For today's Fixed-it Friday photo, I am updating an old post from almost 10 years ago. This week I have received several questions about holding open and locking doors in schools. Could delayed action closers be a good solution?
Credit for the post title - and for today's Fixed-it Friday photo - goes to Tyler Michieli of Alan Ford Architects. It's so rare to see doors where such careful coordination is apparent...maybe the whole point is for us not to notice the doors at all.
I received these Fixed-it Friday photos from Steve Quinn of The Flying Locksmiths. This panic hardware is installed on some service doors in a mall, and clearly they have seen a lot of cart traffic and the resulting damage. WWYD?
This Fixed-it Friday photo leaves me with some questions because it doesn't look like a location that would typically require a fire door, BUT - the wired glass (and the creative dogging method) kind of hints at a possible fire rating. What do you think? Any theories?
Avi Schenk of BY Locks and Keys LLC sent me these Fixed-it Friday photos of the damage to a Schlage deadbolt caused by students trying to remove a broken key that was stuck in the lock. Note: This is not the recommended fix for broken key problems.
As I walked the streets of Havana last week, I saw so many examples of doors (and everything else) that had been reused, repurposed, or recycled. I took hundreds of photos and I'm sharing them in today's Fixed-it Friday post.
I've said it before and I'll say it again...the desire for convenience is the greatest threat to security. I need to put that on a t-shirt. Thank you to Deputy Jeff Tock of Allegion for sending today's Fixed-it Friday photos, taken at a university.
Logan Piburn of Dyron Murphy Architects sent today's Fixed-it Friday photos of an egress door modification. I can see a few problems here...how about you?
Greg Thomson of Allegion shared today's Fixed-it Friday photo of an accommodation made in the field for an LCN 6400 COMPACT series automatic operator. I wonder at what point during the installation the problem was discovered.
When Stan Hubbell posted these Fixed-it Friday photos in the "There's no crying in Hollow Metal" Facebook group, I knew I had to share them (with permission). How would you handle this installation properly?
What do you think about the location for the auto operator actuator shown in these Fixed-it Friday photos? Based on the BHMA A156.19 standard and the accessibility requirements, is there a code issue?
Joe Cross of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo of an "electrified" removable mullion, which is definitely not a listed application. If you've seen any creative door or hardware modifications, submit a photo for a future post on iDigHardware!
Lee Frazier of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, taken in a school. I have edited this post based on a reader's email telling me that this is not a DIY EPT, but a concealed power transfer. I have never seen this product in the wild, and I guess Lee had not seen it either!
I received this photo on New Year's Eve 2021 from Cathy Kopp of Norwood Hardware, and I kept it filed away until the holiday season rolled around again. I will be taking some time off next week to recharge, and I hope you do too. See you next year!
It has been wonderful to work remotely from Denmark, but it's time to go back to reality. I am headed home tomorrow, so here's one last post to share a few more of the beautiful doors of Copenhagen. Enjoy!
I saw the door in today's Fixed-it Friday photos at Kronborg Castle, which was the setting for Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. Today it is known by many as Hamlet's Castle. Of course I can't resist sharing some other photos from the castle as well...
I spotted the huge "doors" in today's Fixed-it Friday photos on the front of a library, and of course I had to go check them out. The wood panels give the impression of books, and I figured that the doors would be closed at night for security...
Scott Tobias of arkaSpecs sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo taken in a school library. This door leads to a closet, but what if this was the egress side of the door? Do you think the paint job would be code-compliant?
One of my favorite retired fire marshals sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos, which illustrate one of his pet peeves. Could signs like this delay or deter egress during an emergency? What do you think?
I saw this "fix" during my travels in Indiana and Pennsylvania over the last couple of weeks. Any theories about the reasoning behind the pulls shown in these Fixed-it Friday photos? I have no ideas.
You may have to look closely at this Fixed-it Friday photo from Brian Lavallee of Doors by LAVA Inc. Have you ever seen this "creative" application in use?
People always send me photos with a note saying, "I saw this door and thought of you..." I LOVE getting those messages (who wouldn't?)! And last week when I was flying home from the BHMA meetings, I saw these doors and thought of YOU! :D
The wear on this lock gives us some clues that could jeopardize the access control to this space. Assuming the code has four digits, with at least one #3 and at least one #4, and no #1's, #2's, or #5's, how many possible codes would it take to find the right one to open this door?
