security hardware » Door Hardware Genius

Electric Strike Monitors: LBM and LBSM

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Exploded view of Von Duprin 6211 with Dual Switch option.
From Von Duprin 6211 installation instructions.

LBM stands for Latch Bolt Monitor. LBSM stands for Latch Bolt and Strike Monitor, also known as LBCM and DS, depending on the manufacturer. There are probably other variations as well.

In the illustration above is shown the Von Duprin 6211. The labeled parts, “Tripper” and “Extension,” are used when the strike is equipped with the DS (dual switch) option. The DS option is Von Duprins version of LBSM. The Tripper is a piece of metal that changes the state of a switch when it is depressed by the spring-loaded force of a latch bolt when it drops into the keeper. Most other strikes use similar mechanisms to detect the presence of the latch bolt.

LBM will tell you if there is not a latch bolt present in the keeper. LBSM will tell you if there is no latch bolt present in the keeper and/or the strike itself is not in the fully locked position. Neither of these would tell you if the door is ajar. So LBM and LBSM are not true substitutes for a door position switch.

And, if someone stuffs the keeper with something to effectively keep the door unlocked or fool it into thinking there was a latch bolt there, it won’t tell you anything. On the other hand, if you don’t have LBM, someone can tape the latch back with duct tape you would have no way of knowing. The door position switch will tell you the door is closed, but you need the LBM to tell you it’s latched. The LBSM can provide you with the additional information that the electric strike is not properly locked; perhaps the keeper is not closed all the way or the internal parts are not all the way in the locked position.

Ligature Resistant Door Hardware

November 24, 2018 behavioral health / door hardware / hardware sales wars / Life Safety Hardware / security hardware

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Left: Marks USA Lifesaver series. Right: TownSteel MRXA series.

Ligature resistant, otherwise known as anti-ligature or behavioral health door hardware is designed to make it difficult for folks to use it for suicide by hanging or otherwise harming themselves or others. Pictured adjacent are cylindrical knob and lever locks by Marks USA and a mortise lock by TownSteel.

All are designed to resist attempts to hang oneself. The cylindrical lever and knob locks feature more or less conical designs that cause a cord to slide off of them regardless of how one might try to tie it on. The lever turns freely even when locked, achieving the same result. The mortise lock uses a conical cylinder collar and sloped trim to achieve ligature resistance. The opening in the pull is closed by a steel plate, making it impossible to pass a cord through it. The exposed fasteners are security fasteners that require a special tool to loosen, and they fit flat and flush to the escutcheon and lock front.

When you sell or install ligature resistant hardware it is best not to modify the product in any way, because in doing so you will assume all responsibility for anything that happens as a result involving the hardware. This can include disassembling a cylindrical lock to rekey it. For this reason I recommend that when keyed anti-ligature locks are specified they are specified as interchangeable or removable core locks.

Ligature resistant hinges have hinge tips called “hospital tips” that are sloped to discourage suicide attempts (see McKinney hinge adjacent). Security screws also help keep folks safe by making it difficult to use the hinge to hurt oneself or others. Select Hinge offers a little gem called the “Tipit” for continuous hinges that makes continuous hinges ligature resistant.

Increasingly I field inquiries for ligature resistant door closers for butt or offset hung doors, but to my knowledge there is no such animal as of this writing. Various factory tech support people have recommended overhead concealed security closers for ligature resistant applications, and this seems to be the consensus at this time.

I believe that using doors that are center hung with single acting, concealed overhead or floor closers would be safer and would eliminate the need for anti-ligature hinges; but this is impractical for retrofit applications where butt or offset hung doors are already present in abundance.

In the illustration below I show why I feel a center hung, concealed, single acting door closer would be the best choice for ligature resistance.

In door hardware, safety is the most important consideration.

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The Time-Out Room

November 23, 2018 door hardware / Life Safety Hardware / security hardware

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DormaKaba Stanley Best SSRL seclusion room lock.

