After Tuesday's school shooting in Oregon, there were several news reports about a school security product developed by a group of teachers. It's called "The Sleeve," a steel sleeve that fits over the door closer arm to prevent an intruder from opening the classroom door from the corridor...
Architects and specifiers may wonder why hardware consultants need so much detailed information – and why it makes us crazy when changes are made and we don’t know about them. It all starts with the door schedule…here’s why each field matters...
Here's one for those of you who are familiar with hardware installation...what's wrong with the door in this photo? Hint: It's a fire-rated electrical vault door...
Love locks are padlocks which are attached by couples to bridges, fences, gates, and other structures around the world, and the keys are often cast into the river to signify everlasting love. But now these little locks are causing big problems...
Locksmiths are often called upon to increase security at an existing door or replace hardware that is damaged or defective. There are several code-related issues to note before getting started...
Fire doors are required to have an active latchbolt, so fire exit hardware (panic hardware for fire doors) is not equipped with a mechanical dogging mechanism that could be used to hold the latch retracted. When the lack of dogging creates an inconvenience, creative modifications sometimes occur. The added slidebolt on this fire exit hardware will prevent the fire door from functioning properly during a fire. I wonder what the insurance company would have to say about that.
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...
It's Wordless Wednesday again, and Lance Werner of Allegion just sent me this photo of what happens when the wrong lock function is supplied. Creative solutions are more fun than buying a new lock...hopefully it's not a fire door...
I'm busy preparing to start my next online Decoded course today, so here's a quick post with some more photos from my trip to New York City. Most of my friends are still wondering why I took so many photos of doors - I did it for YOU! :)
I spent last weekend in New York City, and saw these beautiful leather entrance doors on the Trump SoHo. I'm not sure how practical they will be long-term, but they're gorgeous now!...
This video is pretty amazing. Swallows nesting in a university parking garage could have been locked in when doors were added to convert the garage to the campus bike center. Is this an example of the swallows' intelligence, or dumb luck?...
I read in the news this morning that a 2-year-old boy died when he fell from the roof of a 4-story apartment building in Dorchester, Massachusetts - about 25 miles from my home. Many of the news reports focus on the lack of supervision that allowed the toddler to leave the day care on the first floor, climb 4 flights of stairs to the roof, push the door to the roof open...
In addition to the blocked egress path, I see a security bar with a padlock and hasp, the original lockset, and an exit alarm, presumably requiring at least 3 operations to unlatch the door. And possibly a key. And a detailed map to find your way to the door...
I saw this application the other day, while I was taking photos for an upcoming article in Construction Specifier. The article covers several accessibility topics, including the requirement for a 10-inch smooth surface at the bottom of the push side of manual doors...
How is this closer attached? Seriously - this is a first for me. Happy Fixed-it Friday!...
Bain said the fire itself was suppressed fairly quickly, but smoke and hot gases rushed through the hallway and up a flight of stairs, in part because the fleeing tenant left her door open and also because doors elsewhere in the building were propped open...
This week's Wordless Wednesday photo is from Keith Lathrop of Midwest Wholesale Hardware - a particularly scary emergency exit with a chain and padlock to replace the missing rods and top latch...
Back in the Olden Days when I went to hardware school, I couldn't wait to get my AHC certification and become an instructor. I really looked up to them (and still do!). They were very knowledgeable but they had a lot of fun too. Then life happened...
What do you think, lock fans?...
In Chapter 3, the IBC defines each “use group” and NFPA 101 - Chapter 6 describes each “classification of occupancy.” Both terms describe how the building or a portion of the building will be used, and each of these codes contain requirements specific to certain uses...
Today's photo is from Connor Jordan, originally posted on the Door Closer Enthusiasts page on Facebook. I don't know for sure that this is a fire door, but let's assume that it is for the sake of this lesson. NFPA 80 (2013) states: "5.1.5 Removal of Door or Window...
As I stood outside the warehouse I noticed that everyone who went in or out of the exit (which was not the main entrance), had something to say about the "ramp." This exit would clearly not be considered accessible, but it was even difficult for able-bodied visitors to use...
This one goes out to my friends at Von Duprin Tech Support...I don't think I've ever seen this particular modification before. How about you?...
What is your preferred method for hanging an aluminum storefront door, and why? What are the considerations - aesthetics, function, durability...others?...
This is not the first time my friend Bob Jutzi has left me Wordless. ;) Each door is 3'-9" wide x 10'-0" high. The doors are thought to be original to the building, built in the 1880's...
