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.
QQ: Painting/Refinishing Fire Doors
Does painting or refinishing a fire door in the field void the label? The answer to today's Quick Question seems obvious, but can you prove it?
QQ: Panic Hardware on Residential Occupancies
This question keeps coming up...Is panic hardware required for the residential floors of hotels and apartment buildings?
QQ/WWYD?: Old Fire Doors With 2 Hinges
Is an existing fire door assembly with 2 hinges acceptable, or should it be noted as a deficiency during a fire door inspection?
QQ: Hinges for Fire Door Assemblies
Quick Question: Are steel, ball-bearing, butt hinges for fire door assemblies required to be UL listed?
QQ: Extended Latch Guards
A follow-up to an earlier post...Can extended latch guards be installed to bring doors with surface vertical rods into compliance with the accessibility standards?
QQ: Monitored or Recorded Egress
Quick Question: Is it code-compliant for a card reader on the egress side of the door to be used to monitor who uses the door?
QQ: Field Painted Panic Hardware
Can panic hardware be painted in the field without voiding the label?
QQ: Job-Site Preps for Fire Doors
Follow-Up #1: For which types of hardware does NFPA 80 allow job-site preparations to be made in fire door assemblies?
QQ: What’s new? And what’s existing?
When applying NFPA 101 - Life Safety Code, how do you determine whether to reference the chapters for "new" or "existing" occupancies?
QQ: Field Preps for Auxiliary Fire Pins
Can less-bottom-rod (LBR) fire exit hardware with an auxiliary fire pin be installed on an existing fire door? If you have anything to add, please weigh in!
QQ: Turn-Buttons vs. Push-Buttons
Are turn-buttons on cylindrical locks compliant with the accessibility standards? The answer to this question is really up to the AHJ, but here are a few things to consider...
QQ: Break-Glass Switches
I've received this question many times over the years...Can a break-glass switch be used to unlock a door in the means of egress?
QQ/WWYD? Door Bottom Clearance
When inspecting a fire door assembly, how do you measure the clearance at the bottom of the door when the clearance varies between the push side and the pull side?
QQ: Gasketing Continuity
During a fire door assembly inspection, should a flashlight be used to verify whether the gasketing is continuous?
QQ: Mag-Locks on Fire Doors
1) Are electromagnetic locks allowed to be used on fire door assemblies? 2) Do electromagnetic locks installed on fire door assemblies have to be labeled?
QQ: Elevator Lobby Egress
Can elevator lobby doors be locked, and only allow egress through the tenant space when there is a fire alarm?
QQ: Protection Plate Size
How wide should a protection plate be?
QQ: Delayed-Action Closers on Fire Doors
Can a delayed action closer be installed on a fire door?
QQ: Panic Hardware and Mag-Locks
The 2018 edition of the IBC includes an important clarification regarding doors with panic hardware and electromagnetic locks.
QQ: Roof Doors
Is it acceptable to lock the roof access door on the roof side, to prevent access from the roof into the building?
QQ: Signage on Fire Door Frames
Does NFPA 80 allow small signs on fire door frames? Are there limitations on the size, material, and method of attachment?
QQ: Empty Tab Slots
The increased enforcement of the inspection requirements for fire door assemblies has brought some pretty intense scrutiny upon the various components. In some cases we're finding that NFPA 80 and the model codes don't currently address the fine details of how these assemblies are tested and constructed.
QQ: Airport Jet Bridge Doors
Yesterday someone asked me about hardware requirements for doors serving the jet bridge - the walkway leading from the airport terminal to the door of the plane.
QQ: Stairwell Reentry – 1 leaf or 2?
If I have a pair of doors leading to a stairwell, do both leaves have to allow reentry?
QQ: Are doorknobs acceptable in a hospital?
For most types of buildings, lever-handle locksets are standard equipment, but some existing buildings may be equipped with knobs. Are knobs acceptable by code in existing health care facilities?
