WWYD? Classroom Acoustics
Is compliance with the ANSI-ASA S12.60 standard required for any school projects? What is the current practice for classroom doors? Sound gasketing? STC-rated assemblies?
Decoded: Thresholds
I am working on a new series of Decoded posts, which will be compiled into a reference library addressing each of the code requirements related to door openings. What do you think?
QQ: Empty Silencer Holes
Today's Quick Question: On a fire door assembly where adhesive smoke gasketing is installed, is it acceptable to have open silencer holes under the gasketing?
Allegion 101: Protect the Door – Ives, Zero, and More
Many years ago, I worked with an architectural firm that always had me write the hardware specifications for their projects. On one small job they had a tight deadline, so they edited some hardware sets from another spec...
Fire Door Assemblies: Protect the Door
Wrapping up Fire Prevention Week is our final category in the hardware set: Protect the Door. Although these are not typically the most complex components of a fire door assembly, proper product selection, installation, and maintenance are crucial.
On deck for this week…
We've got a boatload of classes coming up...on health care, electrified hardware, masterkeying, accessories, and hollow metal - and the Thursday class offers continuing education credit for AIA!
QQ: Astragal vs. Egress Conflict
I have a 3-hour pair of hollow metal doors that requires an overlapping astragal in order to comply with the manufacturer's listings. Both leafs have vertical rod fire exit hardware. How do I avoid an egress conflict?
Up Next…
Thanks to everyone who attended my webinars last week - the recording of the session will be on the webinars page of iDigHardware within the next few days. Here's what's coming up this week.
QQ: Gasketing Requirements of NFPA 101
Last week, I updated the Decoded article on smoke door requirements of the IBC, and I was asked to update this NFPA 101 post as well. There were not many changes in the 2021 edition of the Life Safety Code, but here is the revised post.
QQ: Automatic Door Bottoms
Today's Quick Question is one that I had thought about before but this time I finally access the US Access Board: Is a surface-mounted automatic door bottom compliant with the accessibility standards?
See you soon(ish)??
You know what this is a picture of? It's ME - teaching in person! I don't know about you, but I'm MORE THAN READY to get out and see people. I received my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine last week, and I'm feeling optimistic.
QQ: Fire Door Bottom Clearance
Today's Quick Question: Can a threshold be used to address oversized clearance at the bottom of a fire door? What do you think?
Distance Learning this Week
The opportunities for distance learning continue, and here's what's on the docket for this week. The recording of my fire door session from last Friday is available on-demand, along with the Q&A from the session.
FF: SUBSTITUTION!
Sometimes when you have a change in level of more than 1/4-inch, you just have to wing it and solve the problem using what you've got on hand! I wonder how long this gasketing extrusion could survive as a threshold substitution.
One More Allegion 101
If you are new to the hardware industry (or you know someone who is), the Allegion 101 series offers an introduction to our products and their applications. Feel free to share these sessions with anyone who could benefit!
WWYD? Multiple Changes in Level
I've recently had several people ask how multiple changes in level within a door opening are considered by the accessibility standards. WWYD?
WWYD? Isolation Rooms in Health Care
I'd like to compile some information about how hardware for an isolation room is currently being specified/supplied. What are the current recommendations or requirements?
WWYD? Elevator Lobby – Water Intrusion
When trying to prevent water intrusion at the fire service elevator lobby doors, what type of door sweep or door bottom meets the intent of IBC Section 3007? WWYD?
Decoded: Thresholds and Changes in Level
My next Decoded column addresses the accessibility requirements for thresholds and changes in level at doorways. If there is anything I should add, let me know before it goes to print!
Decoded: Thresholds and Gasketing for Fire Doors and Smoke Doors
Thresholds and gasketing are simple in comparison to other types of hardware, but the code requirements can make them difficult to properly specify and supply.
WW: Water Feature
I have never seen anything like these Wordless Wednesday videos that were sent to me by Mary Hinton of Mulhaupt's, Inc. This may be more than a rain drip can handle.
Sill vs. Threshold
During the discussions about yesterday's post someone mentioned the "sill" of the fire door assembly, which reminded me of a clarification that has been made in NFPA 80 in the 2016 edition.
QQ/WWYD? Door Bottom Clearance
When inspecting a fire door assembly, how do you measure the clearance at the bottom of the door when the clearance varies between the push side and the pull side?
QQ: Gasketing Continuity
During a fire door assembly inspection, should a flashlight be used to verify whether the gasketing is continuous?
FF: Sharpie Seal
Ian Baren of Katonah Architectural Hardware sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo. This mortise lock is on a very fancy clothing store, and apparently it was an aesthetic problem for someone that the gasketing did not continue down the lock face. So they drew it in with a Sharpie! You'd think that if they were going to go to the trouble, they would have used a straight-edge!
