When I started working in the door and hardware industry, we regularly installed fusible link louvers in fire-rated doors, as allowed by various door manufacturers' listings. Although fusible link louvers are still available, their use is limited by current codes:
I received this photo the other day and I knew it was the perfect opportunity to talk about application-specific closers vs. universal closers.
During Chip's Road Trip I gave you two opportunities to join in by answering a trivia question. Thanks to everyone who participated! The two grand prize winners are listed below, and will receive a little something from the IR Prize Vault.
One of my (non-hardware industry) friends commented recently that she's been reading this blog and can't believe how complicated doors and hardware are. It's true! There are a thousand ways to screw up a door and I've made my share of mistakes over the years, but at this point I often spot problems from across the room while "regular" people continue to walk through the doors without noticing.
We had planned to get on the road early yesterday afternoon but we ended up leaving Williamsburg around 5 p.m., about the same time everyone else coming home from everywhere decided to leave. The traffic was terrible, and after 6 hours of driving we had gone as far as Elkton, Maryland and couldn't stay in the car for one more mile.
We're on our way home today, and barring any surprises we'll arrive tomorrow. For the first time we're hitting the road without knowing where we'll be sleeping tonight, but I'm sure we'll find a hotel and if not, I'll be calling my Mid-Atlantic or Metro New York SSC buddies to see who has room at the inn.
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:
If there weren't a lot of doors at Busch Gardens, there were even less at Water Country, where we spent the day today. For me, a day without hardware is like a day without sunshine, but I survived. Since I don't have any funky applications from today, I'll answer a question from the mailbag. Debbie asked whether my husband is along on this road trip, since I haven't mentioned him. I actually have mentioned him...not as often as I've mentioned Chip, but I did give him credit for spotting the Falcon bumper sticker the other day. In fact, I've mentioned him 5 times during our trip so yes, he is with me, but he refuses to pose for photos with hardware or even doors. Go figure.
Several people have commented that I'm supposed to be on vacation, I should be relaxing, enjoying quality family time, etc. Well, I just returned from 10 HOURS at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia and I am SO TIRED. But I know I won't be able to sleep if I don't post something for you to look at with your morning coffee tomorrow.
Today we drove from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Williamsburg, Virginia. It was a long day in the car but Chip insisted that we stop in FALCON, North Carolina to buy some personalized souvenirs for him. We had no luck with the FALCON souvenirs...Falcon is a VERY small town without even a general store, but as I'm trying to teach my kids, there is something interesting about any place you go. At first glance, Falcon had a lot of tobacco fields, an old folks' home, and a water tower guarded by one feisty donkey, but it is also the location of the Falcon Children's Home, which just celebrated 100 years of helping children who needed a place to live - about 20,000 kids to date!
We're in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the good news is that the specwriter Chip and I came to see has agreed to include Falcon exit devices in his specifications! Yippee!
Today we headed north toward Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and on the way we passed through Waldo, Florida. Apparently Waldo's claim to fame is that it is one of two official speed traps designated by AAA. The other is just up the road in Lawtey. Lucky for us, the Waldo police were at Dunkin Donuts and there was a billboard warning of the speed trap in Lawtey (rumor has it the billboards were purchased by AAA), so we made it through unticketed.
...Another funky hardware application.
It's true! The new Falcon 24/25 device has a 10-year mechanical warranty (1-year electrical).
There are almost 600 Cracker Barrel restaurants in the United States and I've been to most of them. Well...not most, but a bunch. The kids like the food and there's a lot of miscellaneous stuff on the walls that we can use to play, "Who can find the _______?" When you drop a whole cup of milk on the floor (like this morning) they don't bat an eye. At least you always know what to expect...every Cracker Barrel has basically the same menu, the same "country store" selling stuff my kids can't live without, the same rocking chairs and checker boards on the porch, and the same entrance doors.
For all of you loyal late Friday afternoon and weekend blog readers, here's another opportunity to win something from the Ingersoll Rand prize vault. This morning, Chip visited the statue at left - where are we? If you think you know, click here and scroll down to leave a comment with the answer. I will hold all of the answers until the end of Chip's Road Trip and then choose one lucky winner from all of the correct entries. If you need a hint, the statue is located at the end of a bridge that leads to a set of *keys*. Hey wait! Is that a FALCON on his arm patch?? ;-)
When Chip heard that we'd be passing through Atlanta he insisted on visiting the Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons. We stopped for a look around, and he gawked at the banks of multiple exit doors, all equipped with Von Duprin 99 devices. It was a proud moment for Chip, especially since the Falcon 24/25 and Von Duprin 98/99 were designed by the same engineers and share the Ingersoll Rand name.
We interrupt this road trip to announce that this website has received visitors from 50 different countries!!