Last week I read a blog post called, "Excuse me, but your slip is showing," from Constructive Thoughts, the blog of Sheldon Wolfe. I'm a sucker for a well-researched article on a code-related topic, so I sent Sheldon an email asking if I could reference his post here. Sheldon told me to have at it, but also said that it wasn't very satisfying for him to write this type of article - where you research every angle and end up without a useful conclusion.
It appears this massive mishap could have been a lot worse than it turned out to be, but it is nevertheless a scary incident that left many people hurt and hundreds in harm's way. That may prompt the MGM Grand to reevaluate its current design and make some tweaks to avoid similar incidents in the future...
These doors are fire doors and also a marked exit, so a) replacing the fire exit hardware with surface bolts negates the positive latching, b) the rim strike that has been installed with the rim panic is not acceptable for use on a fire door, c) the guide rails prevent the inactive leaf from opening...
She added: “The one thing that would have made the world of difference, other than the fire not being started in the first place, is if the door to flat 101 (where the fire broke out) had been closed.”...
It seems like every time I attend a meeting of one of the associations I belong to, I see something to use on this site (here's one from a CSI meeting, and another, and another...
These are 3-hour fire doors which divide the modern wing of the museum from the older wings. This is an award-winning museum which houses more than 300,000 works of art in its priceless collection. The chance of a fire may seem unlikely, but if a fire occurs, the wedged-open fire doors will not protect the rest of the museum...
Have you ever been working on a specification or submittal and needed to find out whether a particular product was certified, or listed for a certain application? Maybe the plans show an oversized fire door and you need to see if your preferred manufacturer has tested a door of the proper size...
I realize that almost-daily emails from me might be too much for some people, so we Fixed-it. There is now a weekly notification available, which will send you 1 email per week, on Friday afternoon, with a list of that week's posts...
Fire door assemblies play a vital role in the protection of life safety, yet many people remain unaware of their existence. We pass through these doors every day in commercial, institutional, and multi-family residential buildings. A lack of awareness...
Gary Huizen of Huizen's Locksmith Service posted this Wordless Wednesday photo on the iDigHardware Facebook page...how many times have you arrived on a jobsite to respond to a closing/latching problem and found something like this?
Keys are a tough topic to address, because the accessibility standards mandate operable hardware which does not require tight grasping, tight pinching, or twisting of the wrist to operate. Keys obviously require tight grasping, tight pinching, and twisting of the wrist...
Here is yet another creative Fixed-it Friday method of holding open what I strongly suspect is a fire door based on the wire glass. If anyone has come up with a good process for educating custodians or other maintenance personnel about fire doors, I'm all ears!
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos came from an anonymous fire inspector pal of mine. This is very common in retail stores - the merchandise displays creep in and encroach upon the egress route, or inhibit the operation of fire doors...
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....
Some schools include seclusion rooms, where a child may be placed if he/she needs time to calm down without endangering themselves or others...
Paul Goldense of Goldense Building Products sent me these photos, taken in a 6-bay heavy truck repair garage. Lots of torches, welders, flammables, and other hazards present. Instead of replacing the door on the left, someone adept at welding Fixed-it...
I need some help from you...a nice clear photo of a door with the signage described below, as well as the indicator lock. If you have seen one of these in your local area, I'd really appreciate some help with these photos...
At least 20 students at Franklin Regional Senior High School in Murrysville were injured, and the alleged attacker is in custody, said Dan Stevens, a spokesman for Westmoreland County Emergency Management...
This illustrates why I disagree with "bending the rules" to allow non-code-compliant security devices to be used "after-hours." When the fire marshal agrees to something like this, the compromise would typically come with a qualifier...
The outstanding code violations include missing or damaged fire doors and exposed wiring, he said, and replacement doors and light fixtures have been ordered. An improperly installed gate and a parking problem also have been fixed to accommodate emergency vehicles, he said....
These photos illustrate one school's "fix" with regard to security on the cafeteria and gymnasium - unfortunately it happens to be completely non-code-compliant...
I'm in Las Vegas at ISC-West (come visit me in Allegion booth #20031 if you're here!), so I won't have time to write a post for today, but in case you missed my previous photos of the doors of Las Vegas...
When I look at a photo and can't come up with the right thing to say, I know it needs to be posted for Wordless Wednesday...like this one from Kevin Taylor of Allegion...
A long time ago, mostly before my time, some wood doors had a dowel on the edge that would indicate the type of core that was used. Several people have asked me to post a chart...
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...
