WWYD? MRI Room
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...
WWYD? Mag-Locks
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?
WWYD? Double-Egress Pairs
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...
WWYD? Escape Room
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...
WWYD? School Security Bill
These school security requirements could eventually be incorporated into your state's school security legislation. What additions or changes would you like to see?
WWYD? Toggle Buttons
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?
Follow-Up – Existing Fire Door, New Access Control
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...
WWYD? Existing Fire Door – New Access Control
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..."
WWYD? “Future” Access Control System
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...
WWYD? Lactation Room
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...
WWYD? Multiple Crossbars
Today's question...is it code-compliant to have panic hardware along with additional stationary horizontal push-bars?
WWYD? Dutch Door Coordination
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...
WWYD? Removable Mullion on a Fire Door Assembly
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...
WWYD? Mortise to Cylindrical Conversion
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...
WWYD? Cooler Access Control
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 cooler doors and interface with a system like the one pictured here, where supplies are ordered online and then picked up from the cooler?
WWYD? Noisy Mag-Locks
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...
WWYD? Fire Door Closing Cycle
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?
WWYD: Fusible Link Arms
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...
WWYD? Stairwell Pressure
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?
WWYD? School Security
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...
WWYD? Classroom Vision Lite
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...
WWYD? Grout or No Grout?
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...
WWYD? Hanging Aluminum Storefront Doors
What is your preferred method for hanging an aluminum storefront door, and why? What are the considerations - aesthetics, function, durability...others?...
WWYD? Elopement in Schools
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....
WWYD? School Seclusion Room
Some schools include seclusion rooms, where a child may be placed if he/she needs time to calm down without endangering themselves or others...
WWYD? School Entrance Trim
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...
WWYD? School Sign In
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?...
WWYD: Accessible Access Control Credentials
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...
WWYD? Emergency Exit Seals
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 not?
WWYD? Museum Gates
I'm looking for some ideas to help a designer with the gates in the sketches below. Here’s the scenario:
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.)
WWYD? Gate with Access Control and Panic Hardware
Here's a tough one...
WWYD? – Folding Partition Closet
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 folding partition to divide a room. When the folding partition is stored in the closet, both leaves of the door are in the same plane to fill the opening. When the folding partition is out of storage and dividing the room, it still extends into the closet so the small leaf of the pair folds back against the larger leaf, to leave space for the folding partition.
WWYD: Help Wanted
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. Please leave a comment if you have any insight on ANY of these questions...
WW and WWYD: Panic Hardware Lockdown
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.
WWYD? High Winds
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 or other factors.
WWYD? Gate Operator
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 the weather. Any ideas? If you need more information, ask away!
WWYD? Safe and Secure Schools
I have been struggling with this post. I can't answer the question the world wants an answer to -
WWYD? Sliding Door
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? And what type of latch do you use for privacy?
WWYD? Secure Pair
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, but need to close before the 6-second mark. There are 10,000 employees on-site during a typical day, and leaving a door unsecure / not locked or latched can result in termination of their jobs. Many of the doors are fire doors, which adds some extra complexity to the issue. Almost all of the doors have access-control.
WWYD? Double-Egress Pair
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 prevent patients with Alzheimer's Disease or other conditions from "eloping". There is a sensor in the vicinity of the doors which detects an approaching occupant wearing a transmitter bracelet, and when an occupant is detected the system automatically arms the delayed egress locks, which prevent the patient from leaving the unit before staff members can arrive.
WWYD? Theater Security
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 movie with guns, explosive chemicals, and a protective vest, would monitoring or alarming the emergency exit have thwarted his attack?
WWYD? Concealed Closers at the Peabody Opera House
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, particularly the restroom doors. Steve asked me how to adjust the closers or if that was even possible.
WWYD: Access Control on Sliding Doors
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 serving an individual office. When the door is closed, it overlaps the aluminum frame face. There is currently no method of securing the doors. WWYD?
WWYD: A Little Help Here?
Today is the 3rd anniversary of iDigHardware (aka iHateHardware)! WOOHOOOO!!!
WWYD?: Back-to-Back Doors
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!
WWYD? – Police Station
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 in these situations.
WWYD? – Church Pair Meeting Stiles
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 as a whole, or maybe the beautiful pulls, but I couldn't get past the gasketing.
WWYD? – Pediatric Unit Egress Doors
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 You Do?" (WWYD). Check out the photos, the code excerpts, and scroll all the way down to vote in the poll.