Yesterday we drove from Front Royal, Virginia to Grassy Cove, Tennessee, which is a VERY long drive. We usually plan on stopping somewhere for the kids to burn off some energy, and yesterday's stop was at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. I can find an interesting (to me) hardware application just about anywhere, and the most interesting hardware I found was in the President's One train car, which was built in 1916. There were double-acting spring hinges, a sliding door on a curved track, and some double-acting deadlatches - all still in working condition. Pretty cool. Click any of the thumbnails below if you're interested in seeing larger views of the photos.
We continued our road trip yesterday with a visit to the zoo and a drive through Amish Country. A stop in Paradise confirmed that they could use some Falcon 24/25 exit devices out there, and Chip's up to the challenge. As I've said before, I'm very picky about which products I specify, and after taking this new device apart and learning more about it I would be comfortable specifying it for a school project, especially when the budget is tight.
I guess it's only fair. If my family welcomes the new Falcon exit device along on our summer road trip, it should have a name that's a little easier for the kids to remember than 25-R-L. The first thing we had to determine was the gender of our device. Although boats and cars are generally female, apparently door hardware is typically male because it was unanimous. Given the fact that the Falcon 24/25 has some similar features to his relative, the Von Duprin 98/99, and considering the absolutely horrendous names chosen by my kids, our device has been christened...Chip. Chip Falcon. Sounds like a character Pierce Brosnan would play.
I really enjoy blogging because I can talk to my fellow door and hardware professionals in a more personal way, without all the corporate-speak that makes my eyes glaze over (no offense, corporate speakers). Well, this conversation is about to get a lot more personal. I'm leaving on a family road trip tomorrow and I'm taking you with me.
I have a lot of pet peeves - just ask my family. One of my pet peeves is when I see a door closer on the "wrong" side of a door. It could be the corridor side of an electric room, the outside of a bathroom, or, like the photo to the left, the weather side of an exterior door. I just don't understand how a closer ends up on the wrong side of the door, especially when many of them (the one at left included) come packed with all of the parts and pieces required to install it three different ways.
Name: Charles J (Chuck) Strauss
I recently received this photo from an architect who wanted to use the Von Duprin Inpact devices pictured here on another museum I'm working on. I've used these several times when an architect wanted the panic device powder coated a similar color to the door. As with LCN closers, Von Duprin panic hardware can be powder coated in a multitude of colors (refer to the Tiger Drylac brochure called RAL Exterior/Interior).
When a delayed egress lock is used on an egress door, the codes require signage instructing the building occupant to "PUSH UNTIL ALARM SOUNDS, DOOR CAN BE OPENED IN 15 SECONDS." When the code official approves a 30-second delay, the signage must reflect that increase. At least the signage on this egress door (yes, there is an exit sign which is not visible in the photo) will keep the person occupied while he or she waits for 30 seconds to pass. ;-)
Name: Zeke Wolfskehl, DAHC EHC
Here's a great list of accessibility code requirements and contacts by state. It lists the accessibility code or standard for each state, as well as the contact information for the state agency that oversees the accessibility requirements. The list was compiled by the United States Access Board, an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. There's a wealth of other information on their website, so check it out!
I love seeing the inventive ways people install door hardware, and it seems like the product with the most creative installations is the door closer. LCN thought their stick-on installation templates would take the creativity out of door closer installation, but there are still plenty of inventive installations out there.
Terry Maguire of National Millwork in Mansfield, Massachusetts! Terry correctly identified the delayed egress signage as the missing item on the post called "What's Wrong With This Picture?"
Name: Robert Burke, AHC, CSI
Back in the 80's, there was a lot of confusion about how to measure the clear opening width of doors. The codes and standards weren't clear, so on doors with panic devices the fire marshals were looking for 32" between the panic device and the stop on the strike jamb. As each code and standard was revised to include information clarifying this requirement, I would periodically call the State Fire Marshal's office in the state where we most often had the problem. They stopped taking my calls but they eventually changed the way they measured clear opening width.
I'm a big fan of creative hardware applications like these PVC rod guards on an exterior pair in a high school, but I think they should have considered adding some bottom latch guards. The latches don't even have their covers! FYI...Von Duprin does manufacture rod and latch guards - the RG-27, also available as a rod guard only (RGO), a latch guard only (LGO), or an extended latch guard only (LGO-3' or 4').
There's an article in the May/June 2009 issue of the NFPA Journal about the inspection of egress doors and fire doors. You can access the article here. It's an excellent overview of the inspection requirements found in the 2009 Edition of NFPA 101 - The Life Safety Code.
Name: Steve Monroe AHC, CDT
The open back strike hadn't been installed when I took this photo, but what else is missing? It's a tricky one, but you can click on the picture to enlarge it if you need to.
If you're a frequent visitor to this site you probably know the story...I posted a photo of a concealed closer that is installed so that it's visible through the frame face, and the hardware supplier/installer saw the photo on my site and emailed me to tell me the situation. Apparently it was not a mistake - it was an ingenious solution to a problem, and they used it on 15 pairs of doors in a hotel. I asked the supplier to send me a photo of the completed installation with the custom cover plates in place, and he recently emailed me to say that he "drove down to the Dead Sea and took pictures..."
