Decoded: Code Update on Flush Bolts
In this month's Decoded column for Door Security + Safety Magazine, I covered a code update that should be helpful in avoiding misinterpretations related to flush bolts.
WWYD? Extension Rod Flush Bolts
I would love some input on this question, because I know that many of you have experience with this issue...what type of flush bolts do you prefer for a wood fire door?
FF: Flush Bolts
Today's Fixed-it Friday post covers a "fix" that was made in the 2024 IBC - to remove the Bolt Locks section and address flush bolts (all 3 types) in a table under Locks and Latches.
What’s that? Coordinator Bracket
The other day Mark Kuhn asked if I had done a "What's that?" post about coordinator brackets...coincidentally I had just taken some photos of one while we were at the BHMA meeting in Phoenix!
QQ: Component Materials for Fire Door Assemblies
Today's Quick Question came up recently with regard to the materials of components used on fire door assemblies: Are all products installed as components of a fire door assembly required to be made of steel?
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
In my current column in USGlass Magazine, I addressed the topic of security vestibules in schools. Consider this question: What should be avoided when designing, specifying hardware or updating features in secured entry vestibules?
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
My current monthly column in USGlass Magazine answers this question: On pairs of doors, are inactive leaves that are not required for egress allowed to have manual flush bolts? Do you know the answer?
QQ: Unequal Leaf Pair – Follow-Up
On Tuesday I answered a Quick Question about panic hardware on an unequal leaf pair, which led to another question from several readers: Can the smaller leaf of an unequal leaf pair be equipped with flush bolts instead of panic hardware?
QQ: Pairs of Corridor Doors in Health Care Facilities
Today's Quick Question: On a pair of non-fire-rated corridor doors in a health care facility, is one automatic flush bolt required for the inactive leaf, or are two bolts required (top and bottom)?
WWYD? Hollow Metal Removable Mullion
Would a pair of doors with a hollow metal removable mullion and locksets on both door leaves be more reliable and require less maintenance than a pair with flush bolts and a lockset? What are the challenges with this application? WWYD?
Pair with a Coordinator (video)
I've been on the lookout for a pair of doors with automatic flush bolts and a coordinator that was installed, adjusted, and functioning properly, and I finally found one last week at UTK. Here's a quick video showing how a coordinator works.
QQ: Door Coordinators
Today's Quick Question: When does a door opening need a coordinator - and what IS a coordinator, anyway?? Can you help with some images or video to help illustrate this tough-to-explain concept?
QQ: Door Bolts on Classrooms
Today's Quick Question: Are door bolts - like the surface bolts made by commercial hardware manufacturers - allowed to secure classroom doors during a lockdown?
FF: Why ask why?
This is the door hardware equivalent of whodunnit...maybe I should start calling these "whydunnit."
QQ: Coordinators on Fire Doors
When a pair of fire doors has manual flush bolts and no closer on the inactive leaf, is a coordinator required?
Spam and a UHP
What's a UHP? An Unidentified Hardware Product that I need your help to identify. But first, a note about spam - and not the canned ham-like version.
WWYD? Key-Operated Surface Bolt
These doors are serving a church, and currently have key-operated deadbolts at the bottom of each leaf. The deadbolts are too low for the reverends to reach comfortably.
FF: Double Bolts
I recently ran across a Facebook page that could supply us with Fixed-it Friday photos until the end of time (or until I retire).
FF: Zip It
Colin Watson of Allegion sent me this Fixed-it Friday photo of a surface bolt. Zip-tied for extra security. In a school. I guess they don't want anyone using that leaf.
Fire Door Latching
In order for a fire door assembly to perform as designed and tested, it's critical for the door to be closed and latched if/when a fire occurs...
FF: Storage Room Pair
I wish I had a nickel for every storage room door like this one I've seen. The flush bolts end up breaking through (as evidenced by the lovely repair to the bottom bolt area), and in this case the strike is gone too...
Decoded: Flush Bolts and Coordinators
A common question is whether an inactive leaf that is provided for convenience, aesthetics, or movement of equipment, and not required for egress is allowed to have manually-operated flush bolts...
QQ: Are deadbolts prohibited in a means of egress?
I've had several situations where an AHJ interpreted the term "bolt lock," used in the International Building Code (IBC), to mean a deadbolt...
WWYD? Manual Flush Bolts on Fire-Rated Pairs
Manual flush bolts on pairs of fire doors leading to rooms not normally occupied by humans? WWYD?
Flush Bolts and Coordinators (video)
I hope this whiteboard animation video helps to explain one of hardware's most confusing topics - flush bolts and coordinators!
Flush Bolts and Coordinators
Flush bolts are used on pairs of doors to secure the inactive leaf, projecting into the frame head and into a floor strike. In this application, the active leaf would typically have a lockset which latches into a strike mounted on the edge of the inactive leaf...
WW: “Leave them LOCKED!”
In case you have a hard time reading the sign on the LHR leaf, it says "Please do not use these doors. Leave them LOCKED!" :(
WW: Down at the DMV
I find the Department of Motor Vehicles so frustrating that one year I actually cried because after waiting over an hour they said I didn't bring the right utility bill. AND...my car got hit by someone taking his driving test in the parking lot (he failed). It might have all been worthwhile if I could have spotted an exit at the DMV like this one, sent in by Lisa Augerson of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. According to Lisa, the DMV person said they keep it unlocked during business hours.
Decoded: Manual Flush Bolts
This post was printed in the March 2011 issue of Doors & Hardware