architectural specwriter or code official, you can attend my class for free!
FF: Make Do
What happens when your door won't open to 90 degrees - preventing the installation of a door stop? You make do with what you've got! This Fixed-it Friday photo illustrates one way to handle that problem.
Intro to Door Hardware: The Company We Keep (video)
If you are planning to participate in the Allegion 101 course that begins tomorrow, you may want to start with this video explaining the various organizations involved in the selection, installation, and maintenance of door openings in non-residential buildings.
WW: Retail Fail
Today's Wordless Wednesday photo was sent to me by Shane Meier of NMC Health, who made an interesting point about the priorities of retail. Until life safety becomes more important than profit, this problem will continue.
QQ: Covering Holes in Fire Doors
Today's Quick Question arises often, when existing hardware on a fire door assembly is replaced with new hardware: If existing holes in a fire door assembly are covered by the new hardware, is this compliant with the codes and standards?
Allegion 101 is BACK!
I was just talking with someone the other day about how hard it must be to get on-the-job training while working remotely. If you or someone you know is new to the industry or new to the Allegion brands, check out Allegion 101!
FF: En Español
I saw these two Fixed-it Friday parking lot doors around the neighborhood...one is an example of good planning to avoid a conflict, and the other is either very bad planning or more likely a gate that was repurposed from a larger opening.
Intro to Door Hardware – Electricity Basics (video)
This video is a great addition to our library of whiteboard animation videos - it explains basic electrical concepts and terms that commonly appear in the door hardware industry. You can access other videos in the library by visiting the Videos page of iDigHardware.
WW: Oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no
Sometimes I see a Wordless Wednesday photo that gives me that "I'm about to cry" feeling. An actual tear may have leaked out when I saw these photos posted by Jimmy Wood Jr. on the Fire Inspectors with No Borders Facebook page.
LCN COMPACT Operator Follow-Up (video)
My coworker, Aaren Kracich recently conducted a short training on the new LCN Compact operator for NFMT, including some Q&A. If you have any other questions you can leave them in the comment box below and I'll make sure they get answered.
What’s there to know about auto operators?
Automatic operators can be complicated, and it's important to understand the code requirements to help ensure the safety of people using the doors. But not to worry! We have an auto operator class as part of this week's Webinar Wednesday line-up!
FF: Egress Deterrent
I recently noticed this door in the new fancy grocery store in town. I've seen these plastic tabs to deter egress before, but I've never found any specifics on them - for example, a limit on how much force it takes to break them in order to exit.
NFPA: 4 Things 9/11 Changed Forever
In this month's edition of the National Fire Protection Association's series: Learning Something New, NFPA looks at changes to the world of fire and life safety in the US that occurred after the 9/11 attacks. You can read more in the NFPA Journal Article by Angelo Verzoni.
WW: Positive Latching??
Rit Bellefleur of Accurate Commercial Door & Hardware Services, LLC sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo. This is a fire door in a school, and the bottom latch clearly serves no purpose. What's the point??
Decoded: Automatic Operators on Accessible Public Entrances
I have combined several posts on this important code change into one complete article - let me know if there are any other FAQs I should add. This article addresses where automatic operators will be required by the 2021 IBC.
Security in 30: Is your opening as secure as you think?
From basic hardware to the intricacies of Schlage SUS for AD locks, security pain points and potential vulnerabilities, clear width and maneuvering clearance, auto operator setup and troubleshooting...you have plenty of opportunities to learn this week!
FF: Crank it UP!
Tony Park of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo...all the way from Korea! The door leads to a recording studio - pretty cool, right?! I wonder why more people don't get creative with their doors.
WWYD? Imperial Food Products, Hamlet NC
This week marks the 30th anniversary of a tragic fire at Imperial Food Products - a chicken processing plant - where 25 workers lost their lives. Could an agreement between OSHA and the USDA improve workplace safety?
WW: Access Control x2
Someone recently asked me which sections of the code I would reference to show that padlocks are not allowed on egress doors. There are plenty of options...the section that requires egress doors to be readily openable, for starters.
