Rooftop Heliport Egress
The more of the "vanilla" topics that are covered on iDigHardware, the more "peppermint stick" the questions become!
WWYD? How can we help UL spread their message?
You have all heard me talk about how important it is to sleep with your bedroom door closed at night - to benefit from the protection provided by a closed door. I've been writing about fire doors on iDigHardware for 9 YEARS(!), trying to inform as many people as possible about the purpose of fire doors, why they need to be closed and latched when a fire occurs, and what is involved with an annual fire door inspection.
FF: Branching Out
Howard Krutzler of Mr. K's Lock and Key sent me this photo of a panic hardware modification he found. For the record, panic hardware is UL listed and can not be modified except as allowed by the listings.
WWYD? 5th/6th Screw in Closer Shoe
Should "missing" screws in a parallel-arm shoe be cited as a deficiency during a fire door inspection?
WW: Antique Shop Emergency Exit
Deputy Jeff Tock of Allegion found this "emergency exit" while he was out antiquing. I wonder how building occupants are supposed to exit in an emergency...I guess the store is not expecting one to occur.
School Security Bill – Delaware
Lawmakers in Delaware are scheduled to vote this week on a bill that mandates certain security features in new schools and schools which undergo major renovations.
QQ: Empty Tab Slots
The increased enforcement of the inspection requirements for fire door assemblies has brought some pretty intense scrutiny upon the various components. In some cases we're finding that NFPA 80 and the model codes don't currently address the fine details of how these assemblies are tested and constructed.
FF: LifeDoor
Joel Sellinger of LifeDoor sent me these photos of the bedroom door in an AirBNB, along with a note that said, "When you realize the importance of a closed door at night...but can’t!"
QQ: Airport Jet Bridge Doors
Yesterday someone asked me about hardware requirements for doors serving the jet bridge - the walkway leading from the airport terminal to the door of the plane.
WW: Wisconsin Teen’s Door-Locking Device Offers Extra Safety In Active Shooter Situations
When this story was posted on Facebook yesterday, several people attempted to address the code issues associated with the teenager's invention. A commenter posted a link to one of my articles, and another commenter called my article "a fallacy"!
Allegion Acquires Advanced Fire-Rated Glass Products Manufacturer TGP
Are you familiar with Technical Glass Products (TGP)? They're now part of our Allegion family! Here's the latest news...
WWYD? Doors on a Diagonal
ere's the owner's wish list for these auditorium doors...pull-side mounted closers, surface-mounted or easy to retrofit. The doors are mounted on a diagonal within the opening to deflect sound. The doors and frames are wood. Ideas?
FF: Pin-Removable Mullion
Today's Fixed-it Friday photo is from Jason Relyea of Allegion...I've seen keyed removable mullions, and removable mullions that are secured with screws, but this one must get removed A LOT.
WWYD? Fire Door Assembly Inspection
The extended deadline has now passed. Facilities that receive funding from Medicare and/or Medicaid must have fire door assembly inspections conducted annually and documented, with any deficiencies repaired "without delay."
WW: Sudden Drop
8 Floors - YIKES!
I-Team: Fire-Rated, Self-Closing Door Was Required in Bronx Apartment Where Inferno Started
I suspect that many of you already know what the topic of today's post will be; many readers sent me links to news reports on last week's fire in a Bronx apartment building.
Happy Holidays!
Thanks for all your support, and see you in 2018!
FF: Ship Shape
This is one of the most amazing doors I've ever seen!
WW: Small World / Full Circle
Last week I posted a Wordless Wednesday video sent to me by Eyal Bedrick of Entry Systems Ltd. in Israel. The video showed an all-glass door exploding into a zillion pieces when the door opened against the sidelight.
WWYD? Door-Related Accidents
I ran across a video the other day, which highlights a product designed to notify people on the pull side of a door that someone is about to open it from the push side.
Decoded: Panic Hardware Requirements for Rooms Housing Electrical Equipment
NFPA 70 – National Electrical Code (NEC) has been adopted by most US states, and includes requirements for panic hardware or fire exit hardware on certain rooms housing electrical equipment; the voltage and amperage thresholds that determine which rooms require panic hardware were changed in the 2017 edition of this code.
FF: Locks and Chains
Thank you to Brendan Daley for this Fixed-it Friday photo. I could fix this pretty quickly with a set of bolt cutters.
WW: Whoa.
Eyal Bedrick of Entry Systems Ltd. sent me this Wordless Wednesday video. This is one of the reasons good door control is important!
WWYD? Dorm-Room Doors Without Closers
I just saw an article in the Preston Blog, about a fire in a block of student apartments that was contained by a closed and latched fire door assembly in a fire barrier.
