Videos

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.

By |2013-09-01T09:13:24-04:00August 10th, 2010|Electrified Hardware, Panic Hardware, Videos|0 Comments
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LAX Egress

It's not very often that I see a news report about egress doors that don't meet code requirements.  Considering the prevalence of the problem, it's amazing to me that it doesn't get more publicity, but then again, I'm a little more focused on the problem than the average citizen.

By |2013-02-09T01:14:16-05:00July 20th, 2010|Means of Egress, Videos|0 Comments
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Tiny Closer

I think these are about the tiniest closers I've ever seen.  One was obviously not enough to get the bathroom door closed, so another one was added.  The door still wouldn't close, so the closer was flipped around and mounted the opposite way.  The door STILL wouldn't close, AND the sound of the closers was horrendous!  (video evidence below)

By |2012-01-27T22:07:33-05:00May 21st, 2010|Door Closers, Funky Applications, Videos|2 Comments
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Triangle Factory Fire – 99 Years Ago Today

The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City on March 25th, 1911, claimed 146 lives - mostly young immigrant women.  Building owners locked the exit doors to keep the workers in and the union organizers out, so when a fire broke out on the 8th floor it was impossible for some of the 600+ workers on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors to escape.  The fire escape was not sufficient to hold the number of fleeing occupants, and collapsed.  Firefighters' ladders were several stories too short, and water from the fire hoses could not reach the upper floors of the building.  Sixty workers jumped to their deaths.

By |2021-06-07T14:56:08-04:00March 25th, 2010|FDAI, Fire Doors, Historical, Videos|0 Comments
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Interlocks

I went to see an architect on Friday, for what I thought would be a 2-hour meeting to discuss the security requirements for a new project.  3 1/2 hours later (time flies when you're talking about hardware!) I emerged to the sunlight (and the parking ticket), after literally resorting to cheerleading to get the architect through one more floor of the building (Her: "Lori, my brain hurts."  Me: "Come on!  You can do it!!").

By |2014-10-08T09:11:50-04:00March 21st, 2010|Electrified Hardware, Videos|3 Comments
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Parkside West Fire

Last Tuesday night, approximately fifty people were left homeless by a fire at the Parkside West Apartments in New London, Connecticut, which apparently began on a stove in a 3rd-story apartment.  One of the newspaper accounts of the fire investigation reported that the fire marshal stated "in the third-floor apartment where the fire is believed to have started, a weatherstrip prevented the door from closing, allowing smoke to spread."

By |2013-02-08T21:40:33-05:00March 13th, 2010|FDAI, Fire Doors, Videos|1 Comment
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Falcon 8200 Series Auto Operator

It seems like I should know all about myself now that I'm in my (early!) 40's, but I recently learned that the way I learn best is from a live demonstration or a video.  As soon as I start trying to read about something, my mind is off in a hundred directions, but put the same information in a video and I'm right there.

By |2012-01-27T22:08:05-05:00December 8th, 2009|Automatic Operators, Videos|1 Comment
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Cover Up!!

Back in the day, before my restaurant choices were based on whether the establishment offered crayons, chicken nuggets, and a giant mouse or talking tree, I used to frequent a local cantina.  The "naked" door closer on their ladies room door drove me nuts, so one night I showed up with a closer cover, screws, and a set of hex wrenches.  As you can probably imagine, they looked at me like I had two heads and made me hand everything over to the bartender.

By |2013-12-04T23:51:00-05:00October 29th, 2009|Door Closers, Videos|1 Comment
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Schlage LiNK

The other day, one of my friends asked me about the new Schlage LiNK, which is a remote access system that connects you to your home from anywhere via cell phone or computer.  With the monthly subscription and Z-Wave enabled products, you can remotely control and monitor your door locks, check on your pets with live video, turn lights on and off, and control and monitor your home's heating and cooling system.

By |2014-01-29T13:37:10-05:00October 19th, 2009|Locks & Keys, Videos|2 Comments
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Colonial Williamsburg

Yesterday we decided that there was still too much to see so we can't go home just yet.  We haven't run out of clean clothes, so why not?  We spent the entire day taking in the sights of Colonial Williamsburg, without a thrill ride or water slide in sight.  I saw so many interesting doors that I made them into a short slide show for your viewing pleasure:

By |2018-05-25T11:46:04-04:00August 15th, 2009|Chip Falcon Road Trip, Funky Applications, Videos|2 Comments
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Dormitory Locks

The hot topic of last week was how to handle locks on dormitory entrance doors, since the students have figured out how to reach under the door with a coat hanger and pull down the lever to unlock the door.  There's a minute+ of bad video below to illustrate the procedure, as reenacted by a couple of college boys.  The video has already been viewed 1,419 times by students who need help with their coat hanger technique, so the problem is bound to get bigger.

By |2014-05-23T22:04:19-04:00April 8th, 2009|Locks & Keys, Means of Egress, Videos|0 Comments
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Glass Doors with Electric Strikes

I'm currently working on several projects that have glass doors in walls that are acting as 1-hour fire barriers with closely-spaced sprinkler heads above the glass.  The problem with this application from a hardware standpoint is that the Blumcraft, CR Laurence, and Dorma Glas panic hardware that is typically used on glass doors does not have active trim (like a lever handle) to retract the latch from the secure side.  To unlock these doors, you would typically use the dogging feature of the panic device to leave the doors in a push/pull condition, but because they require positive latching, dogging is not an option.  I have searched the world over for a solution to this problem, but the only possibility I've found so far is using fail secure electric strikes to release the latches.  Unfortunately, this application is extremely noisy, as illustrated by the video below.  If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear from you.

By |2020-12-01T14:39:10-05:00April 2nd, 2009|Glass, Videos|10 Comments
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