The “Time-out Room,” also called a “Seclusion Room,” is, perhaps, a sign of our times. The purpose of a time-out room in a middle school or elementary school is to temporarily segregate an out-of-control student from the rest of the school population. As you can imagine, the use of a seclusion room is heavily regulated, and regulations vary from state to state, city to city, and even institution to institution. However, there are some common rules. For example, such rooms are required to be equipped with a means to see and communicate with the student while they inside the room; the room must be free of objects and conditions that might be potentially dangerous; and the door must be unlocked from the inside. The room must also be large enough for the student to lie down in without touching a wall, and must have a high enough ceiling that the student will not have to bend.

The purpose of the room is to let the student cool off and calm down before rejoining the school population. It is not a holding cell. Its purpose is less as a punishment than a behavioral tool.

What stops the student from leaving the seclusion room? A person keeps them in. A person must be present to observe and make sure the student is safe. I venture to say that same person is the one who gets the student into the room in first place and keeps them there. With no great stretch of the imagination, one might foresee instances in which the student to be secluded might be significantly bigger and stronger than the person responsible for keeping him and others safe. It might be physically impossible for the responsible person to keep the student in the room. They might need help.

The answer could be to put someone large, strong and well-versed in non-lethal martial arts with the patience of a saint in charge of the seclusion room duties, or it could be to use some kind of locking device to keep them in. But, wait! You can’t lock them in. It’s against the rules. How do you solve the problem?

Often the answer is an electromagnetic lock controlled by a normally open, momentary contact switch. The magnet is only activated when the button is pressed. As soon as the responsible person takes their hand off the button the mag lock is unlocked. Often, local or institutional rules governing seclusion rooms require a time limit on seclusion. One could add a timer to the system that would automatically release the electromagnetic lock after the permissible amount of time has expired. Life safety code would demand that the magnetic lock be disabled by the fire alarm.

Pictured above is the Stanley Best SSRL seclusion room lock as seen under the Behavioral Health Products section at the bestaccess.com web site. One must stand there and hold the lever in position to temporarily secure the door. In photo we can see that the door is a hollow metal door in a hollow metal frame, and the door has a lite kit in it with wire glass. I’ll bet it’s a heavy gauge, reinforced steel door, too, judging from the three-point locking version of the SSRL shown. Clearly they expect trouble. Through the window they can observe the student and make sure that they are safe.

Since we can see the knuckles of the hinges we know the door swings out. This eliminates the need for a ligature-resistant handle on the inside of the door. We’ll talk more about ligature-resistant hardware soon.

Sometimes you just need a little time.

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Exit Device Retrofitting Adventures

September 2, 2018 builders hardware / door hardware / Door Repair / Life Safety Hardware / security hardware

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Monarch model 18

As door hardware evolves, new products emerge to replace older products. This may happen because of a design improvement, or because a company changes ownership, but in either case it means that there are older products in the field for which there are no exact replacements. Any door hardware product may become obsolete over time. Today we are talking about exit devices.

Falcon Model 25

In the mid-Twentieth Century mass production of doors was standardized so that the mortise pocket within a door that houses the mortise lock would always be the same size. Before this standardization mortise locks were available in a wide variety of sizes, but from this time forward all architectural grade lock fronts would be eight inches tall by one-and-a-quarter inches wide. Of course this affected mortise exit devices. So when I went to replace a Von Duprin 8875 mortise exit device manufactured sometime between 1897 and 1920, I found that the mortise pocket was only about six inches tall and I had a bit of cutting to do to make the new device fit.

Companies pay varying attention to the ‘retrofit-ability’ of their products. Some companies make it easy to replace an old device with a new one, and some do not. As an installer it is easy to find oneself marooned out in the field, having identified an exit device by its appearance for the purpose of providing an estimate to replace it, only to find out during installation that it is the old version, and installing the new version is either going to be a lot of extra work, or extra hardware that was not on the estimate.

For example, in the late 1990’s Von Duprin redesigned their narrow stile 33 and 35 series exit devices. The rails remained the same, but the heads were completely changed. The old version did not accept a rim cylinder tail piece, and the new one does. This means the old outside trim will by no means work with the new device – a potentially expensive problem if not anticipated.

Similarly the Precision 2000 series Apex devices are not backwards compatible with the old 1000 series trims.

