Reader Photos
First, I need some help. I've seen photos of this application a few times (including this one from Jim Jensen of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies), but what do you use to attach the two closers together? Is it something that has to be custom made, or is there a standard part that can be repurposed for the job?
Recent Announcement from Ingersoll Rand
A few weeks ago, Ingersoll Rand announced plans to spin off the combined commercial and residential security businesses into a new standalone publicly held company. I immediately started getting calls and emails from blog readers asking what this meant to me and to our other employees, the brands, and this website. One hardware distributor said, “I can’t imagine the hardware business without Schlage, LCN, and Von Duprin in it!” I was very touched by the concern for our people and products.
WWYD? Gate Operator
This is a tough one. It's for a project currently nearing occupancy, so I would love any comments or thoughts you have on a solution. An automatic operator is required because of maneuvering clearance / level landing issues. The gate is already in place. A low energy operator is preferred. The gate is exposed to the weather. Any ideas? If you need more information, ask away!
Starry Night
I think this is the longest I've gone without posting! I hope you all had a great New Year's Eve! I figured I could get some good relaxation time in during the holiday week, then I promptly injured a ligament in my ankle, which led to a major bout of sciatica that flattened me for days. I'm hoping 2013 gets better!
WW: Banquet Room Pair
Some of you will no-doubt recognize these doors if you attend a certain monthly meeting that I attend as often as I can. The meeting is held in one of several large banquet rooms in a restaurant, and they all have the same hardware installed. If anyone is NOT sure why this is a problem, read this post.
Early Christmas Present
I'm pretty sure I asked for a PAIR of boots for Christmas, but Santa must have misunderstood. I ended up with one walking boot after falling off of running fountain while trying to take the perfect photo of a door for y'all. OK...actually I stepped off a little lip in a walkway while checking into our hotel in the dark and did some ligament damage. We won't know the extent of the damage until the swelling goes down. BUT - I did get a photo.
WWYD? Safe and Secure Schools
I have been struggling with this post. I can't answer the question the world wants an answer to -
Happy Holidays
For the last 8 years, I have coordinated a holiday gift drive along with my coworkers, family, and friends for the residents of our local family shelter and other families in need. This year we provided gifts for 75 kids and parents! When I went to the shelter with a load to drop off, I saw the sign below. I asked the director if they had a close call and she said, with a very grave look in her eyes, "more than one."
WW: Retail Exit
Yesterday's mall shootings in Oregon should serve as a reminder to be aware of the available exits regardless of where you are. This door could be tough to navigate in an emergency.
Everywhere I Go
I recently compiled my family's annual photo book, and I found A TON of door photos in the process. Here are a few doors I've seen in my travels...
WW: Don’t Push It
This photo, taken at an Ontario Hospital, was sent by Kelly Chimilar of Allmar. I'm confused.
Reader Photos
I have LOTS of reader photos that I haven't had a chance to edit and post, so here's the first batch! Thank you for sending them, and keep them coming! I'll try to work faster in 2013!
A Closed Door – The Best Ally in a Home Fire
I know I just posted some news stories a few days ago, but Zeke Wolfskehl sent another one that I have to share. It appeared in the New York Times on November 27th. Considering how difficult it is to make people understand the value of their fire doors and why they should be kept in working order, I think this article does a great job of illustrating the importance.
WW: Bungee Cords
I can't figure out whether these are providing security or acting as the door closers, but either way they leave me wordless!
Fire and Egress Doors in the News
Bangladesh fire: Exit door locked - News 24
The Minister’s Treehouse – Crossville, Tennessee
I just returned from a trip to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Grassy Cove, Tennessee. If you're a long-time reader of IDH, you may remember when I visited them way back in 2009 for the Chip Falcon Road Trip (my brother did the cycle testing).
WW: Thanksgiving Edition
I'm spending most of this week in Tennessee, and yesterday I went out to the local supermarket for a few more Thanksgiving dinner supplies. This door caught my eye...
Forum Auditorium, Harrisburg Pennsylvania
I'm on a road trip with my family this week to go visiting for Thanksgiving, and yesterday we stopped in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I can sniff out a beautiful or unusual door from a mile away, but I didn't expect to find such a plethora of different beautiful doors on the same building.
WW: Bollard Hold-Open
Yes, this is a fire door, and yes, the bollard is permanently bolted in place.
Where does a stretcher plate go?
I haven't been able to find an answer to this one!
Providence School Inspections (and more)
Although the schools in Providence, Rhode Island, are supposed to be inspected by code officials annually, some had not been inspected for 10 YEARS. I wonder how many public schools are in the same boat?
Boston’s Old City Hall
This week I've been spending some time with Karina Guadencio, an Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies specwriter from Brazil. In addition to lots of discussion in the office, we've been to a Boston Chapter CSI meeting, had lunch with the master specwriting team at Kalin Associates, conducted a punch list at Harvard Law School, and visited Columbus Door (thanks everyone!). It's been a whirlwind tour! Add the cold and last night's snow, and I think she's ready to head south (especially since she's having dinner with my family tonight! :D).
WW: Chinese Take-Out
I'm not going to post the name of the person who sent these photos in, because I contacted the restaurant and I don't want them to see his name here and seek revenge the next time he places an order. I got no response after sending two emails...I wonder if the fire marshal eats here.
WWYD? Sliding Door
I've stayed at several hotels lately that had a sliding door on the bathroom within the hotel room. This solves some coordination issues involving the door swing and the method of stopping the door, but creates questions of its own. What type of sliding door hardware do you prefer for a solid core sliding door? And what type of latch do you use for privacy?
