I saw this homemade security device on a local high school a few years ago. The school had been having trouble with their computer lab door, and this was their solution - a bent bar in 2 hasps welded to the door. This is not code-compliant, as the codes require one motion to exit under most circumstances.
Don't let this happen to you! If you have an application that can't accommodate a standard closer, LCN has thousands of special templates and engineers standing by to help. Some of my favorite special templates are the track closer for a door with rescue hardware, closers for arch-top doors, and the templates that move the concealed closer away from the face of the frame so you don't end up with the application in this photo.
I don't know what I was thinking. This should have been the very first post!
In the Good Old Days when I was a more frequent nightclub visitor, I remember trying to exit through a club's main entrance at closing time and encountering a locked door. The manager had locked the door to prevent more people from coming in. The vestibule was dark, and the dark bronze storefront door had an Adams Rite deadlatch with a dark bronze lever. The lever was completely invisible and people started to gather behind me. If it had been a panic situation there could have been tragic consequences.
One of the top 5 questions which I receive almost weekly is regarding the replacement of a 5'-wide equal pair with a 3'+2' unequal pair. Because automatic flush bolts and a coordinator can be problematic, and most panic hardware will not fit on a 2' wide door, I'm constantly being asked if it's ok to use manual flush bolts on the 2' leaf. That's a tough question to answer because the code-compliant solution isn't the best application as far as function and durability. The IBC (2003) says this:
This morning a customer asked about using continuous hinges to change the hand of a pair of rated doors (inswing to outswing), in an equal rabbet frame. I couldn't think of any objections - the existing hinge preps would be filled with steel fillers in compliance with NFPA 80. The continuous hinges wouldn't require a hole greater than the maximum 1" diameter allowed by NFPA 80. I checked with Steelcraft to see if our frames need to be reinforced for continuous hinges when used in a rated application, and the answer was no. So...although the AHJ always has the final say in the matter, I can't think of one reason you can't do this as long as it is an equal rabbet frame.
News from the Access Board regarding the updated ADA Accessibility Guidelines which were originally published in 2004, revised in 2005, and published for public comment in 2007:
The 2007 edition of ANSI/BHMA A156.19 - American National Standard for Power Assist and Low Energy Power Operated Doors requires low energy operators to be initiated by a "knowing act", which is described as "consciously initiating the powered opening of a low-energy door using acceptable methods, including: wall- or jamb-mounted contact switches such as push plates; fixed non-contact switches; the action of manual opening (pushing or pulling) a door; and controlled access devices such as keypads, card readers, and key switches."
Door opening force is the measurement of how many pounds of force are required to open a door. The requirements for door opening force are found in the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG), ICC/ANSI A117.1 Standard on Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities, and the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board requirements (521 CMR).
One of our customers sent me this photo last week. It was found on a psychiatric facility and to operate it, a staff member must be present and holding the bolt projected via the lever. I did my best to track down a manufacturer with no luck. It's possible that it was made in a machine shop or that it is no longer available, but my first thought when I saw it was that I need to buy 3 for my kids' rooms and then find 3 suckers to stand there holding the bolts projected. ;-)
Tactile warning is an abrasive or knurled strip on a lever handle to indicate that the door leads to a hazardous area such as a boiler room, mechanical room, or loading dock. This requirement is no longer included in the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) or in ICC/ANSI A117.1, but it is a requirement of the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (521 CMR):
An EPT is an electrical power transfer, which is used to transfer wires from the door frame to the edge of the door. It is used when there is a door-mounted piece of electrified hardware which requires power and/or sends a signal to a remote location. The security consultants that I have worked with all prefer the EPT over electric hinges or door loops, which perform the same function. It is also preferred over an electric hinge by most installers, because the EPT can be installed when the wiring connections are made, rather than being installed by the carpenter, removed for wiring, and reinstalled, getting mangled in the process. The EPT is concealed when the door is closed (the door loop is exposed and prone to abuse) and it can accommodate larger gauge wires than an electric hinge.
The instructors in my Fire Door Assembly Inspector (FDAI) class showed us a really handy gauge to measure clearances around fire rated doors, and since I'm going to do my first *official* inspection tomorrow I tracked one down. It can easily and accurately measure 1/16", 1/8", 3/16", 1/4", and 3/8" gaps, and a 3/4" undercut. For only $18.95, you can be the proud owner of your own Door Gap Gauge by shopping online at doorgapgauge.com.
I have worked long and hard to achieve certifications within the hardware industry, so you can bet your booty they're printed on my business card. People often ask what they all mean, so here's a quick run-down.
Beginning with the 2002 edition, the National Electric Code (NFPA 70) requires that certain types of electric rooms have doors that open in the direction of egress and are "equipped with panic bars, pressure plates, or other devices that are normally latched but open under simple pressure." According to an engineer I spoke with at the National Fire Protection Association, the releasing device could be a hospital latch or paddle-type release, but the fact that the words "panic bar" are used in the Code has prompted many code officials to require panic hardware.
