WWYD?
Last week I posted a photo of a deadlock on a pair with panic hardware, and I included a poll to find out what you all thought should be done about the problem. I received some photos yesterday that gave me the idea to make this a regular feature of the blog – “What Would […]
I saw this church from the highway on our way into Roanoke, Virginia last week – it’s St. Andrews Catholic Church, and I just knew it would have some nice doors. As soon as I approached the building from the parking lot, I spotted the meeting stile gasketing. Most people would probably see the building […]
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 […]
Which product application do you use when you have doors that open back-to-back and need to close upon fire alarm? I was just explaining my preferred option to a specwriter last week, and then these photos arrived…perfect timing! When I have a door on an electrified hold-open that opens against the wall, I prefer to […]
Today is the 3rd anniversary of iDigHardware (aka iHateHardware)! WOOHOOOO!!! If you were wondering what to send as an anniversary gift, all I want is your experience and expertise. I have had several questions lately that I could use your help with. I am always amazed by your willingness to add your two cents to […]
Jon Bossie of Surveillance Specialties sent me the photos below to see if any of my readers had ideas about how to add access control to these sliding doors. He and I both have some thoughts but maybe there’s something we haven’t considered. The doors are mounted on the outside face of the wall, each […]
I recently received an email from Steve Needy, who maintains the beautiful and recently-renovated Peabody Opera House in downtown St. Louis. During the renovation, many of the original (1932) LCN 206 concealed closers were rebuilt and reinstalled. Steve’s problem was that the spring power made some of the doors difficult for some visitors to open, […]
As I read about the terrible movie theater tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, I thought about things from a door hardware consultant’s perspective. Could future tragedies be prevented by changing the way we think about the hardware on movie theater exits? Because the suspect allegedly propped open the exit door so he could return during the […]
This is an actual problem on a current project, and I’m hoping some of you will have ideas to help out. The doors and a portion of the hardware have already been installed, and the remaining hardware is on-site. It’s a double-egress pair in a health-care facility, and it is equipped with a system to […]
I recently visited a facility where security is their top priority. Many of the doors are set to sound an alarm if they are left open for more than 6 seconds. This presents a challenge when carts are being moved through the opening, because the doors need to stay open long enough for the carts, […]
I’ve stayed at several hotels lately that had a sliding door on the bathroom within the hotel room. This solves some coordination issues involving the door swing and the method of stopping the door, but creates questions of its own. What type of sliding door hardware do you prefer for a solid core sliding door? […]
I have been struggling with this post. I can’t answer the question the world wants an answer to – How do we keep our kids safe and secure at school? There’s debate about access to guns, treatment for mental illness, violent video games, and the breakdown of the American family. Beyond my own family, I […]
This is a tough one. It’s for a project currently nearing occupancy, so I would love any comments or thoughts you have on a solution. An automatic operator is required because of maneuvering clearance / level landing issues. The gate is already in place. A low energy operator is preferred. The gate is exposed to […]
Many of us have experienced a project where the doors were subjected to unexpected wind loads, causing problems with the hardware and the operation of the door. I’m not talking about the occasional wind that comes with a hurricane, tornado, or tropical storm – I mean the everyday wind gusts due to the building location […]
Andrew Harris of Willis Klein sent me these photos of doors in a school district. He had been called in to solve the problems that caused the school to resort to these locking measures. What would you recommend to help a school improve the lockdown capabilities of their panic hardware, and especially fire exit hardware? […]
I answer A LOT of questions every day, and I love doing it. I’m so glad to be able to provide this resource for our staff and customers, and anyone else who comes across my site. But sometimes I get questions that I don’t have a good answer for, and that’s where you come in. […]
I have specified hardware for this application several times in the past, but when it came up again today I thought it would be a good opportunity to get some feedback from all of you and come up with the best way to handle this type of opening. It’s a storage closet for a large […]
Here’s a tough one… The fire marshal wants panic hardware (a panic on one leaf may suffice). The facility wants access control. What would you do? Please leave a comment if you have any ideas. . Photos submitted by Sharon Ashton of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. You need to login or register to bookmark/favorite this […]
Mary Hinton of Mulhaupt’s Inc. spotted this one on cleanfunnypics.com. Thanks Mary! You need to login or register to bookmark/favorite this content.