Los Sostenedores de la Puerta
I'm getting ready to head home from Arc-US in San Diego (which has been a fabulous conference!), and wondering how long it will be before someone tweets a photo of me singing on stage with the Dueling Pianomen. Until then, here's some signage the likes of which I've never seen before. I'm in favor of signage to prevent door abuse. Save the doors!
WWYD? Secure Pair
I recently visited a facility where security is their top priority. Many of the doors are set to sound an alarm if they are left open for more than 6 seconds. This presents a challenge when carts are being moved through the opening, because the doors need to stay open long enough for the carts, but need to close before the 6-second mark. There are 10,000 employees on-site during a typical day, and leaving a door unsecure / not locked or latched can result in termination of their jobs. Many of the doors are fire doors, which adds some extra complexity to the issue. Almost all of the doors have access-control.
WW: Another Airport Exit
This is becoming a recurring theme. I'll be in a few airports later this week...maybe I'll see some more.
Decoded: Door Swing and Encroachment
This post was printed in the January 2013 issue of Doors & Hardware
Leaving Las Vegas
My trip to CoNEXTions 2012 in Las Vegas last week was a whirlwind! There were so many people that I didn't have a chance to catch up with - I don't know if I can wait until CoNEXTions 2014 in Dallas!
loginMag-Locks – Security Impact
For the second time in two months, a news story came across my desk that involved the impact of mag-locks on security. For some involved in the security industry, mag-locks are perceived to be an easy way to retrofit a high level of protection, because the field preparation is limited and the manufacturers' literature shows holding force specifications which seem like more than enough to keep out the average burglar.
Doors of Morocco (November 2012)
This post was printed in the November 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
Closer Pressure Equalizer
Today I was able to spend some time on the trade show floor at CoNEXTions 2012, the Door & Hardware Institute conference. It was great to see so many old friends and some new products. My pal and code aficionado, Steve Bettge, tracked me down and escorted me to a booth where there was a product that was right up my alley.
WW: Uncoordinated
The good news...I'm on my way to Las Vegas for CoNEXTions 2012! The bad news...our flight lost a hydraulic system and we had to land in Denver. There's a replacement plane but it is larger and requires an extra flight attendant, who had to be called in from home. I'm sure he's not a happy camper right now. I will get there eventually, but while I'm waiting, here's another photo that left me Wordless.
Beautiful Gate
Here's one more beautiful opening from Tucson before I head off to Las Vegas for CoNEXTions 2012! If you'll be there too, leave me a comment and let's try to meet up!
Mission San Xavier Del Bac, Tucson
During a break in today's BHMA meetings I took a drive south to see the Mission San Xavier Del Bac. The mission was founded in 1692, and the current church was built between 1783 and 1797. It is located in the center of a Papagon Indian settlement. The mission has been constantly maintained and periodically restored, so it's in beautiful shape. You can read more about the history of this gorgeous building here.
WW: Airport Emergency Exit
On my way to Tucson I had a layover, and every single emergency exit door was set up similar to this one. Thoughts?
Meeting Room Pair
I'm in Tucson this week for the BHMA Fall Meeting. My husband thinks it's all fun and games, but we've been working hard on some new standards - one for ligature-resistant hardware and one for residential hardware. There's a lot more on the agenda over the next couple of days, but it's a beautiful area to have a meeting, the hotel is great, and I saw my first javelina today (I still think it was a wild boar :D).
Follow Up – UL Listings for Narrow Doors
Back in August, I posted some information about a change to the UL procedures regarding fire doors less than 32" wide. UL has just issued another bulletin, which reverses the August 2nd bulletin. There will be no special requirements for labeling doors less than 32" wide - doors can be labeled in accordance with the manufacturers' service procedures.
Fire Door Inspection – Top 10 Deficiencies
This article was originally published in the Summer 2012 issue of Life Safety Digest, a publication of the Firestop Contractors International Association (FCIA). The article has been revised slightly to reference more recent codes.
Have you checked your smoke detectors?
Last year I published a post about the two common types of smoke detectors - ionization and photo-electric detectors. There was a report on NBC News tonight about this same topic. In case you missed the first post or didn't get around to checking the detectors in your home, here's a follow-up:
WW: Day Care Fire Exit
This is the emergency exit for a day care center, sent in by Dwight Isaacs of US Homeware Inc. If you look closely, you'll see that the latch is up near the top of the jamb post, out of reach of the kids. This seems like it could be a viable solution, except that in another situation when I asked all of my code official pals about how I could prevent a child with special needs from exiting out of a school without permission, most of them said that they would not allow a latch mounted above the range mandated by code.
Fire and Egress Doors in the News
Here are some recent news stories you might be interested in reading...
WW: Vertical (Not Vertical Rod) Panics
I couldn't have said it better myself..."Mullion? Who needs a mullion when you can just turn the exit devices 90 degrees?" From Chris Steward of Steward Steel, by way of Jim Phillips of SBS Associates.
Curtain Door, Matharoo Associates
Mary Hinton of Mulhaupt's sent me a link to check out a one-of-a-kind door, and she was right - it's amazing! The door is on a single family home in India called "House with Wall of Light." It was designed by Matharoo Associates, for Dilip Sanghvi, a diamond merchant. The architectural firm won the Architectural Review's Emerging Architecture Award, when they submitted the door design.
Q&A: Mounting Height for Glass Lites
Question: Is there a requirement for the location of a glass lite in a door or sidelite?
WW: Zoo Exit
Whatcha think? Is this exit visible enough?
Garment Factory Fire – Karachi, Pakistan
Since this blog began, it has had visitors from 165 countries. I've been contacted by readers from outside of the United States, and have heard first-hand of door and hardware professionals in other countries using the site as a resource. That amazes me.
Hold-Opens on a Bank of Doors
Am I the only one bothered by this? Probably.