Monarch was bought by Ingersoll Rand and rebranded under the Falcon line of products, now part of Allegion. During these transitions the trims changed part numbers two or maybe three times. Check with your favorite hardware genius as to whether the trim you have will work with the device you need.

The lesson here is not to judge by appearances. The new Von Duprin 33 looks a lot like the old one and the Precision 2000 looks just like the 1000 series. To avoid expensive mistakes, pull the device off the door and positively identify it before you write your estimate.

Both Doromatic and Jackson responded to the need to replace crossbar devices with touch bar devices by creating touch bar versions that fit the same footprint as their crossbar predecessors. The Doromatic 1690 and 1790 devices replace the 1990 and 2090, and the Jackson 2085 and 2095 replace the 1085 and 1095 devices with very little trouble. A big bonus is that a in the case of the 2085 Jackson and the 1690 Doromatic concealed vertical rod devices, you can reuse the exiting concealed vertical rods.

Knowing what you have is the key to knowing what you want.

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Electric Hinge vs. EPT (and oh yeah, Molex)

June 2, 2018 access control / door hardware / electric locking / security hardware

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McKinney Electric Thru Wire Hinge with Molex connectors

I was taking a class on Molex connectors a while ago and the teacher – a manufacturer’s representative from a major hardware manufacturer – expressed the opinion that for high traffic applications, a power transfer is preferable to an electric thru wire hinge. I confess that until that moment I had not actually thought about it much, but what he said made a lot of sense. After all, almost everyone prefers an electric hinge to an EPT because of the relative ease of installation.

But the rep made a good point. The wires that run through an electric through an electric hinge are pretty thin – usually 24 or 26 gauge wire – and every time the door is used these wires are bent back and forth. If you’ve ever bent a copper wire back and forth in your hands until it breaks you will know what I’m getting at here. When you bend a copper wire back and forth, over and over, first it heats up, then it breaks. The same process is going on in the knuckle of that hinge. There’s a whole lot o’ twistin’ goin’ on.

Von Duprin EPT10

When you open a door equipped with an EPT, however, there is less twisting happening. The wires must still bend with the motion, but only a fraction of the bending that occurs with an electric hinge. That’s why the rep always recommends EPT’s over electric hinges if the opening is to have any serious traffic through it. Sure, installing an EPT is a lot more work, but a callback to replace a failed electric hinge is at least as much work, especially considering travel time.

Yes, you’re right, I did mention Molex connector class. A few times now I’ve run into applications where the installer wants to convert a regular removable mullion into an electric mullion so they can install an electric strike on the mullion. Since the advent of the surface mounted electric strike for rim exit devices, it was inevitable that someone would want to do this. The problem? What do you do with the wire at the header? Well, if you just run a continuous wire, the mullion is no longer removable, is it?

But, aha! I said. We’ll use a Molex connector at the header. What is a Molex connector, you ask? Those would be those plastic connectors attached to the ends of the wires on the McKinney hinge above. Molex is a company that has created a system of plug-and-play wire connectors, and these connectors are becoming more and more common in the door hardware industry. Major door hardware manufacturers are now incorporating Molex connectors into all their electrified products and offering what are in effect extension cords with Molex connectors.

So a couple of connector-equipped extension cords would solve the problem of the suddenly non-removable mullion, right? Well, not so fast, buckaroo.

This is what I learned in Molex class. In Molex connectors, which connector will connect to what other connector is determined by the pin crimped onto the end of the wire. They give them genders, “male” and “female”, because the male can be inserted into the female. Okay, great. Where is the problem? The problem is that as of this writing, door hardware manufacturers’ extension cords all have connectors of the same gender on each end, so you cannot plug them into each other. They will only plug into an electric hinge or EPT that has Molex connectors.

The solution to the DIY electrified mullion problem: make your own DIY Molex connector for the wire in the header. To do this you will need a standard wire stripper, some 12-conductor cable, the special Molex crimping tool, Molex connector housings, and Molex male and female pins. There is a service kit available that contains all these parts. It is a fairly time consuming process to make your own Molex connector, and it requires skill, but it is the only solution that I know to the mullion problem.