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 […]
I’m looking for some ideas to help a designer with the gates in the sketches below. Here’s the scenario: The gates lead to/from an area of a children’s museum designed for young kids, and the museum is looking for a way to limit access to the area so that only parents can enter with younger children. […]
Have you ever seen an egress door with a tamper-resistant tag on it? I saw one on a department store stair door in New York City last year, and Wayne Ficklin sent me these photos which got me thinking about this application again. Would you consider these acceptable for use on an egress door? Why / why […]
I really enjoyed reading everyone’s input on my post about emergency exit seals, and since I’m currently in a 3-day class for the NFPA Certified Fire Plan Examiner program and don’t have a lot of time for blogging, here’s another question for which I have no concrete answer but would love your insight… The national accessibility […]
What do you think? Did the school overreact, considering that the parent was known to staff? Or should adherence to security plans be a zero-tolerance policy?…
Bob Larson of Builders Hardware brought up a good question the other day…what’s the best way to handle the outside trim on the exterior pairs on a school? We all have our preferences, but given the changing security…
Some schools include seclusion rooms, where a child may be placed if he/she needs time to calm down without endangering themselves or others…
Even if we only consider the space with the smallest occupant load – the classroom, the codes do not give us many options for preventing a student from eloping. If the classroom has an exterior door that is required for egress, it can not be locked in the direction of egress….
What is your preferred method for hanging an aluminum storefront door, and why? What are the considerations – aesthetics, function, durability…others?…
I have worked with architects who specified grout for fire-rated frames, but as far as I know this is not typically required by the listing procedures. NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives does not state that grout is required…
Last weekend I was at a party and found myself across the table from an unsuspecting teacher-friend who had no idea that she was about to be grilled about the security procedures at her school…
In addition to providing support and training on door-related code requirements, my job also includes participating in code development – helping to propose changes to the codes that affect our business, and reviewing proposals from others. There is currently research underway that may propose to add school security requirements to a national code…
When you have a pressurized stairwell that is required for smoke control, the increased pressure in the stairwell makes doors swinging into the stair more difficult to open, and doors swinging out of the stair may not close and latch. WWYD?
NFPA 80 does not prohibit their use but the International Building Code (IBC) requires automatic-closing doors in certain locations to be smoke-activated…automatic-closing by the actuation of smoke detectors…
I was asked this question last week – when testing a swinging fire door to determine whether it closes and latches, what degree of opening is used? Do you open the door fully? Does the door have to close and latch from any position?
I know that some of you will be able to help with this question from a contractor, who has all-glass doors with direct-hold magnets making noise when the doors close and when the mag-locks engage…
Securing cooler doors with access control products is likely to become a more common application as facilities become increasingly automated. Without an access control system it’s tough to control what is taken once the door is opened (like the coin-operated newspaper vending machines). Have any of you seen a system that works well to secure […]
I’ve had many requests for help lately with regard to converting an existing fire door with a mortise lock to a cylindrical lock. There are several concerns here…
Sometimes a question crosses my desk that surprises me – it seems like after 6+ years of writing about doors and hardware every day I would have heard them all, but this was a first. I was asked to find out where in the codes it states that a removable mullion is acceptable to use on a fire door assembly…
This is another one for my code development wish list. The typical height for a dutch door shelf is usually 39-42 inches above the floor. It can be tricky to coordinate the latching hardware in the bottom leaf…
Today’s question…is it code-compliant to have panic hardware along with additional stationary horizontal push-bars?
Yesterday someone asked me about the preferred lock function for a lactation room (aka mothers’ room, lactorium), and I realized that I had not written about this before. Back when I needed a lactation room, one of my coworkers changed the passage set on my office to a privacy set…
Last week I got an email from an architect working on a renovation project at a college. Part of an existing classroom building is being converted into a new administration area, and the project scope includes preparation for an access control system that will be designed later. The electrified hardware was included in the current project, but the access control readers have not yet been added and the system is not powered up…
This question comes up quite often, so I hope some of you have insight to share. In the words of my old friend Waller Elliott, “Picture this: You have an existing stairwell door (single), with a 90-minute fire rating…”
The possible solutions posted by iDH readers included electrified lever trim, electric latch retraction, delayed egress, a direct-hold electromagnetic lock, a networked wireless lock, or an electric strike. My preference would be…
This lock function is one of several applications that may meet the technical requirements of the accessibility standards, but in reality are difficult to operate by people with certain types of disabilities. Have any of you had experience with AHJs allowing or not allowing this function?
These school security requirements could eventually be incorporated into your state’s school security legislation. What additions or changes would you like to see?
