When I was at the DHI conNextions Conference in Boston, I met Sushil Kumar, who has written some of the recent iDigHardware posts for our international audience. Today's post - the first in a series - addresses the BS EN classifications for hinges.
I'm wordless about today's Fixed-it Friday photo, which I saw posted on the "There's no crying in hollow metal" Facebook page. I asked Scott Foley of P&M Doors for permission to share it with all of you. Enjoy!
The Allegion 101 training series was designed for people who are new to the industry, new to the Allegion family of brands, or just want to learn more about hardware. The video in today's post covers the various types of Ives products used to hang a door.
Last week's Quick Question was about spring hinges on fire doors larger than 3'-0" x 7'-0", and the post raised a couple of other questions. One was related to the maximum closing speed for doors on an accessible route.
Today's Quick Question has come up dozens of times: Can spring hinges be installed on a fire door that is larger than 3'-0" x 7'-0"? NFPA 80's table shows that as the maximum size, but is that the final answer?
For a fire door to close and latch reliably, it's crucial for the door to be hung properly, using architectural hinges, continuous hinges, or pivots that are correctly specified for the door size, weight, and usage.
Although today's wide throw hinges don't look like the ones on this door in France which serves a VERY old restaurant, these photos are a great illustration of the purpose of wide throw hinges.
Most of you will remember that NFPA 80 allows the use of STEEL shims when shimming a fire door so the assembly complies with the clearance requirements of the standard. It looks like this installer wasn't aware of the requirements of NFPA 80...
If you're not familiar with Manufacturing Day, it's an annual series of events aimed at helping to fill 4 million high-skill, high-tech and high-paying manufacturing jobs over the next decade. Check out our US facilities in this video!
Here are a few more applications that I saw on my road trip - I'm finally heading home on Sunday! I stayed at a total of 8 different hotels on my trip, so you can imagine how many problems I saw...
I'm heading south today after teaching a class in Knoxville, and tomorrow I'll be arriving at the DHI conNextions conference in New Orleans. I'm teaching my brand new 1 vs. 100 class on Thursday, October 21st at 8 a.m. I hope to see you there!
I'm making my way around the Southeast, heading for my final destination - the DHI conNextions conference in New Orleans. I'll be teaching my brand new 1 vs. 100 class on Thursday, October 21st at 8 a.m. Meanwhile, there are lots of classes on the schedule for this week!
There's more online training available this week...whether you are new to the industry, responsible for maintaining a facility, or interested in one of this week's Webinar Wednesday topics, there are lots of classes to choose from!
Last week's Fixed-it Friday post prompted a Quick Question from one of iDigHardware's newer readers: "What is a swing-clear hinge and how would I know when to choose this type of hinge over other hinge types?"
You know me...when I go somewhere new, I never pass up the chance to share photos of the interesting doors I encounter. Unfortunately, my latest trip was a 3-night stay in the local hospital. It's always something.
How much do you know about the model code requirements for doors with delayed egress locks or controlled egress locks? Here's a short quiz to help you find out.
Have you ever pointed out a door problem to someone and had them respond with a shrug and some form of "so what"? A fire door is held open improperly...so what - chances are slim that the building will catch on fire today. Right??
Even if e-learning is not your preferred training method, there is valuable information offered in online classes and they allow much greater access and convenience. Here's what's on the schedule for this week...
Having the proper clearance around a door helps the door to close and latch correctly, affecting function, security, egress, accessibility, and fire protection, so knowing how to shim a door can come in really handy.
This is a beautiful residential door with a problem caused by the brick reveal combined with the arched top. Can you help? WWYD?
When you complain about U.S. code requirements just remember, this WW door is typical in many countries that don't have strong life safety codes or people to enforce them.
How do you replace existing pivots when you don't know the manufacturer or model number? Is there a reliable way to identify existing pivots? Are replacements for old pivots readily available? WWYD?
For wide-throw hinges on a door that swings 180 degrees, where 2 inches of clearance is required behind the door to accommodate the trim, what is the required hinge width?