Get your surface mount electric strike with Molex connectors (several electric strike manufacturers offer these) and an extension cable from Assa Abloy or Allegion to get the wire from the strike to the top of the mullion. Now you have the capability to connect your makeshift electrified mullion into the connector you must make. You can attach your homemade Molex to as long a cable as you like – long enough to reach the power supply or access control panel.

Does this solution comply with code? I do not know. Best check with your local AHJ before embarking on your Molex DIY mullion adventure.

Why is the industry moving to Molex connectors? They do not fall off, look ugly, or take up a lot of space like wire nuts, and if you need to trade out an electric hinge or electric strike they sure do make it a whole lot cleaner and easier.

That’s right. As usual, it all comes down to sex.

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The Wacky World of Wireless Access Control Locks

April 15, 2018 access control / door hardware / electric locking / hardware sales wars / security hardware

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Wireless access control locks are at the leading edge of door hardware evolution, creating hybrid devices that are both credential reader and locking hardware all in one. Some of these locks are designed to integrate with existing access control systems without the need to run cable back to the panel from the door; others interface with their own software on the end user’s computer or computer network using a wifi gateway.

Left: Dorma Kaba Eplex ………… Right: Alarm Lock Networx

The Independent Systems

Alarm Lock and Dorma Kaba are two manufacturers that offer wireless access control locks with proprietary software designed only to control and monitor these locks. This represents a step up from standalone programmable locks that needed to be visited with a notebook computer or handheld programmer for programming and audit trail download purposes. The locks connect via a wireless router or gateway to a single PC or to a server on the end user’s computer network.

The Alarm Lock Networx product can also be integrated into a few access control systems; see the Alarm Lock Networx web site for details. The Dorma Kaba wireless Eplex lock is compatible with Dorma Kaba E-Enterprise software.

These independent solutions are good for folks who want to upgrade from mechanical locking systems to electronic access control, offering full featured access control capabilities, near-instantaneous reporting and monitoring and requiring very little wiring to install.

If, however, the end user has an existing access control system that they would like to expand, using the Alarm Lock Networx software or Dorma Kaba E-Enterprise software would mean adding a second access control system – a complication many end users would like to avoid.

In the past, when a facility wanted to expand their access control system their access control company would be called in to run wire and install credential readers and the door hardware installer might be called in to install electric locks or strikes to be controlled by these new readers. Today, however, the door hardware installer can install wireless access control locks that can be integrated into the end users existing system.

But wait! Not so fast, there, champ.

Left: Schlage AD-400 ………. Right: Sargent IN120

The Integrators

Allegion and Assa Abloy are two major lock manufacturers that offer wireless access control locks that integrate with existing access control systems. This means that the end user can program these locks using the same access control software they are currently using.

Using the Allegion AD series wireless as an example, a single interface panel can allow up to sixty-four of these locks to the panel. There is actually some wiring involved with wireless locks: the interface panel (or wifi gateway) must still be wired to the main access control panel. This is the great attraction: that one can greatly expand an access control system without spending a lot of time and money on wiring. A wire is run from the access control panel to the interface panel in a distant wing of the building, and then the interface panel (or a few of them) communicate with all the locks in that wing.

Conflict arises from the very fact that these locks are designed to integrate with existing systems. Over the last several decades, access control systems have become big business. Traditionally, for every door in the system, the access control company sells a reader. In addition, an expansion module may be needed at the access control panel. If we install sixty-four wireless locks and integrate them into the existing access control system, it can be said that we just deprived the access control company of the sale of sixty-four readers.

Access control does a lot more than control access these days. Access control, environmental control systems, fire and security alarms, elevator control, employee time and attendance, student meal plan administration and other systems may all be incorporated into the same system, run by enterprise level software on a server on the end user’s computer network. You might say the access control company that owns the rights to the software and manufactures the access control panel is in a very secure position. Extricating one access control company to replace it with another could be a monumental task, involving every person whose life the system touches.

What can access control manufacturers do about these wireless locks being attached to their systems? Plenty. They can update their software so that these locks are incompatible. They can charge the end user a licensing fee for every lock that is added. In short, they can make the addition of wireless access control locks to their system expensive or impossible.

