Everywhere I Go Again
More doors from my (local) travels...
Von Duprin Concealed Vertical Cable Device
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.
Universal Studios Orlando
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.
WW: Panic Attack
These buildings were ALL OCCUPIED when these photos were taken. Depressing.
WW: Hockey Rink Egress
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.
More Reader Photos
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.
The Ultimate Test – Take II
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.
Reader Photos
How about some reader photos to ease you into the weekend? :D
WW: Surface Bolts with Panic Hardware
By the time most of you read this it will be Thursday, but right now it's Wordless Wednesday!
Mullions…What’s not to love??
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.
Edge Channels
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.
WW: Going Nowhere
This photo was sent in by Pat Bond of Shanahan's in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Thanks Pat!
Panic Hardware Visibility
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:
More Museum Hardware
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." :-)
Oldies But Goodies
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?
Decoded: Luminous Egress Path Markings
This post was printed in the October 2011 issue of Doors & Hardware
WW: Honky-Tonk Egress
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. ;-)
It’s a Dog Eat Dog World, by TJ Gottwalt
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!
WW: Doubly-Safe? Or Double-Trouble?
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."
WWYD? – Police Station
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.
WW: Ridglea Theater, Fort Worth TX
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.
Open Back Strikes
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.
WW: Going Nowhere
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?
WW: Summer School
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.
Seaside Hotel, Tel Aviv
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.
The Ultimate Test
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.
Biltmore Bonus
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.
WW: Kansas Statehouse
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!
Reader Photos
Here's the latest batch of reader photos...don't forget to send me any interesting doors you see on your summer vacations!
Rainy Relay
<--- 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! :-)
Reader Photos
All of today's reader photos came from my compañeros at Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies:
WWYD? – Restaurant Egress (Again)
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).
Decoded: New Occupant Load Requirements for Panic Hardware (May 2011)
This post was printed in the May 2011 issue of Doors and Hardware
Reader Photos – 1 of 2
I've received lots of reader photos lately...thank you, and keep 'em coming!
WW: Vertical(?) Rods
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!).
Shatford Centre Follow-Up
Last week I posted photos of some very old Von Duprin exit devices which were originally installed on the entrance doors to the Shatford Centre in Penticton, British Columbia. I later communicated with the millworker, Plexus Woodworks, who built the new doors, and several people from the Shatford Centre, as well as other blog readers who chimed in with questions and comments. If you know someone who is knowledgeable about antique hardware, please forward this post to them to see what else we can learn about this hardware.
Von Duprin at the Shatford Centre
Since we seem to be on an antique doors and hardware run, I thought you'd like to see these oldies but goodies. They were spotted at the Shatford Centre in Penticton, British Columbia. The building was recently renovated and the main entrance doors and hardware were replaced, and the process was chronicled in detail on www.shatfordcentre.com (just search for "doors"). I got in touch with the project manager for the renovation to make sure they didn't throw the hardware away, and she said, "we consider these archival pieces of the building’s history and would never throw them out." She also said that some of the existing panic devices that were not replaced during the renovation are still functioning!
Panic Fail
I tend to notice hardware on TV and movies (just ask my family!), but this video is probably the best (worst) example I've seen of doors gone bad for the sake of TV production. It was sent in by Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd. in Israel. The commercial is in Hebrew but the panic fail transcends the language barrier. Watch closely and stick with it for the whole 66 seconds.
What’s wrong with this picture?
It's been a long time since I've posted one of these "quiz" photos but I want to see if you've been paying attention. This pair is at the Hoover Dam...right near the touchpad devices with the carpet modification. So, take a good look and leave a comment telling me what the problem is. I'll hold the correct answers to give everyone a couple days to think about it.
Carpet (Touch)Pad
I'm in Las Vegas for a meeting that starts in a couple of days, and I'm pretty sure I could find enough cool and creative doors here to last me for a few months. Today we visited Red Rock Canyon (not a lot of doors there), the Hoover Dam (more doors there than you'd think), and a weirdly beautiful building by Frank Gehry. Since I'm blogging from an iPad which is not that easy, I'll post some quick photos and save the longer posts for when I get home next week.
Theater Egress
Today I went to a performance at a theater on a local college campus. The theater has 650 seats, so all of the required egress doors are supposed to have panic hardware. There are 4 pairs in the main lobby, all equipped with paddle devices which don't qualify as panic hardware. One of the requirements for panic hardware is that the actuating portion has to cover at least half the width of the door, and these paddles clearly do not.
WW: Herpetological Access Control
If you're not familiar with Wordless Wednesday (WW), it's when bloggers post a photo which speaks for itself, without any words to gum up the experience. This post isn't technically wordless, but here's the first WW photo:
Extended Latch Guards
For exterior pairs I prefer to use rim panic devices with a removable mullion, but in some cases surface-mounted vertical rod devices are specified and supplied. When vertical rod devices are used on cross-corridor doors, I often specify them "Less Bottom Rod" (LBR), but on exterior doors I specify them with both top and bottom latches for increased security.
Reader Photos
My inbox is overflowing with reader photos again. Thanks everyone!
Courtyard Egress
A few weeks ago I did a post about egress from an occupied roof, and that reminded me to go back and dig out some courtyard photos I took a while ago. When a courtyard is completely enclosed with no means of egress that leads directly to a public way, the path of egress is typically into the building and then out again through the building's egress doors.
Surgical Suite Entry
I have been amazed and touched by the number of people who actually read my Good News/Bad News post all the way to the end and took the time to call or email me about my daughter's surgery. Thank you so much for your care and concern. It has been a tough week and an extremely stressful day, but everything went perfectly and my daughter is doing really well. We're still in the hospital but we hope to be able to go home tomorrow (actually today since it's 2 a.m.).
Planetarium Exit
When I need inspiration for what to write about and nobody has sent me a good code question that day, all I have to do is look back at my photos from family outings. That's sad, I know. :-)
Reader Photos
The good news is that these doors are being replaced, presumably with doors that will provide security without jeopardizing life safety. The bad news is that this is a popular restaurant and their main entrance doesn't come close to meeting the requirements for egress.
Von Duprin QEL Device
I visited a jobsite today and saw some QEL devices in action. If you're not familiar with the QEL device, it is a *quiet* version of the electric latch retraction exit device. When the access control system (card reader, key fob, etc.) signals the door to unlock, the latch(es) retract to allow someone to pull the door open. You can always exit by pushing the touchpad. I have used the QEL device on several high-profile spaces where noise is an issue. I recently specified them for auditoriums at the United States Institute of Peace and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where the latches are held retracted while the auditorium is unlocked. As you can see in the video below, the touchpads are also held in while the latches are retracted so there will be no sound associated with exiting while the doors are unlocked.
Glass Door Hardware
I spend a lot of time with architects, and sometimes I'm put in the awkward position of having to talk them out of trying to do something with doors that hasn't been successfully done before. Many times this involves glass doors, which are becoming more common, yet still have very few options for hardware. It's tough to make a glass door do anything innovative, when all of the locking hardware is paired with a fixed pull handle.