I love hardware ingenuity, especially when it's code-driven. I've spent this week in Orlando with 500+ of my coworkers, and although we haven't had a whole lot of time to hang out by the pool, I had to go check out an application that was spotted by one of our specwriters - Matt Wildman.
First, I need some help. I've seen photos of this application a few times (including this one from Jim Jensen of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies), but what do you use to attach the two closers together? Is it something that has to be custom made, or is there a standard part that can be repurposed for the job?
I can't figure out whether these are providing security or acting as the door closers, but either way they leave me wordless!
This is becoming a recurring theme. I'll be in a few airports later this week...maybe I'll see some more.
My trip to CoNEXTions 2012 in Las Vegas last week was a whirlwind! There were so many people that I didn't have a chance to catch up with - I don't know if I can wait until CoNEXTions 2014 in Dallas!
On my way to Tucson I had a layover, and every single emergency exit door was set up similar to this one. Thoughts?
I'm in Tucson this week for the BHMA Fall Meeting. My husband thinks it's all fun and games, but we've been working hard on some new standards - one for ligature-resistant hardware and one for residential hardware. There's a lot more on the agenda over the next couple of days, but it's a beautiful area to have a meeting, the hotel is great, and I saw my first javelina today (I still think it was a wild boar :D).
I couldn't have said it better myself..."Mullion? Who needs a mullion when you can just turn the exit devices 90 degrees?" From Chris Steward of Steward Steel, by way of Jim Phillips of SBS Associates.
Whatcha think? Is this exit visible enough?
Step 4: Invert the cylinder cam as shown.
Question: What's the difference between panic hardware and fire exit hardware? And what's an exit device?
I mentioned these gigantic doors in an earlier post, but I went back to see them again since we're in the neighborhood. The mosque wasn't open for tours when we were there (the only way non-Muslims can go into a mosque), but I sent my husband in with a camera and he came back with photos of panic hardware. He's learning! :-)
Question: I was told that I couldn't use dogging on panic hardware installed on fire doors. Is it acceptable to use electric dogging?
More doors from my (local) travels...
Fifteen+ years ago when I was answering technical support and customer service calls for the local Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies office, some of the most common complaints/questions were about concealed vertical rod exit devices. Installers HATED them because they were difficult to install and adjust. End users had a lot of problems maintaining them and keeping them properly adjusted, especially if they were installed by an inexperienced installer. So my early experience with the company, and prior to that with a hardware distributor, taught me that concealed vertical rods = problems. I developed a strong preference for removable mullions with rim panic hardware.
When I was in Florida a couple of weeks ago for the IAPSC conference, it also happened to be school vacation week so I brought the kids along for a visit to my parents' house. They all survived while I was in Miami Beach, so when I got back from the conference I took them to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando. One of our Florida specwriters, Steve King, had written the hardware spec for the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and I couldn't pass up the chance to check it out.
These buildings were ALL OCCUPIED when these photos were taken. Depressing.
I was working on a different post but that one will have to wait. I just received these photos, it's Wordless Wednesday, and I am wordless (yes, again). This is an exit for a hockey rink, sent in by an anonymous reader. Hockey rinks are notoriously tough on their doors and hardware, but this "solution" makes me want to cry.
These ALL came from Jeff Tock, one of our national trainers who spends most weeks traveling around conducting classes and sees a lot of doors in the process. Jeff will be here in New England in a few weeks conducting the "Preparing for a Fire Door Inspection" class for facilities. If you work for a hospital, school, university, or other type of facility in the area and want to make sure that you're prepared, let me know and I'll put you on the invitation list.
Remember the old video of the various types of exit devices being run over by a fire truck? It's a classic, and I still get the urge to watch it every so often..."I am examining the [flattened] device. It is not working." You could make the case that a panic device doesn't need to withstand the weight of a fire truck, but I've seen some herds of kids run out of school at the end of the day that are almost as tough.
How about some reader photos to ease you into the weekend? :D
By the time most of you read this it will be Thursday, but right now it's Wordless Wednesday!
Way back in hardware school we were taught that rim panic hardware with a removable mullion is the most secure and maintenance-free application for a pair of doors. Most facilities prefer mullions instead of vertical rod panic hardware, which can be difficult to install and to keep properly adjusted. On the other hand, most architects request concealed vertical rod panic hardware, to avoid seeing the mullion or rods. I think the benefits of the mullion far outweigh any aesthetic issues.
Even though I risked being called a weirdo by my colleagues, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try to learn more about the 5" wide edge channels that are sometimes required on fire-rated wood doors with concealed vertical rod exit devices. When these channels show up on the jobsite without warning, architects tend to be less than pleased. The interesting thing about these doors is that although they have the channels and fire exit hardware, there are no visible labels on the doors or frames. It's possible that the door label is on top, although the concealed closer channels take up most of the real estate up there. We explored ways to check the top of these super-tall doors, but it will have to remain a mystery unless we can sweet-talk our way onto the lift they use to change the lightbulbs.
This photo was sent in by Pat Bond of Shanahan's in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Thanks Pat!