Number of Operations for ACCESS
A few weeks ago I received a question about whether there is a limit on the number of operations required for access to a dwelling unit, in order to meet the accessibility standards.
FF: Tubes
A few weeks ago I was in an old factory that is now a complex of art galleries. It took me a minute to figure out what these tubes were for.
Fuzzy Wuzzy
I'm very curious to know what happened here. I've never seen anything quite like it. Any ideas?
WW: Salty Crew
Rich Howard of Architectural Builders Supply sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo. I'll give it a C+ for effort, but an F for egress.
Access Board Video on Maneuvering Clearance
I found this video while I was creating the class on maneuvering clearances, and I think it does a great job of explaining the maneuvering clearance requirements of the ADA, and a few other basic accessibility requirements pertaining to doors...
WWYD? Hinge Pin Stops
I've written specifications for many projects where the architect requested hinge-pin stops - door stops which mount on the hinge pin and are designed to stop the door when it reaches the desired open position.
FF: What happened here?
I know some of you are good at hardware forensics...what was the motivation for this and what modifications were made? BTW...this is a fire door.
Accessibility Requirements for Changes in Level
The 2010 ADA Standards and ICC A117.1 - Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities contain similar requirements regarding changes in level within an accessible route. When thresholds are provided in a door opening, the maximum allowable threshold height is 1/2 inch, with the exception of existing or altered thresholds which are permitted to be 3/4-inch maximum in height (refer to the standards for additional criteria).* These limitations on threshold height apply to manually-operated doors and automatic doors.
WW: What’s missing?
This Wordless Wednesday video is from the Daily Mail...what's missing from this application?
Six Locked Doors
Today is the 75th anniversary of the fire at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston - one of the tragedies that had the biggest impact on the codes that pertain to doors, hardware, and means of egress. A new documentary recounts the stories of some of the survivors, and memorializes the 492 people who lost their lives that day.
Decoded: Locations for Vision Lights and Viewers
A vision light is not required in each door opening on an accessible route, but if vision lights are provided for viewing purposes in doors or sidelights, the bottom of at least one of these lights must be located no more than 43 inches above the floor...
WW: No Seasonal Adjustment Needed
In certain parts of the US and Canada I've heard that it's getting chilly...here's one way to deal with that pesky problem of closer fluid that thickens in the cold weather and slows down the closing speed.
QQ: Stairwell Reentry – 1 leaf or 2?
If I have a pair of doors leading to a stairwell, do both leaves have to allow reentry?
Storage in Stairwells
Most of us know that stored materials don't belong in stairwells, including the space under the stairs. But with square footage at a premium, we are sometimes asked to "prove it"...
FF: LTR Panics
Well, this is one way to solve the problems with your panic hardware - NOT! Thanks to Charles Anderson for these Fixed-it Friday photos!
Local Codes, Rules, and Guidelines
Does your state Board of Education publish a set of guidelines like the ones used in Illinois? I'd love to see them!
WW: Hotel Fails
Ian Baron of Katonah Architectural Hardware sent me this link to an article in the Daily Mail, and although only a few of the fails in the article are door-related, the photos definitely left me Wordless!
WWYD? IBC Changes
This is our big chance to propose some changes to the IBC, to help make it easier to interpret, and to address new developments in products or technologies, or new safety issues that have arisen...
FF: DIY Swing-Clear Hinges
Michael Wallick of Kelley Brothers sent today's Fixed-it Friday photos of a DIY application he spotted at a hotel. I think this is the first time I've ever seen swing-clear hinges that appear to have been fabricated on-site...
IBC Accessibility Exceptions
The IBC includes 14 exemptions for areas that are not required to comply with the accessibility standards. Do you know which locations are exempt?
WW: “Anger as table is spotted in front of fire door…”
This is the moment I've been dreaming of...an article in the Somerset (UK) News about someone tweeting their anger regarding the placement of a table and chair in front of an egress door!
QQ: Are doorknobs acceptable in a hospital?
For most types of buildings, lever-handle locksets are standard equipment, but some existing buildings may be equipped with knobs. Are knobs acceptable by code in existing health care facilities?
Guest Post: Electromagnetically locked egress doors: Safe or unsafe? – David Glorioso
I occasionally publish a post from a guest blogger – if you have a post you’d like to share, drop me an email. Today’s post is from David Gloriso of Allegion...
FF: Alternative Closer Mounting
Any bets on how long this installation will last? Thank you to Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems for this Fixed-it Friday photo...
WWYD? Bumper Cars
Leo Lebovits of M&D Door & Hardware sent me these photos from a recent trip to an amusement park. Are these doors code-compliant for a building of this type? Why, or why not?
WW: Duct, Duct, Goose!
All I can say is...wow. That's a pretty nice modification to the duct to accommodate the closer arm...