We are all used to opening and closing doors on a daily basis.
Unless you encounter a problem with the function of your doors, you
probably don't give their operation and component make up much thought. I
am continually contacted by attorneys seeking my advice on an injury
that took place because of an improperly adjusted or malfunctioning
door. In this article, I am simply discussing manually operated doors.
Nothing fancy or automatic about them, the kind where you grab a lever,
push a plate or bang on a bar to enter or leave a room or building. So,
if you want to learn to communicate professionally and simply with your
door expert or even your building manager, read on.
Doors are
actually a pretty simple and early invention. They probably started with
a couple of wide planks to enclose an opening to keep out the weather
or separate your belongings from the animals. Modern door systems are
much more complex, but still do the basics. They keep your stuff
protected from the elements, animals and other people.
While this
article is in no means meant to be exhaustive and highly technical,
there are a few things that need identification in order for all of us
to properly understand their functions and be able to effectively
communicate information.
A basic door system is made up of a
framed opening, hinges, door, and door latch or lock. As separation and
security requirements increase, the door system begins to increase in
complexity. The basic door is either considered an unrated fire
separation component or a rated fire separation component.
Unrated doors, frames and hardware:
Unrated
doors are installed in locations that do not participate in keeping a
fire contained. They are typical in most home locations, with the usual
exception of a garage to interior home doorway. Unrated doors may be
approved for some exterior exit doorways in commercial buildings, as
well as interoffice openings. You have probably seen wooden raised panel
doors, hollow slab doors, or hand carved ornate doors that appear more
like artwork than a doorway. These doors are typically unrated, and do a
fine job maintaining separation and privacy in our homes and offices.
We are able to use these types of unrated doors in many locations, both
residential and commercially, because designers or architects have
located fire control walls and separations as part of the building
design that make individual fire walls unnecessary. These doorways do
not have the stringent requirements for their hardware, frames or doors
that a fire rated doorway must have.
Fire rated door systems:
Fire
rated doors, along with other augmented system components are able to
contain a fire without burning through for a known and tested period of
time. Typical ratings of fire doors are 20, 45, 60, 90, and 180 minutes.
Uniform building codes and local fire codes determine the appropriate
separations needed for a specific area of every building.
A fire
rated opening is only as good as its weakest component. Therefore, along
with a rated door, you need to have a rated frame assembly. There are
many types of fire rated frames in the commercial market. Frames also
undergo specific testing to rate their ability to withstand fire for a
period of time. Commercially available standard rated frames are made
from a variety of products. Rating can be achieved for hollow metal
steel frames, aluminum frames, and specially treated wood frames. The
correct application and method of attachment of each type of these
frames will limit or rate the opening to match the condition and rating
of the wall that it is part of.
Frames are made up of a minimum of
three components: A left leg, a right leg, (both vertical pieces) and
the header (horizontal piece of the frame). Other more complex frames
have the three components plus a clipped on casing mold. Some frames,
particularly when associated and required with more stringent fire
ratings will be fabricated into one welded assembly. Appropriate
installation of all frames requires sturdy and positive attachment to
the wall opening and floor system. To assure that the door will not be
blown out of the framed opening during a fire, fire rated hardware must
be used in conjunction with the fire rated frame. Ratings are given to
hinges, door locks, panic bars and other locking devices and related
components. To increase the effective barrier from a fire, a seal or
gasket of some sort must be used around the opening of the door, as well
as along the door bottom. In conjunction with these smoke seals there
needs to be a non-combustible threshold between the floor and door
sweep. These seals are in place to protect the occupants of an adjacent
room from smoke or poisonous gases released from a fire, and are
designed to allow more time for evacuation from the fire zone.
Let's talk about how to describe a door opening:
It
is important to accurately explain what a door opening looks like and
how it functions over the phone so that both parties are visualizing the
same type of opening. If you want to do a little preliminary
investigation, here are some things that are helpful in describing the
door and frame to your expert. First, measure the opening so that you
know the rough height and width of the door. The height measurement is
taken between the floor and header piece location where the door rests.
The width measurement is taken between the door legs at the widest point
where the door rests between the legs of the frame. More information
about door frames later in this article. A typical commercial door
measurement might be 84" high x 36" wide. The actual door size will be
slightly smaller, but that is not important for this exercise. A
residential door, particularly in older homes, may be 80"high x 32"
wide. Obviously, site conditions vary from location to location. Exact
measurements may be critical later on in your case, but that is why you
have contacted an expert to investigate.
Next, determine if the
door opens into the room that you are standing in or away from that
room. Does the door swing from the left or right side? Here is a tip on
how to figure this out. If you are standing inside a room that the door
swings into: Place your back against the door and see if the hinges are
on the right side of your body or the left side. If right, you have a
right hand door, if left, it is left handed. Remember this saying: "Your BUTT to the hinge BUTT". If
you are in a room outside of where the door swings into, it gets a
little more confusing as to how to describe the handing, but for
simplicity, just look into the room and see if the door swings to the
right or the left. It may be important to know, as your case may "HINGE".... Ha, ha, ha...on this detail!
Now
that the hard part is done, take a look at the door. What is it made
of? Wood, Metal, glass, plastic laminate, etc... Does it have a label of
any kind on it indicating a fire rating or special information? Does it
have any distinguishing features such as scarring, scratches, damage of
any kind? Generally, what condition is the door in? Does it look old or
show wear, or is it new and in good shape? Is the door dragging on the
floor or rubbing on the frame? Swing the door a few times to see if
something is not working properly.
Now, check out the hardware on
the door. How many hinges are attached to the door and frame? Do the
hinges appear to be solidly attached to the door? Are the screws loose
and pulling out of the door or frame? Measure what size the hinges are,
if you can. Measure from the top of the hinge to the bottom of one hinge
only. They should all be the same size. Are they? Note what color they
are. Are they rusty, covered in dust or grease, old or new looking? Does
the door have any type of knob or lever on it? Does it have a key lock?
Is it activated remotely or by some sort of touch pad? Does it have a
panic bar exit device on it, or are we looking at a conventional door
lock set? Does it have a round orbit type of knob or a lever to activate
the lock? Does the door have a door closer on it? Is the closer on the
inside of the door or the outside of the door? What condition does the
overall hardware seem to be in? Are there kick plates or push plates on
the door? Take a photograph of the door, if you can, for your file.
Actual Case Experience:
Several years ago an early photograph of a door problem, taken
immediately after an injury happened, showed that changes had been made
to installed hardware. It was claimed by the opposition, during written
discovery and deposition testimony that no alterations of any kind had
been done to the doors since the injury occurred. After a site visit, I
was given the early photos to evaluate, and immediately saw that the
hardware had all been changed. This revelation led to some pretty
interesting settlement negotiations in favor of my client. So get the
pictures, if possible!
As long as you are examining the door, you
should take a brief look at the frame and the frames' attachment to the
wall. How is the frame oriented to the wall? Is there any space on
either side of the wall, and what proximity to a perpendicular wall does
it have? Is the frame metal, wood or some other material? Does it have a
fire rated label or specialty tag on it? Does it appear to be solidly
attached to the wall? Are the hinges solidly attached to the frame and
door? Does the frame look scratched or worn, and are there grooves or
dents?
Now that you have made a preliminary evaluation of the
door, you are through with your basic inspection. You have seen
firsthand what the site conditions are, and hopefully used my
suggestions to evaluate the door for yourself.
