QQ: Fire-Exit Bolt
Last week I wrote about fire doors vs. fire exits, and I mentioned that I would try to change/clarify the Merriam-Webster definition for "fire-exit bolt." I received this Quick Question: What IS a fire-exit bolt?
QQ: Impact Doors and the ADA
Last week I posted some photos sent to me by a retired fire marshal, and one of them reminded me of a Quick Question that I've received several times lately: Do impact doors have to comply with the accessibility standards?
QQ: Conflicts in the Codes and Standards
Today's Quick Question is a good one...When a specific requirement stated in a referenced standard is in conflict with what is allowed by the code that is referencing the standard, which requirement applies?
QQ: Louvers in Fire Doors
I've been asked today's quick question three times in the last two weeks, so I have updated the post with the references from the current codes. Is it acceptable by code to install a louver (fusible link or other type) in a fire door?
QQ: Hospital On-Call Rooms
Today's Quick Question: Can on-call rooms in a hospital have occupancy indicator deadbolts that are separate from the latchsets, or do these doors have to unlatch with one releasing motion?
QQ: Learned Irrelevance
I often wonder how in the world exits can be blocked, or have hardware that has been modified and will not allow egress - sometimes for YEARS - without anyone noticing. I think the answer may have something to do with today's Quick Question.
QQ: Chains and Padlocks
Today's Quick Question...A school district wants to use chains and padlocks to secure the school buildings at night and on weekends. Do the model codes allow this when the building is not occupied?
QQ: Fires vs. Active Shooters in Schools
Today's Quick Question: How can a fire be 1000 times more likely to occur in a school than an active shooter event? I read about school shootings all the time, and I never hear about fires in schools.
QQ: Tactile Warning
I have one last photo from my time in New Orleans, that relates to today's Quick Question: When are tactile warnings required for the hardware on rooms housing hazardous equipment, like electrical rooms?
QQ: Special Purpose Doors
Today's Quick Question: What is considered a "special purpose" door? Which sliding doors have to comply with the requirements detailed in this section of the code?
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?
QQ: Hotel Door Guards
As I continue on my training adventure, staying in multiple hotels along the way, I'm reminded of a "Quick Question" that recently hit my inbox: Are swing bar door guards prohibited by NFPA 80 for fire door assemblies on hotel rooms?
QQ: Covering Holes in Fire Doors
Today's Quick Question arises often, when existing hardware on a fire door assembly is replaced with new hardware: If existing holes in a fire door assembly are covered by the new hardware, is this compliant with the codes and standards?
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: Clear Floor Space for Access Control Readers
Today's Quick Question may seem ultra-specific, but the answer highlights a couple of important resources: Are there limitations in the accessibility standards regarding the location of a card reader in relation to the door it is controlling?
QQ: Dead-End Corridors
Sometimes a floor plan will show a corridor that ends with a wall or a locked door, creating a dead end. Today's Quick Question: What is the maximum length of a dead end corridor that is allowed by the model codes?
QQ: ADA Requirements vs. State Accessibility Standards
When the ADA standards are more restrictive than an accessibility standard adopted by a state or local jurisdiction, do the more stringent requirements of the ADA standards apply?
QQ: Panic Hardware Exception
Today's Quick Question: Does the 2021 IBC section addressing the locking of exterior spaces allow panic hardware to be omitted on doors serving exterior assembly spaces with an occupant load of 50 people or more?
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?
QQ: Auxiliary Push Button
Today's Quick Question keeps coming up: On which types of access-control doors do the model codes require the installation of an auxiliary push button to release the electrified lock?
QQ: Hinge Types – Swing-Clear
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?"
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?
QQ: Use Groups Requiring Auto Operators
Following up on last week's post about the new requirement for auto operators in certain locations, today's quick question: What types of buildings fall into the use groups where automatic operators are required for public entrances?
QQ: Remoteness of Exit Access Doorways
Today's Quick Question: If an area requires two or more exit access doors because of the calculated occupant load, how far apart do those egress doors need to be?
QQ: Self-Closing Toilet Stall Doors
Today's Quick Question: Are doors serving toilet stalls required to be self-closing? Do you know where to find this information in the ADA Standards for Accessible Design and ICC A117.1?
