Panic Hardware

FF: Fire Exit Hardware Modification

Fire doors are required to have an active latchbolt, so fire exit hardware (panic hardware for fire doors) is not equipped with a mechanical dogging mechanism that could be used to hold the latch retracted.  When the lack of dogging creates an inconvenience, creative modifications sometimes occur.  The added slidebolt on this fire exit hardware will prevent the fire door from functioning properly during a fire.  I wonder what the insurance company would have to say about that.

By |2014-06-05T13:13:30-04:00June 6th, 2014|Fixed-it Friday, Panic Hardware|7 Comments
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Shorty Panics

When panic hardware is installed, the actuating portion of the panic hardware must "extend at least one-half of the door leaf width." I have been taught since my first days in hardware school, that this means the width of the touchpad or crossbar has to measure at least half the width of the door. But lately I've had a couple of situations where someone interpreted this in a different way...

By |2014-03-28T16:45:16-04:00March 3rd, 2014|Means of Egress, Panic Hardware|20 Comments
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FF: Rodless

Instead of maintaining the fire exit hardware on this pair of fire doors, the rods and most of the latches were removed and an exit alarm was installed.  The most disturbing part is that there are doors like this EVERYWHERE...fire doors and egress doors that will no longer perform as designed, tested, and required by code, because of lack of maintenance or improper modifications.  And without widespread adoption of the fire and egress door inspection requirements, we're left to address these problems one door at a time.  In each fatal fire the main focus seems to always be on sprinklers, but compartmentalization is key to preventing the spread of smoke and flames.  It goes without saying that code-compliant egress is a life safety feature which can't be compromised.

By |2014-02-20T18:06:09-05:00February 7th, 2014|FDAI, Fire Doors, Fixed-it Friday, Means of Egress, Panic Hardware|7 Comments
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FF: Polar Vortex

I live just outside of Boston and I'm so tired of the cold winter weather we've had this year.  I went to a meeting last week and the entrance to the meeting room was from an interior corridor, but there was an exterior door at the end of the corridor nearby.  I noticed that the closer on the interior door had an allen wrench stuck in the adjustment valve.  I asked someone who worked in the facility why it was there (like I didn't know), and he told me that they leave it there permanently because they have to adjust the closer every time the outside temperature gets above or below a certain point.  Otherwise, on cold days the interior door to the meeting room creeps closed, letting in the colder air from the corridor, and on warmer doors the door slams shut.  LCN's all-weather fluid (supplied standard), would have helped here...it will maintain the same viscosity for temperatures between 120 degrees F and -30 degrees F, so seasonal adjustment is not required.

By |2014-02-20T18:05:27-05:00January 31st, 2014|Door Closers, Fixed-it Friday, Means of Egress, Panic Hardware|1 Comment
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Variable Door Thickness

I've specified hardware for A LOT of doors.  Thousands.  But I've never worked on a door like this one, where the door thickness varied from top to bottom.  When you have a door with an unusual thickness, you need to consider the interface between the lever trim/control, the lock body, and the panic hardware, along with the length of the fasteners and cylinder.  With a mortise lockset or a mortise panic like this Von Duprin 5575 device, the location of the lock body within the door thickness factors into the equation.  For example, if it was a 3" thick door but the lock body was installed at the push side face of the door, only the connection between the lever and the lock body would need to be addressed.  If the lock body was installed at the pull side face of the door, only the connection between the lock body and the panic hardware would need to be addressed.  If the lock was centered in the door thickness, both connections would be affected, as below.

By |2017-05-30T16:08:09-04:00January 21st, 2014|Means of Egress, Panic Hardware|0 Comments
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FF: Random Creativity

If any of you attended DHI's AH2 class in Savannah, Georgia back in the Good Old Days, you may have had one of my all-time favorite instructors - Bob Jutzi.  I actually use a lot of his techniques when I teach, to try to make my classes more engaging and dare I say "fun"?  I don't have a flat-cat Earl, but I still have the monkey from my AH2 class (and a monkey arm from another year).  Bob sent me the photos below so if you want to leave him a "howdy" you can do so in the comments.

By |2014-01-29T13:31:55-05:00January 10th, 2014|Door Closers, Fire Doors, Fixed-it Friday, Panic Hardware|11 Comments
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WWYD? Connecting Classroom Doors

Many classrooms have a door connecting to the adjacent classroom.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but since most classrooms do not require a second means of egress, I think those doors are typically there for convenience.  I tried to find something in past codes that would have required the second door, but so far I only see the requirement for a second means of egress when the occupant load reaches 50 or more.  (Note: There are some situations where a classroom may need to have a second means of egress because it is not located on the ground floor.)

By |2013-12-27T00:08:36-05:00December 17th, 2013|Locks & Keys, Means of Egress, Panic Hardware, School Security, WWYD?|19 Comments
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WW: Velcro Dogging

In a brand-spanking-new huge and beautiful convention center, these attracted a lot of attention and MANY people mentioned them to me last week.  The panics have hex-key dogging, so I have no idea why they've resorted to wide-scale use of velcro.  Speaking of dogging...last night I went to an evening meeting at a school, and the teacher used her key to let us in the main exterior door.  Once inside, she turned to face the door opening and said, "Ok - there's a trick...where is it?"  Then she spied the small end of an allen wrench sticking out of a hole in the frame about 6 feet up, pulled it out, dogged the panic, and stuck the wrench back in the hole.  Very high-tech.  The funny thing is...the other leaf of the pair has an electric latch retraction device; all they need is a switch at the door to dog it.

By |2013-10-11T09:31:24-04:00October 2nd, 2013|Panic Hardware, Wordless Wednesday|13 Comments
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WW: Push-Pull-Panic

Cory Yamaguchi of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies sent me this photo of an egress door he saw on an outing to the local dairy farm with his family.  I'm picturing a farm that hosts lots of visitors, not the type where the cow:human ratio is 100:1.  In addition to the creative application of pull handles, there are loops up at the top (one looks like it's missing) if they need a little extra security.  If you're just tuning in, this is not code-compliant.

By |2013-09-29T19:11:32-04:00September 18th, 2013|Means of Egress, Panic Hardware, Wordless Wednesday|9 Comments
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Reader Photos

Thank you to everyone who has sent me photos of doors they've seen in their travels (or while laying on the couch).  Kelly Chimilar from Allmar Inc. noticed these doors with an obvious egress problem while watching Thursday Night Football.  If you don't know what the problem is, I will hold a special online study session for you after work tonight.  ;)

By |2016-07-25T18:02:56-04:00September 6th, 2013|Beautiful Doors, Door Closers, FDAI, Fire Doors, Hinges & Pivots, Locks & Keys, Means of Egress, Panic Hardware, Reader Photos|9 Comments
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The Ballad of Carl Prinzler

Do you know who Carl Prinzler was?  Does the name ring a bell?  Carl worked in the door hardware industry back in the early 20th century, and was instrumental in developing the first exit device along with his employer, Vonnegut Hardware Company and his neighbor, Henry DuPont.  Recently Peter Wilson of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies came across a poem by Misha Burnett called The Ballad of Carl Prinzler, and sent me the link.  I couldn't imagine who (besides me) would write a poem about Carl Prinzler, so I emailed Misha.  He is a university locksmith and while taking a poetry class he also attended a Von Duprin training class and learned about the invention of the first panic hardware after the tragic fire at the Iroquois Theater, which inspired him to write the Ballad of Carl Prinzler.

By |2017-02-15T21:29:09-05:00August 19th, 2013|Panic Hardware|7 Comments
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