Escape rooms are popping up all over the world, and have already opened in many US cities. The premise is that you are locked in a room with friends, family members, coworkers…
Here’s a question for all of the distributors, fire door inspectors, AHJs, CDCs, and anyone else out there who has an opinion. When you’re calculating the “prefit” door widths for a double-egress pair…
I am assuming that the airport requested and received the proper code modifications for the pair of doors in the photos below – serving the airport terminal. Anybody know what the required code modifications would be?
I’ve never been able to get a good answer on this one, so hopefully someone out there has this information and is willing to share…
Last week, I was asked how I would handle the hardware for an animal research lab, where animals (particularly primates) may need to be prevented from eloping…
Will fire door inspections be enforced for health care facilities? NFPA 101-2012 clearly requires them, but it seems that more proof was needed…
This is a real-life problem on a current project and I know someone out there has a good answer. Here is a description of the doors…
There is some confusion surrounding the use of multiple delayed egress locks in a means of egress – in part because of variations between the codes…
If you’re involved in specifying, supplying, coordinating, or maintaining hardware for aluminum or glass doors, WWYD? Where should the hardware be specified and how do you ensure that all of the details are addressed…
OK – this one is going to take some thought, so let’s focus. Paul Nykiel of Johnson Hardware sent me these photos of an opening he’s trying to help with…
I’ve received quite a few questions about roller latches lately, with regard to the CMS prohibition on using roller latches on corridor doors in health care facilities…
WWYD if asked to specify/supply oversized doors for a commercial or institutional project? How would you hang doors like this?
Last week I got a call about a problem that led me to do some research on the difference between the clearance and the undercut on a fire door. On the project in question, the fire doors were supplied with a 5/8-inch undercut…
What drives the need for thermal-break frames and similar products in your jurisdiction? Is it an energy code, another code or standard, LEED…
On past kitchen projects, I addressed the potential for frequent cleaning by specifying stainless steel hardware. But floating particulates?
Manual flush bolts on pairs of fire doors leading to rooms not normally occupied by humans? WWYD?
Yesterday, an engineer from a state fire marshal’s office asked me about locks on a shared bathroom in a college dorm. In a single family home, these “Jack and Jill” bathrooms have privacy sets that are lockable from inside the bathroom, so there isn’t an egress problem…
The proposed solution for an auto operator on an arched door is shown below the photo, but I’m wondering if there are more aesthetically-pleasing options. WWYD?
The doors have some obvious damage caused by carts contacting the push side face, and carts hitting the door edge when it’s open. So…WWYD?
When I took the photo, the sensor did not unlock the electromagnetic lock until I actually touched the door and the movement of my hand triggered the sensor. It seems obvious that the sensor should not be positioned behind the exit sign (or any obstruction)…
The model codes are clear about egress, but what about emergency access to a building? Some codes require a key box mounted outside of the entrance that contains the keys…
Some new fire doors were ordered and manufactured with 5-inch x 20-inch vision lights located with the bottom of the light about about 46 inches from the bottom of the door…
Today’s WWYD question is a tough one, and I’m hoping someone has an idea. The hospital is in Qatar, and the patient room doors are currently equipped with long pulls on both sides, and a deadbolt…
An architect recently sent me a question and I could use some suggestions from y’all. I know what I would do, but I’d like to hear other ideas…
The application is in a building where the floors are out of level, and the fire door frames are installed with one jamb flush with the floor, leaving the other jamb with a gap…
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… When a fire door has more clearance than what is allowed by NFPA 80, can a door sweep and/or gasketing be added to solve […]
Imagine this…you have a single restroom where the property manager wants to install an automatic operator for easier access to the restroom (or to overcome a maneuvering clearance problem)…
In this school it appears that by preventing access to the courtyard, the school is not required to provide free egress from the courtyard…
Have you ever noticed a sign stating the maximum occupant load of a room? How about a sign stating that the maximum occupant load is 49 people? I’ve seen several signs stating the 49-person limit, and I recently received a question that made me ponder this…
I was contacted last week by a door and hardware distributor who has provided fire door assemblies with hollow metal frames and wood doors on a hospital project…
A couple of years ago, someone called me during the UK’s Fire Door Safety Week. I remember it clearly because not too many people call me these days…
This lockset has been installed for a couple of months. The room is labeled “Acid” on the plans, and it is in a building that houses an indoor swimming pool…
What is required when a recessed piece of hardware is to be installed in a fire barrier?
Leo Lebovits of M&D Door & Hardware sent me these photos from a recent trip to an amusement park. Are these doors code-compliant for a building of this type? Why, or why not?