QQ: Door Coordinators
Today's Quick Question: When does a door opening need a coordinator - and what IS a coordinator, anyway?? Can you help with some images or video to help illustrate this tough-to-explain concept?
QQ: Revolving Doors
Today's Quick Question: Do revolving doors require the breakaway feature and/or adjacent swinging doors in order to facilitate egress? I don't do much with revolving doors, but I looked up the answer and learned a few things.
QQ: Paddle Latch
Today's Quick Question: In an office building with an occupant load of 400 people, is a paddle latch code compliant for the main entrance door? Or is panic hardware required?
QQ: Patch Fittings
Yesterday's post about bottom rails on all-glass doors raised a Quick Question: Do glass doors with patch fittings meet the requirements for a flush bottom rail?
QQ: Dormitory Suites
Today's Quick Question: Can a bedroom door within a suite in a dormitory have a separate deadbolt in addition to the latching hardware? What do you think?
QQ: Number of Exits
Today's "Quick Question": When is a room required to have more than one exit or exit access doorway? Do you know the answer?
QQ: Does NFPA 80 “trump” the ADA?
Today's Quick Question: Do the requirements of NFPA 80 "trump" the ADA requirements? Is fire protection more important than accessibility?
QQ: Cladding on a Fire Door Assembly
Today's Quick Question is a very common one...Can cladding materials be applied to the face of a fire door assembly?
QQ: Battery Back-up
Is it acceptable by code to provide battery back-up for an electromagnetic lock? What about other types of electrified hardware?
QQ: ISA on Actuators
Today's Quick Question: Are actuators for automatic operators required to have the International Symbol of Accessibility (ISA)?
QQ: Field Labeling of Fire Doors
Today's Quick Question: Can an existing fire door be labeled in the field for a higher rating than what it was originally listed for?
QQ: Sealant/Caulk Around Fire Door Frames
Today's Quick Question: Is sealant required around a fire door frame - where it meets the sheetrock?
QQ: Antimicrobial Coating
Today's Quick Question: Can door hardware with an antimicrobial coating prevent the spread of COVID-19 or other viruses?
QQ: Astragals, Rabbets, Bevels
Today's Quick Question: Is an astragal required for double-egress cross-corridor pairs in health care smoke barriers? The answer surprised me.
QQ: Manufacturing Tolerances on Fire Doors
If NFPA 80 requires 1/8-inch or 3/16-inch maximum perimeter clearance for fire door assemblies, is it acceptable to add the manufacturing tolerance to that dimension?
QQ: Electric Latch Retraction & UL 294
Is the UL 294 listing required by the model codes for panic hardware with the electric latch retraction / electric dogging feature (EL/QEL)?
QQ: Door Bolts on Classrooms
Today's Quick Question: Are door bolts - like the surface bolts made by commercial hardware manufacturers - allowed to secure classroom doors during a lockdown?
QQ: Auto Operator Timing
What are the required opening speed, closing speed, and hold-open time for a low-energy automatic operator? What about a vestibule situation with sequential operation?
QQ: Do all fire exits have fire exit hardware?
Do all fire exit doors have fire exit hardware? Even if you already know the answer to this question, today's blog post might help you explain it to someone who disagrees.
QQ: Existing Frame, No Fire Label
Regarding an existing fire door assembly - the door has a fire label but the frame does not. Is the frame required to have a label?
QQ: Fire Test Standard for Sliding Doors
An architect is interested in specifying a sliding fire door assembly for a project, but I see that the product is listed to UL 10B. I thought fire doors were required to be listed to UL 10C?
QQ: Closer Covers on Fire Doors
If a door closer on a fire door is missing the cover, is that a deficiency that should be noted on a fire door inspection report?
QQ: Coordinators on Fire Doors
When a pair of fire doors has manual flush bolts and no closer on the inactive leaf, is a coordinator required?
QQ: Vision Lights in Automatic Doors
Does the vision light height requirement apply to automatic doors as well as manually-operated doors?
QQ: Door Closers on Exterior Doors
Quick Question: Is it a code requirement for non-fire-rated exterior doors to have door closers? The answer may surprise you.