Back in the Saddle
I hope everyone who celebrated a holiday yesterday had a nice long weekend - we're back in the saddle today! This week there are several classes available on electrified hardware, and a Door Drills class on the Von Duprin 98/99.
FF: Special Template?
I'm still scratching my head over today's Fixed-it Friday photos. Something doesn't seem right here, but at the same time, the installer went to great lengths to get this operator installed on the door. Is there a special template that I don't know about?
Spec Update: Oversized Fire Door Assemblies / Construction Labels
I have posted a couple of spec updates in past weeks, both related to one small portion of an actual project specification. Today's post addresses the remaining paragraph in the example - oversized fire doors.
WW: Doors of EnCOURAGEment
Cathy Kopp of Norwood Hardware & Supply sent me a link to this event, and I have to say - I'm Wordless and even a little misty. This fundraiser has been held annually for 10 years and has raised a total of over $400,000!
IBC E49-21 – Normal Locking Arrangements
This post is going to require some patience and focus, but it will be worth the effort if you have ever run into misinterpretations about the code requirements for access control hardware that allows free egress at all times.
Up Next…
Thanks to everyone who attended my webinars last week - the recording of the session will be on the webinars page of iDigHardware within the next few days. Here's what's coming up this week.
FF: Double-Sided Tape?
I can't tell if the attempt to repair this panic hardware incorporated double-sided tape, Command Strips, or something else. Whatever the method, it was unsuccessful!
LCN COMPACT Automatic Operator
Cost and complexity can be barriers to the installation of a traditional automatic operator, but LCN has created a solution that allows an auto operator to be added to an existing 4040XP door closer. Have you seen the new LCN Compact Automatic Operator?
WW: Caption This
A fire marshal sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo, but neither of us know the original source. We'd love to give credit to the photographer, and to ask what in the world is going on with this door?!
Campus Safety: What to do about wired glass in schools?
It has been quite a while since I've written about traditional wired glass, but the hazard has not disappeared. With students back at school in person, the injuries related to this product will continue.
Last Call for the 2021 Model Code Update!
My webinar addressing the changes to the 2021 model codes is this Thursday, August 26th! If you need to know what's new (don't we all?), join me at 11am or 2pm Eastern. And we have other great classes this week to choose from!
FF: Out of Control
Pete Chappell of Cook and Boardman sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos of a "door closer" that definitely won't provide the level of control that a typical door closer would (it's cool though!).
Decoded: Special Locking Arrangements vs. Normal Locking Arrangements
Misinterpretations of the model code requirements for electrified hardware continue to hit my inbox on a regular basis, BUT - I expect some help from the ICC soon. In the meantime, I hope this Decoded article will reach the people who need it - feel free to share it!
WW: Hedge Your Bets
Scott Straton of Allegion sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo of a blocked exit in a restaurant (more foliage!). I'm Wordless. What more can be said that I have not already said 1,000 times???
Spec Update: Fire Door Testing
Last week I posted the first in a new series of posts, with the goal of delving into some specification sections to try to understand the intent and see where updating is needed. Another question came up regarding the same spec section.
Securing Exterior Spaces (and more!)
Have you ever run into the problem of needing to secure a door serving an enclosed courtyard, but also needing to provide free egress from the courtyard through the interior of the building? There's finally a code-compliant solution!
FF: US Property – No Trespassing
I've written a few posts about gates lately, and we all know what a challenge they can be to secure - especially if free egress is required. No offense to the US government, but I think my Aunt Gladys could get through those zip ties!
Jeopardy: “Lock Talk”
Here's something fun to break up the code-related posts! Last night on Jeopardy, one of the categories was "Lock Talk." I know that many of you have taken my Code Jeopardy class...let's see how you do with these Jeopardy questions.
WW: More Vacation Shopping
Last week I posted a Wordless Wednesday photo taken on a beach vacation...here's another one from one of my Allegion colleagues. How many problems can you find? And who else has vacation photos to share??