An astragal is a piece of molding used on a pair of doors or between the top and bottom leaves of a Dutch door, to provide security, protect against weather conditions, prevent light or sound transmission, or to retard the passage of smoke, flame, or gases during a fire. On a Dutch door the astragal is used to close the bottom leaf in conjunction with the top leaf. An astragal should not be confused with a mullion, which sits between (fixed) or behind (removable) the meeting stiles of a pair.
I have visited 10 countries in Africa, so in honor of the first African country to host a visitor to this website (the 38th country to visit the site!), I decided to post an African door photo from my collection. I searched through the albums of my trips and found hundreds of photos of elephants, lions, and my fellow campers behaving badly, but hardly any photos of doors! I will eventually find and post my photo collection called the Doors of Zanzibar, but in the meantime, here are a few shots of the doors of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca Morocco. To give these openings some scale, that's me sitting in front of a GIANT door, beside a door similar in size to the one in the close-up.
I've added a new page to help you find what you're looking for - the Index tab above. There are already 76 posts (!) and I'll be adding two new features shortly. One will be a series called Industry Profiles - to help you get to know some of the great people who work in the door & hardware industry. The other is in response to your requests...a series called Basic Training. Our office periodically offers a 5-week course by the same name, which is a pretty generic introduction to doors & hardware including mechanical and electrified hardware, codes, and blueprint reading. Many of our current customers are Basic Training alumni. Quite a few people have found this website and asked for more information on the basics, so they can learn about hardware from the ground up. I hope to have the first posts of both series ready next week.
I think this photo speaks for itself. I just love the creativity and the lengths people will go to with these modifications. It's kind of sad that I get my kicks from looking at doors gone wrong, but admit it...you do too!
Here's a little reminder to make sure you size the top rod correctly when using manual flush bolts on doors that are over 7' tall. Most manufacturers offer a top rod that is 12" (standard), 24", 36", or 48" long. In this application, I would have probably specified panic hardware on both leaves depending on the door height and vertical rod capabilities, or an automatic flush bolt for the top bolt, which would be projected by the active leaf. I'm not a big fan of automatic flush bolts, but a 48" long top rod might not be quite long enough to bring the bolt down to an operable height. I have also seen hardware suppliers buy threaded rod to increase the top rod length, but at some point the rod gets too long to operate smoothly.
I recently needed to refer to a copy of HMMA-850, the NAAMM/HMMA standard for fire rated doors and frames. I was pleasantly surprised to find this standard on-line as a free download. Upon further digging, I found that almost ALL of the HMMA and SDI publications can be downloaded for free from their websites. There is a wealth of information there, including free downloadable specifications and ANSI standards. If you're an architect or specwriter, you can even request a complimentary bound copy (or CD) of the SDI Fact File which includes all of their publications. Click the links below to check out the list of standards available for download.
There's an exception in the Health Care chapters of NFPA 101 that I've always wondered about. It's in the chapters regarding New & Existing Health Care Occupancies (18 & 19), in the section about corridors:
After over 20 years in the hardware industry, my family has grown accustomed to me taking photos of doors. They still think it's strange, but it's no longer surprising. Last weekend we were on a Fathers Day outing and I saw this sad door on a gas station ladies' room. I couldn't help but wonder...who would be this desperate to get into the ladies room? I guess someone REALLY had to go.
The new Vermont Fire & Building Safety Code went into effect on June 15, 2009. The new code references the 2006 edition of the International Building Code, and the 2006 edition of NFPA 101 - The Life Safety Code.
Years ago, glass doors were commonly locked with a deadlock in the bottom rail. Many of these doors are still in use, but in order to comply with current codes, I don't recommend the use of a bottom rail deadlock on most new projects.
My last post referenced the term "exit enclosure", and I received a few questions about its meaning. An exit enclosure is the enclosure around an exit. For our purposes it usually refers to a stairwell. According to the IBC, exit enclosures connecting 4 or more stories require a 2-hour fire resistance rating, and those connecting less than 4 stories require a 1-hour fire resistance rating (IBC-2009-1022.1). Exit enclosures must lead directly to the exterior or to an exit passageway, which will typically have the same fire resistance rating as the exit enclosure. The IBC includes some exceptions for exits which do not need to be enclosed, such as stairs in parking garages.
A temperature rise door is a fire-rated door which limits the heat transfer through the door for a period of 30 minutes. Temperature rise ratings indicate the maximum rise above ambient temperature on the non-fire side of the door, and will be either 250°, 450°, or 650° F. The 250° door is the most restrictive because it limits the heat transfer to only 250° for a 30-minute period. A typical hollow metal door would reach approximately 1400° F in the same time period. By minimizing the transfer of heat, a temperature rise door could protect an exit enclosure, allowing people to pass below the floor of fire origin.