QQ/WWYD? Excessive Clearance on Fire Doors
The rapidly-approaching deadline for fire door inspections in health care facilities is resulting in LOTS of questions about fire door assemblies. The most FAQ in the last few weeks has been...
QQ: Gasketing Requirements of NFPA 101
Which door openings are required to have gasketing, according to NFPA 101 - The Life Safety Code?
Q&A: Solid Bar Gasketing
After 7 years of posting a new piece of door & hardware information on this blog every day, it makes me very happy to receive a new question that I haven't thought about before. Last week's question was related to the solid bar gasketing designed to allow closer shoes (and other hardware) to be attached directly to the gasketing...
SDI: Smoke Gasketing Requirements for Opening Protectives
Questions on smoke gasketing continue to come up, so the Steel Door Institute asked me to write about it for their quarterly newsletter. You can subscribe to their newsletter here...
Allegion to acquire Zero International
Looking forward to working with my friends at Zero! Here's the latest news from Tim Eckersley to Allegion customers...
Gasketing on Stair Doors
If you read this paragraph in a vacuum, it seems like all fire doors have to limit the air infiltration to this level (in most cases this would require gasketing), but this paragraph falls under section 716.5.3 - Door assemblies in corridors and smoke barriers. There are two sections following 716.5.3 that apply to other types of fire doors...
Slip-Resistance
Last week I read a blog post called, "Excuse me, but your slip is showing," from Constructive Thoughts, the blog of Sheldon Wolfe. I'm a sucker for a well-researched article on a code-related topic, so I sent Sheldon an email asking if I could reference his post here. Sheldon told me to have at it, but also said that it wasn't very satisfying for him to write this type of article - where you research every angle and end up without a useful conclusion.
Reader Photos
It's time to clean out my inbox again! Here are some of the reader photos I've received. Thanks to all who sent them!
Water Intrusion
I need some help, and after giving the architect my suggestions I told him that I'd ask all of you for ideas.
WWYD? – Church Pair Meeting Stiles
I saw this church from the highway on our way into Roanoke, Virginia last week - it's St. Andrews Catholic Church, and I just knew it would have some nice doors. As soon as I approached the building from the parking lot, I spotted the meeting stile gasketing. Most people would probably see the building as a whole, or maybe the beautiful pulls, but I couldn't get past the gasketing.
Meeting Stile Gasketing
"It's not what you know, it's who you know..."
Smoke – Smokeproof Enclosure
According to the International Building Code (IBC), every required exit stairway that extends more than 75 feet ABOVE the lowest level of fire department vehicle access (high rise buildings), and every required exit stairway that serves floor levels more than 30 feet BELOW the level of exit discharge must comply with the referenced sections on smokeproof exit enclosures. (IBC 2009 - 403.5.4 & 405.7.2, IBC 2003 & 2006 - 403.13 & 405.8.2)
Survey Q4: “What are some ‘rules’ regarding fire doors?”
This is the 6th post in a series about fire doors and the results of a recent (unscientific) survey.
Hospital & Nursing Home (I-2) Cross-Corridor Pairs
The 2009 edition of the International Building Code (IBC) contains an important change that's easy to miss if you're not looking for it. I stumbled across it a few months ago when someone asked me about the exception for cross-corridor doors without positive latching in I-2 occupancies.
Classroom Acoustics
One of our specwriters recently received a memo from an acoustical consultant regarding a school project that he was working on. The memo referenced a standard called ANSI-ASA S12.60 - Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools.
Closer Seals
One of my (non-hardware industry) friends commented recently that she's been reading this blog and can't believe how complicated doors and hardware are. It's true! There are a thousand ways to screw up a door and I've made my share of mistakes over the years, but at this point I often spot problems from across the room while "regular" people continue to walk through the doors without noticing.
Astragals with Vertical Rod Panics
An astragal is a piece of molding used on a pair of doors or between the top and bottom leaves of a Dutch door, to provide security, protect against weather conditions, prevent light or sound transmission, or to retard the passage of smoke, flame, or gases during a fire. On a Dutch door the astragal is used to close the bottom leaf in conjunction with the top leaf. An astragal should not be confused with a mullion, which sits between (fixed) or behind (removable) the meeting stiles of a pair.
Fire Door Clearance
The 2007 edition of NFPA 80 contains an important change regarding the clearance at the bottom of a fire rated door. In previous editions of this standard, there was a somewhat confusing table (Table 1-11.4) listing different allowable clearance dimensions depending on the flooring material. The 2007 edition simplifies this requirement, allowing 3/4" clearance under the bottom of the door regardless of the flooring. The only exception is when the bottom of the door is more than 38" above the floor, ie. dutch doors and counter shutters.