WWYD? Quiet Doorman
One of our specwriters contacted me earlier this week, in search of the Quiet Doorman product. Does anyone have a source for this panic bar retainer or something similar? WWYD?
Closing Speed & Delayed Action
Back in the early 90's when the ADA was the newest focus of the door and hardware industry, delayed action closers were often specified and installed due to the assumption that they were required by the accessibility standards. Delayed action is a feature available on many door closers, which delays the closing cycle for up to a minute (or more depending on the manufacturer) from the maximum degree of opening to approximately 70 degrees. The delay is controlled by an additional valve which slows the flow of fluid for that initial period in the closing cycle. This feature can be helpful in some applications, but it is not required by code. The other segments of the closing cycle, the main speed and the latch speed, are also controlled by valves (see diagram below).
Bungee Closer
I swear, this blog is not going to become a collection of photos that can be found elsewhere on the web, but since two people sent me this photo today and it's pretty horrible, I just have to post it. It's another one from thereIfixedit.com, which is a really funny collection of weird stuff that people do to try to fix things.
Gravity Closer
I think I'm onto something...asking everyone to send their vacation photos of oddball hardware applications has already netted me several, including this photo of a gravity closer from Quebec City. The cable goes from the face of the door, through the pulley that the brown outfit is hanging on, then through another pulley and attaches to a weight that the green outfit is hanging on. Complicated, but pretty inexpensive as long as you don't need door control. ;-)
Please Do Not Sit
My old buddy George Nimee used to tell a story about a school custodian who put black grease on the top of all the closer arms in the school. When the kids jumped up and grabbed the closer arm their hands would get all greasy, they'd wipe their hands on their shirts, and the custodian would know who'd been hanging on the closer arm. Ingenious!
Smoke – NFPA 80
NFPA 80 - Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, is a document which most of us in the hardware industry began studying in our earliest hardware school courses and refer back to throughout our careers. This standard is THE publication on fire doors, and is referenced by all of the codes and standards used in the U.S. that have anything to say about fire doors. You'd think that because of the close relationship between fire doors and smoke doors (some fire doors ARE smoke doors, after all) that NFPA 80 would have something to say about smoke. As it turns out, not much.
Spring Hinges
After my post about the Parkside West fire, a couple of people have asked me what I have against spring hinges. I'm not one to discriminate against hardware of any function, style, or finish, but I also like things to do what they're supposed to do. If I could get my kids to act more like cast iron door closers, I'd be a happy camper. I'm not picking on spring hinges here - Ives makes spring hinges and is also one of the brands that keeps a roof over my head. They just need to be used for the right applications.
Rescue Hardware
A couple of days ago, one of our specwriters asked about a closer on a door with rescue hardware, and another specwriter advised him to use a double-acting closer. I was surprised to learn that they weren't aware of my FAVORITE LCN special template - ST-1895.
“What’s a ‘CUSH’ closer?”
A few weeks ago someone asked me this question and I answered him directly rather than posting about it on the blog, but then yesterday I saw someone arrive at the site searching for the very same information. So, in case you too have been wondering what "CUSH" means in relation to door hardware, here you go...
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.
Opening Force for Fire Doors, Part 2
In a post about opening force a while back, I wrote that fire doors do not have to meet the opening force requirements of the accessibility codes and standards. While that IS true, someone recently asked me a question that led to this further explanation.
Every Door Needs a Stop
Last weekend I opened the door to a sports facility where my son was attending a birthday party, and I saw an interesting (to me) application. My three friends scattered when they saw me whip out the camera...I still don't know why it's so embarrassing to be seen with someone taking a picture of a door, but it seems to be a universal reaction unless you hang out with other hardware people.
Application-Specific vs. Universal Closers
I received this photo the other day and I knew it was the perfect opportunity to talk about application-specific closers vs. universal closers.
Another Day, Another Zoo…
...Another funky hardware application.
Cracker Barrel Shocker!!!
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.
9 Out of 10 Birds Surveyed Prefer LCN
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.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way…
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.
Special Template Update
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..."
Small World
I started this website a few months ago as a way to connect with our customers and help them find answers to their code questions. I have been amazed at the response to the site, from all over the United States and 18 other countries (and counting!). It really is a small world.
Special Templates
Don't let this happen to you! If you have an application that can't accommodate a standard closer, LCN has thousands of special templates and engineers standing by to help. Some of my favorite special templates are the track closer for a door with rescue hardware, closers for arch-top doors, and the templates that move the concealed closer away from the face of the frame so you don't end up with the application in this photo.