This is our big chance to propose some changes to the IBC, to help make it easier to interpret, and to address new developments in products or technologies, or new safety issues that have arisen…
I’ve written specifications for many projects where the architect requested hinge-pin stops – door stops which mount on the hinge pin and are designed to stop the door when it reaches the desired open position.
I just saw an article in the Preston Blog, about a fire in a block of student apartments that was contained by a closed and latched fire door assembly in a fire barrier.
I ran across a video the other day, which highlights a product designed to notify people on the pull side of a door that someone is about to open it from the push side.
The extended deadline has now passed. Facilities that receive funding from Medicare and/or Medicaid must have fire door assembly inspections conducted annually and documented, with any deficiencies repaired “without delay.”
ere’s the owner’s wish list for these auditorium doors…pull-side mounted closers, surface-mounted or easy to retrofit. The doors are mounted on a diagonal within the opening to deflect sound. The doors and frames are wood. Ideas?
Should “missing” screws in a parallel-arm shoe be cited as a deficiency during a fire door inspection?
You have all heard me talk about how important it is to sleep with your bedroom door closed at night – to benefit from the protection provided by a closed door. I’ve been writing about fire doors on iDigHardware for 9 YEARS(!), trying to inform as many people as possible about the purpose of fire […]
How would you handle this access-control request? A truck stop / rest area facility includes a bank of individual restrooms with showers, intended to be used by truck drivers. A driver will purchase a shower and receive a receipt with a unique access code for the lock. A monitor screen near the shower area shows […]
What are the considerations for an access control system in buildings that may continue to be occupied during a fire alarm?
How do you “hand” a communicating door? Are the doors LH/RH? Or LHR/RHR?
Have you ever run across this application in the field or been asked to specify or install panic hardware on a door with no closer? What is your response to this request?
This is a good one! What would you use to hang these doors, and what type of door closer could be used?
BHMA has proposed a change to the 2021 IBC, to create some guidelines for interlocks – called “control vestibules” in the proposed code language. We need your help to get this right!
It seems like it must be a fairly common situation, so let me know if you have seen it before or have ideas about a solution that would be acceptable to the AHJ.
The glazing goes hand-in-hand with the door hardware – even the most secure hardware can be overcome by breaking the glass.
These doors are serving a church, and currently have key-operated deadbolts at the bottom of each leaf. The deadbolts are too low for the reverends to reach comfortably.
Last week an architect asked whether there is guidance in the codes or standards regarding the mounting location/maximum height for floor-mounted door stops, to ensure that the stop is not a tripping hazard. WWYD?
I recently came across an app that literally “opens doors” for people who have disabilities that make it difficult or impossible to initiate an automatic door by pushing an actuator.
The director of maintenance for some nursing homes in NYC sent me this photo and asked how to avoid this problem in future installations. Any constructive suggestions?
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?
Someone just asked me about software for creating shop drawings, elevations, and details. It’s been a really long time since I’ve done submittals, so I told him that I’d ask the experts – YOU!
Do these doors on a college library meet the requirements of the International Building Code (IBC)? Why or why not? WWYD if you were the AHJ?
What’s the best/most reliable/most secure technology for a request-to-exit sensor in an access control system? If you have a preference, tell me why in the reply box (please).
Are pneumatic switches required as the auxiliary release devices for sensor-release electrified locking systems? Or are other types of switches acceptable? Please share your insight and experience!
On a fire door assembly, is it acceptable to drill/cut a hole in the frame for the latchbolt, and not install the strike?
What would you do if you were in this situation? It’s not always easy to do the right thing, but could you live with yourself if something happened?
I’d love to hear your opinions on some of the recent media coverage that presents the school security industry negatively. Are they talking about US? If not, how do we make that clear?
It’s almost time to submit change proposals for NFPA 80 and NFPA 105 – tell me what’s on your wish list and I’ll see what I can do to help!
Is it code-compliant to add a deadbolt to a door with a mag-lock, that can be used to lock the door during a power failure?
The fire marshal wants these stairwell doors to close more reliably than they do with the original system. Note the arched brick “frames” and the swing-clear strap hinges (cool, right??). WWYD?
Is an existing fire door assembly with 2 hinges acceptable, or should it be noted as a deficiency during a fire door inspection?
This is INSANITY! This is yet another example of seeking to remove the safety protocols of the adopted codes, in order to prioritize security at a perceived lower cost.