If you went to hardware school (like me), then you were taught that egress doors have to be visible and have an obvious method of operation, right? Well, every so often the question comes up regarding visibility of panic hardware, usually because someone wants to match the finish of a Von Duprin Inpact device to the door. Here are a couple of examples from one of my recent museum projects:
Last weekend I put together the annual family photo album so I could order copies for the grandparents. Mixed in with all of the vacation photos were a ton of doors. Someday my grown-up kids will be on the psychiatrist's couch..."My mother always took us places just so she could look for interesting doors...I'm scarred for life." :-)
Within one week I received two requests for help regarding old Von Duprin panic devices. I know that somebody out there has a dusty old file cabinet with information on these products. Ideally, we'd like to find exploded parts diagrams, installation instructions, or any other relevant information. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
This post was printed in the October 2011 issue of Doors & Hardware
I received a lot of vacation photos this summer, including these from my pal Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd in Israel, who apparently spent 5 weeks in the U.S. but didn't stop by to visit me. ;-)
I was just thinking to myself how nice it would be to have a night off...actually, since it's already 8:30 p.m. it's more like a half-night. Then I remembered that last week I received an article from a "guest blogger." Woohoo! Thanks TJ!
Today's Wordless Wednesday photo was sent in by David Sochaczevski, an architect with the Soltron Group in Montreal. David saw this door near the Stitch ride in Disney's Magic Kingdom. At first glance this application clearly looks like a code problem, but I just couldn't imagine Disney purposely installing hardware that would require two motions to exit. I asked Disney about it but I was told that any information about this door was proprietary. I asked the local fire marshal and received this reply: "Thank you for bringing this safety concern to our department. The configuration in the picture you provided is not as it appears and the door does function according to code requiring only one motion to open the door."
One of my favorite job-related activities is going into a facility and helping with their hardware problems. This week I was called into a police station to look at a door that had allowed several escapes, as well as the main entrance. I thought it would be fun to see what you all would recommend in these situations.
These photos were sent in by Morriss Johnson of CMA, the architectural firm working on the renovation of the Ridglea Theater. The first two photos are nice, but I LOVE the one of the pair. And YES, it is a required egress door.
A couple of weeks ago one of my coworkers, Rich Conroy, took a phone call from someone with questions about open back strikes. Rich asked me to write a post that he could refer people to, and the hold-up was that I had to find a photo. Not the photo you see in a catalog (right), which usually shows the strike alone, but a photo of an open back strike in action. Try looking for one on Google Images and you'll find a few graphics of the strike by itself, some open backed shoes, and plenty of open backed dresses, but no open back strikes in action.
This photo was sent in by Kathi Frelk of Anderson Lock (check out their blog!). It's perfect for Wordless Wednesday because I have no words for this application. Well, I guess I could say that two rim devices with a removable mullion would have been a much more secure application, but would anyone listen?
This is on the front door of the elementary school where my kids have their summer program. I guess they don't know about the Quiet Doorman.
This is a very unusual door - stone clad and an exterior opening only about 100 feet from the ocean. The door and panic hardware were installed by Entry Systems Ltd., the stone, mag-lock, and wood surround were added by someone else. The photos were sent to me by Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd., in Israel (Thanks Eyal!). If you have any questions about this opening, just leave them in the comments section and I'm sure Eyal will be happy to fill us in.
I got a Tweet today from @GinnyPowell, who was attending a Von Duprin training. She was surprised that the fire truck video is still around, and once she mentioned it I just had to go back and watch it again. It's a classic! I love the fire test engineer..."I am now checking the device..." I wonder who came up with this idea.
I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing holiday weekend...I have to admit it was really nice to take some time off. I've been in Grassy Cove, Tennessee since Friday and there aren't a whole lot of doors here, but luckily I've got some saved up from last week. We're headed toward home tomorrow so I'll be on the lookout for doors of interest.
Wow! Feast your eyes on this retrofit 994L lever trim for a Von Duprin 98/99 device. It was made by Cirecast, for the Kansas Statehouse. Gorgeous!
Here's the latest batch of reader photos...don't forget to send me any interesting doors you see on your summer vacations!
<--- You know what that's a photo of??? Rain - torrential rain, at our Relay for Life event this weekend. It rained on and off for most of the relay, but it was REALLY bad at night. Even the die-hard high school kids in the campsite next to ours ended up sleeping in a friend's living room (all 24 of them!!). Because we didn't sleep overnight in our soaking wet tent, there were a couple of hours that we didn't have someone walking the track, but I think we had people walking for more hours than any other team. There were several hours that our team was almost alone on the track. Yes, we're crazy! :-)
All of today's reader photos came from my compañeros at Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies:
I'd love to know who did this, so I can give them a good talking-to (maybe they'll read this and track me down like the semi-concealed closer installer).
This post was printed in the May 2011 issue of Doors and Hardware
I've received lots of reader photos lately...thank you, and keep 'em coming!
Thank goodness it's Wordless Wednesday because I have no words for these photos. Well, no words other than - deadbolts aren't allowed on double-egress doors, and UL listed hardware can't be modified. Believe it or not, these exit devices actually work (as long as the deadbolt isn't engaged!).
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