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.
Is an existing fire door assembly with 2 hinges acceptable, or should it be noted as a deficiency during a fire door inspection?
Quick Question: Are steel, ball-bearing, butt hinges for fire door assemblies required to be UL listed?
Considering the liability a hotel could face if their fire door assemblies failed to perform during a fire, the repair methods employed by many hotels seem pretty irresponsible.
After last Friday's post about pocket doors, several people asked for more information about this application. Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions...
If you can prove to me that you were the detailer for this project (or otherwise responsible for the details), I'll send you something from the iDigHardware prize vault!
What do you think the wood strapping is for?
This is a good one! What would you use to hang these doors, and what type of door closer could be used?
Michael Wallick of Kelley Brothers sent today's Fixed-it Friday photos of a DIY application he spotted at a hotel. I think this is the first time I've ever seen swing-clear hinges that appear to have been fabricated on-site...
Thank you to Curtis Meskus for these Wordless Wednesday photos. This pair leads to a storage room in a motel. I have a feeling these will show up in one of my nightmares sometime soon.
From these photos it looks like the holes for the hinge screws were stripped, so the wrap was added - but that doesn't add a whole lot of strength to the installation.
Maybe this is cracking me up because it's the middle of the night...I guess we'll see if it's still funny in the morning.
Here's another of our latest set of whiteboard animation videos - taking it back to basics and discussing continuous hinges. If you know someone who is learning about hardware and could benefit from these "intro" videos, please share a link with them!
With the continued focus on fire door assemblies, it’s important to be familiar with the basic requirements as well as what has changed in the more recent codes and standards. This article focuses on hinge requirements for fire doors...
A reader from Armor Lock & Security sent me the first photo a couple of months ago. They had been called to a convenience store to work on the safe, and noticed that the top pivot on the front door was barely hanging on...
Two paragraphs were added in the 2013 edition of NFPA 80 to address continuous hinges used on fire doors. I've seen these sections many times and never noticed a potential problem, until it came up twice in the last couple of weeks...
Today's Wordless Wednesday photo was sent by Nolan Thrope of Allegion...this is a cross-corridor fire door in a school. The closer is missing as well as the obvious hinge problem. Sadly, this type of neglect is not uncommon. :(
Austin Baumann of Central Indiana Hardware sent me this photo of the emergency exit in a mirror maze. This would be considered a special amusement building - I wrote about some of the requirements for those occupancies here. I have often seen means of egress modifications...
One more whiteboard animation in the latest series...this time on hinges!
When I stopped for a snack yesterday, I didn't expect to be called into service on a defective door that was threatening to crush someone while simultaneously preventing egress. The fun never stops...
A question hit my inbox a few weeks ago that I had never considered before: Does a door with spring hinges require the same maneuvering clearance as a door with a door closer?
I have not yet seen this product (the DoorSaver II) in use, but I've definitely seen distributors enlarging the hole in a residential hinge pin stop in order to use it on a commercial hinge. This looks like an interesting idea...
As most of you know, I love to see creativity and innovation within the door and hardware industry, especially if it helps to increase fire prevention and life safety. I received a video this morning, introducing a product that has been developed by two retired FDNY firefighters. It is a spring hinge with a fusible link, so in normal operation it acts as a typical hinge but when exposed to heat it closes the door...
Check out this Fixed-it Friday photo of a creative hinge modification, sent in by Andy Armstrong of BR Johnson. At least it doesn't appear to be a fire door...
These photos were sent in by Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd., after his recent trip to the US from Israel. The photos were taken at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. The home was built between 1902 and 1905, and is 35,000 square feet with 50 rooms!
What is your preferred method for hanging an aluminum storefront door, and why? What are the considerations - aesthetics, function, durability...others?...
These are 3-hour fire doors which divide the modern wing of the museum from the older wings. This is an award-winning museum which houses more than 300,000 works of art in its priceless collection. The chance of a fire may seem unlikely, but if a fire occurs, the wedged-open fire doors will not protect the rest of the museum...
