Code Update: Terminated Stops on Fire Door Assemblies
I have had quite a few questions about terminated stops on fire door assemblies, so this change to the 2021 IBC should help to clarify what is allowed by code.
There’s always more to learn.
One thing I have found during my 35 years in the door and hardware industry is that there is always more to learn. Check out the online classes available this week!
Tomorrow is Webinar Wednesday!
Whether you are in your office or at home with your cat (or kids!), you can keep learning. Our national trainers are offering 2 webinars tomorrow.
QQ: Sealant/Caulk Around Fire Door Frames
Today's Quick Question: Is sealant required around a fire door frame - where it meets the sheetrock?
FF: Profile-Cut Glass Door
Matthew Stonebraker of Allegion just sent me this Fixed-it Friday photo of a glass door at the Mexico City National Museum of Art, and it's so cool! Have you seen a modification like this before?
QQ: Traffic / Impact Doors
Today's Quick Question: Are the vision lights in double-acting traffic doors / impact doors required to comply with the accessibility standards?
Boat Frames
If you have supplied doors, frames, and hardware, you've probably had some projects that kept you awake at night. I know I have, but the end result can be so rewarding!
WWYD? Wood Door Damage
I need some help from any wood door experts out there...any theories on what might have caused the horizontal lines on these wood doors? They weren't visible until the doors were field stained.
FF: Classroom Storage
Today's Fixed-it Friday photos were sent in by Colin Watson of Allegion. I'm sure some of you must have theories on why this storage closet opening was detailed this way. I can't wait to hear them!
Vision Panel Alert
Here's a heads-up going out to all of the detailers, architects, and door manufacturers out there...double-check the vision light locations for classroom doors.
Flush-Mounted Doors
What do you think of doors and frames that are flush with the corridor wall on the push side? I like the clean look, but the door-operating part of my brain was not a fan.
WWYD? Indicating the Active Leaf
Calling all architects...we need your help with this one! Do you indicate on the drawings which leaf of a pair should be active and which is inactive?
WW: (Very) Temporary Door
I wonder how long this temporary door will last. Any wagers?
FF: Low Light
Any theories about what happened in today's Fixed-it Friday photo?
FF: Wheelie
I have a theory about what happened here...what's yours? This "fix" shows the importance of making sure the correct hardware is specified from the get-go.
Thermal Bow
When an exterior metal door binds on sunny days but works just fine at night, it's likely that the problem is caused by thermal bow.
FF: Corn Cob Core
Bill Cushman of Genesis Door and Hardware sent me this link to a door with an unusual core...I was Wordless even though it's Fixed-it Friday!
More on GWB Penetration – Fire-Rated Frames
Have you ever run into a situation where a piece of hardware or a mortar box in a fire-rated frame prevented the GWB from penetrating 1/2-inch into the frame, as required by NFPA 80?
WWYD? Frame Elevations
Someone just asked me about software for creating shop drawings, elevations, and details. It's been a really long time since I've done submittals, so I told him that I'd ask the experts - YOU!
FF: WWYD?
The director of maintenance for some nursing homes in NYC sent me this photo and asked how to avoid this problem in future installations. Any constructive suggestions?
FF: KittyKorner
Creative, but I have a few concerns. How about you?
Oversized Jamb Depth
If I found this application in the field, I would contact the frame manufacturer and see if the application is allowed by their listing. I'm pretty sure the answer would be "no."
FF: Louvers
One more photo from our time in Asheville...this is not how I would have handled the need for additional airflow at this church entrance.
QQ: Dwelling Unit Doors
On a multi-family building, are the dwelling unit doors required to have a 10-inch bottom rail?
Maximum Door Width
Ann Timme of Allegion sent me this photo the other day and it reminded me to tell you about a potential change to the International Building Code (IBC).
Amsterdam Free Library
What's the problem with this door? Any ideas?
WW: Electrical Room Pair
I'm not an expert on the electrical codes, but this just seems wrong to me.
WWYD? Handing for Communicating Doors
How do you "hand" a communicating door? Are the doors LH/RH? Or LHR/RHR?
Decoded: Update on Storm Shelter Doors (March 2018)
If you have seen more projects incorporating storm shelters lately, this is likely due to changes in the International Building Code (IBC).
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.
WW: Sudden Drop
8 Floors - YIKES!
FF: Ship Shape
This is one of the most amazing doors I've ever seen!
Decoded: Alterations to Fire Door Assemblies
You may remember that I'm working on a series of online code classes, which will be available early in 2018. To support those classes, I am updating some of my past Decoded articles to include revisions from new editions of the codes and standards. Here is the latest information regarding alterations of fire door assemblies.
FF: Hospital Door
What led to this "fix"? Any theories?
Decoded: Fire Door Assembly Classifications
NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, classifies openings protected by fire door assemblies in one of five categories...
WWYD? Bottom Gap on Fire-Rated Frames
The application is in a building where the floors are out of level, and the fire door frames are installed with one jamb flush with the floor, leaving the other jamb with a gap...
Decoded: Temperature-Rise Doors
With the increased use of sprinkler systems in commercial and institutional buildings, the need for temperature-rise doors has declined, but there are still locations where they are required...
WW: Bent
I have no idea what happened here. Wordless...
FF: Wobbly Door (video)
Today's "shoulda" Fixed-it Friday video came from Luis Gabriel Gonzalez, one of Allegion's specwriter apprentice. What happened here???
FF: Quirky Entrance
I love this door (although I question its structural integrity) - and yes, I have been called quirky a few times. Why be normal?!
QQ: Fire Door Frames with Existing Wall Anchors
"When I'm installing a fire-rated frame into an existing opening using existing wall anchors, how much space can I have around the frame, and what is permissible to use to seal that gap?"
WWYD? Thermal-Break Frames
What drives the need for thermal-break frames and similar products in your jurisdiction? Is it an energy code, another code or standard, LEED...
Horizontal Sliding Door
Charles Anderson sent me this photo of a horizontal sliding door he found on a marked exit in an antique store. So...is it code-compliant?
What is CPTED?
CPTED (pronounced sep-ted) stands for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, and is defined as a multi-disciplinary approach to deterring criminal behavior through environmental design...
WW: US Bank Stadium
I might need to go on a field trip to the Vikings' new stadium...just to see these doors! WoW! Blake Nelson of Allegion sent me these photos from a recent site visit...
WWYD? Hardware for Glass/Aluminum Doors
If you're involved in specifying, supplying, coordinating, or maintaining hardware for aluminum or glass doors, WWYD? Where should the hardware be specified and how do you ensure that all of the details are addressed...
Repairing Holes and Dents in Fire Doors
A very common repair includes installing steel fasteners in unused holes, grinding off the fastener heads, and concealing the repair with Bondo, but this is not specifically mentioned in NFPA 80...
WWYD? Old Fire Doors
When an old fire door needs to be modified, what precautions are taken to ensure that the door does not contain hazardous material?
WW: Crooked
This photo was sent to me by Joanne Gretter of Herman Gibans Fodor, Inc., and I really have no words.
FF: Inactive Active Leaf
According to Ken Cook of Allegion, today's Fixed-it Friday photo is from a church in Indianapolis, where a small earthquake in 2004 broke some underground pipes. This is one way to solve the problem...