Scott Tobias of arkaSpecs sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos of a pair of automatic doors with electric latch retraction panic hardware. I don't claim to be an expert on wiring for electrified hardware, but this doesn't look right to me. :-|
This photo has been in my Fixed-it Friday folder for quite a while, but with football season starting again, I went looking for it. Thank you to Lisa Goodwin Robbins of Kalin Associates for sharing it!
What is happening in this Fixed-it Friday photo from Debbie White of Allegion? It's a restroom door in a gas station. I'll wait while you think about it.
Lee Frazier of Allegion sent me this Fixed-it Friday photo, which once again illustrates the age-old problem of security vs. convenience. This door serves as a secondary entrance for a school building, and the latch was taped by summer camp staff.
I saw these beautiful doors and glazed walls in the Mexico City airport last week. While they are gorgeous, this application requires careful attention to the hardware - especially the pivots used to hang the doors. What would you recommend?
Kristi Dietz of LaForce sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, taken in a convenience store. When asked to look at this door due to water intrusion, a LaForce employee mentioned the code issues and was told that the door had not been cited for any egress violations.
On our field trip to the high school last week, we saw this secondary entrance where two different creative solutions had been incorporated. Check them out and let me know what you think...what would you have done differently?
Chuck Strauss of Allegion sent me this Fixed-it Friday photo from a recent trip to Shannon, Ireland. Pretty cool, don't you think? Don't forget to send me photos of any interesting applications you see during your summer vacations!
This Fixed-it Friday photo from David Seeley of Anixter is not the first zip tie "fix" we've seen, but it might be the yuckiest. I may be one of the few people who would look at a restaurant's door and question the condition of the kitchen, but I think this would be a no for me.
Does this coffee shop exit look weird to anyone else, or is it just me? Any theories about what happened here? Thank you to Charles Anderson for today's Fixed-it Friday photo!
Steven Wehofer of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo of a magnetic holder modification in a school, and the first thing I thought about was how many kids must be doing pull-ups on it every day.
John Lozano of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos, taken in a high school. There were several doors installed this way...you may have to look closely to see what's going on. Any theories?
During the pandemic, many facilities changed to hands-free door pulls to minimize contact with the hardware. It was only a matter of time before someone found a way to make creative use of the touchless design.
After writing countless times about fire doors needing to close and latch, and hearing about the impact of open fire doors during a Bronx apartment fire earlier this year, seeing a stairwell fire door permanently prevented from closing is just too much.
This deadbolt modification was found on an apartment entry door - the surface bolt prevents the deadbolt from being unlocked from the outside with a key. Pretty creative, but I hope no one ever has to enter to help during an emergency.
When a lost key may have fallen into the wrong hands, and the maintenance staff needed to secure the door until the locksmith arrived, this was their solution. Photo submitted by Paul Linder of Hills Brothers Lock and Safe.
I spent a few hours yesterday on Cape Cod, and I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've seen a baby grand piano used as a hold open. Happy Fixed-it Friday! Send your photos before midnight tonight if you want them considered for the 3,000-post celebration!
I love creative door and hardware applications, especially when someone takes the time to add their artistic flair to the fix. Check out these Fixed-it Friday photos from my neighborhood.
David Seeley of WESCO | Anixter sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo of a door closer he saw in a Cape Cod restaurant...what do you think? Was it worth the extra effort to partially conceal the closer?
I guarantee that thousands of people have walked by the doors in today's Fixed-it Friday photos without thinking twice about them. But a retired fire marshal took note of the panic hardware location and sent me the photos.
I was going to post this photo from a retired fire marshal for Wordless Wednesday, but then I noticed the "fix" from when they electrified the panic hardware. Fixed-it Friday seems more appropriate.
This "fix" occurred after a local emergency where law enforcement made a forced entry with the use of explosives during a hostage situation, saving multiple people. Great work by Michael's Keys!
Nancy Chiang of Cuningham Group Architecture sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, and I'm wondering what you all think. This door is in a zoo exhibit, where the chains are used to keep the "wildlife" from passing through between two areas.
Chuck Park Jr. sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, and at first I didn't see the problem. And no...there is no other door opening into this space. I wonder how many people have noticed this situation - probably not many!
Today's Fixed-it Friday photo came from Lloyd Raforth of Allegion, who found this parallel arm closer with a "twist" mounted on a restaurant exit. Whatever it takes to get the job done!
It has been a while since I've posted a beautiful door, but I saw these the other day. Can you find the fix on these highly-carved doors leading to a restaurant courtyard? Happy Fixed-it Friday!
Jeff Tock of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos and I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe someone was hesitant to drill into the tile, so this was their solution?