QQ: Opening force for automatic doors
The codes and standards limit the opening force for interior, non-fire-rated, manually-operated doors to 5 pounds, hence the question...
QQ: Door Pull Clearance
I answered this question a couple of years ago as part of a longer post, but people continue to ask so here goes... "How much clearance do the accessibility standards require behind a door pull?"
QQ: Push ‘N Go For Automatic Operators
In yesterday's post, I wrote about power-assist operators to clarify that these are not the same as low-energy automatic operators. This 2-part question arose from a misconception that "power-assist" is the same thing as "Push 'N Go."
QQ: What is a power-assist operator?
This is Part 1 of a 2-part question, so check tomorrow's post for Part 2. First, I'd like to clarify what defines a power-assist operator...
QQ: Selected Reentry
What is "selected reentry" and when can it be used?
QQ: Fire Doors in Load-Bearing Walls
Do load-bearing walls within a dwelling unit require fire doors?
QQ/WWYD? Excessive Clearance on Fire Doors
The rapidly-approaching deadline for fire door inspections in health care facilities is resulting in LOTS of questions about fire door assemblies. The most FAQ in the last few weeks has been...
QQ: Gasketing Requirements of NFPA 101
Which door openings are required to have gasketing, according to NFPA 101 - The Life Safety Code?
QQ: Required Swing of Double-Egress Pairs
I could have sworn that I had already answered this question on iDigHardware, but there are almost 2,000 posts and I can't find one that specifically addresses this...Is there a required "hand" for a double-egress pair?
QQ: Does the Joint Commission require fire door inspectors to be certified?
I have received several calls from people who are interested in becoming fire door inspectors or who are wondering if an inspection by their in-house staff is acceptable to the Joint Commission...
QQ: Can fire exit hardware be installed on a non-fire-rated door?
What if a facility locksmith has fire exit hardware on the shelf and considers installing it on a non-fire-rated door? Or maybe a fire door is no longer needed...
QQ: Panic Hardware – Touchpad Length
This question has been raised a few times over the years, and it looks like we will have a clarification soon - What is the required length of the touchpad or crossbar for panic hardware and fire exit hardware?
QQ: Accessible Mounting Height
Most of you know that operable hardware must be mounted between 34 inches and 48 inches AFF, but does the ENTIRE piece of hardware have to be mounted within that area?
QQ: Holding Force for Automatic-Closing Doors
I've received this question a couple of times lately...What is the maximum holding force allowed for an electromagnetic holder (or other automatic-closing device)?
QQ: Do the accessibility standards require automatic operators?
Are automatic operators required by the ADA Standards and ICC A117.1 - the predominate accessibility standards used in the US?
QQ: What is the minimum GWB penetration for a fire-rated frame?
This question has come up a few times lately...many of us have been taught that sheetrock/drywall/wallboard has to penetrate at least 1/2 inch behind the returns on a fire-rated frame, but where is that stated?
QQ: Can I remove the hardware from a fire door and permanently close it?
Yesterday I received a question from an AHJ, about a condominium complex. Each condo has a fire door as the main entrance...
QQ: Does every component of a fire door assembly have to be listed/labeled?
At least once a week someone asks me whether each and every component of a fire door assembly has to be listed or labeled...
QQ: Are deadbolts prohibited in a means of egress?
I've had several situations where an AHJ interpreted the term "bolt lock," used in the International Building Code (IBC), to mean a deadbolt...
QQ: Can panic hardware be installed on a door that doesn’t lead to an exit?
In almost all cases, panic hardware is used on doors which are in the path of egress that eventually leads to the exit discharge. But - is it acceptable to install panic hardware on inswinging doors?
QQ: Fire Door Frames with Existing Wall Anchors
"When I'm installing a fire-rated frame into an existing opening using existing wall anchors, how much space can I have around the frame, and what is permissible to use to seal that gap?"