Both Allegion and Assa Abloy have made agreements with access control manufacturers that allow their products to be added to existing access control systems. Allegion has a range of agreements with various manufacturers limiting to whom Allegion wireless access control products can be sold. In many cases Allegion wireless products can only be sold to the access control company with whose system they will be integrated. Assa Abloy wireless access control locks can only be sold to their designated Certified Integrators. It is through these channels that wireless access control locks make it onto job sites.

Because of these sales limitations, bidding on jobs that specify these kinds of locks can be complicated. Bidders often find they must exclude specified wireless access control locks from their bid because they are unable to buy them. In the case of Assa Abloy products, some bidders may elect to take the online course and become a Certified Integrator. In the case of Allegion, they might be fortunate enough to be bidding on a job in which the access control manufacturer has no agreement with Allegion, and the job can therefore be freely bid. In either case, however, it is a more complicated process than simply pricing out a piece of door hardware.

Evolution or intelligent design? Wait, did you say, ‘intelligent?’

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Field Reversing the Precision E2203 SVR Exit Device

October 19, 2017 access control / door hardware / electric locking / Life Safety Hardware / security hardware

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The Precision E2203 is a Surface Vertical Rod exit device with a solenoid in the head that controls the outside lever trim. Ordered complete with trim: part number is E2203 × 4908A, specify door width, finish, handing, fail safe or fail secure. The right thing to do is to order it fail safe or fail secure and handed at the factory for your application.

But… let’s say for the sake of this article that you ordered the device and did not specify handing or fail safe / fail secure. You might find yourself needing to field reverse the handing. Here is what you need to know.

Handing

Changing the hand on the basic 2200 device is not very difficult, but changing the hand on the E2200 is fairly difficult, and requires skill, patience and … tape.
For the non-electric, purely mechanical version of this device, changing the hand is not as simple as it is with some other exit devices, for example, flipping the device over, but it is not all that hard to do. Below are the directions for field handing excerpted from the 2200 Series installation instructions from the Stanley Precision web site. Why they have arranged the steps to be followed in counterclockwise order is a mystery to me, but I am not here to judge, just inform.

At a glance you can see that there is some disassembly of the exit device head required to change the handing of the device. But when you add electrified trim control it complicates things a bit.

In the photo below you see the wires for the solenoid where they pass through the hole in the bracket. That bracket is an integral part of the active head and it does not move. However, the solenoid must be installed at the other end of the active head in order to interface with the working parts of the device and the wires are just long enough to allow it to be installed where it is. There is no play in the wire that would allow the wire to remain where it is and yet allow one to move the solenoid.

In order to move the solenoid to the other side of the active head, one must either cut the wires (a nightmare, do not do it) or to completely disassemble the exit device, bar and all.

Why do you have to completely disassemble the exit device to pull the wire through? Because it is taped to the baseplate of with a piece of filament tape that runs the length of the bar. The tape must be removed to free the wire so you can pull it out through the hole in the bracket.

I could not find the directions for changing the hand of the E2203, but here is a drawing of the solenoid placement for the E2103 rim exit device taken from the installation instructions from the E2103 Kit.

Once you have pulled the wire through the hole, changed the hand of the head, taped the wire back down the length of the bar baseplate and reassembled the device, you’re done.

Below is a picture of the E2203 with handing freshly changed and the device reassembled and ready to install.

Like I said: order it fail safe or fail secure… AND ORDER IT HANDED.

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Experiencing the New Von Duprin Chexit

August 20, 2016 door hardware / electric locking / Life Safety Hardware / security hardware

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Von Duprin Chexit door label from Chexit installation instructions.

Last year Von Duprin began shipping Chexit self-contained delayed egress exit devices that are motorized instead of solenoid driven. Since they are motorized, the new Chexits draw less current and will probably be more reliable than the previous solenoid-driven version. This means a less serious, less expensive power supply, less need for high capacity, high gauge, high cost wire and greatly increased workable wire run distances – all good things.

The new Chexit will do everything the old Chexit did, including release of the outside lever trim when the external inhibit function is activated by access control or another external switch. That remains a way to get access control out of a Chexit by simply adding a blank escutcheon or other unlocked outside trim to the Chexit exit device.

As of this writing Exit-only function Chexit devices were being shipped less the part number 040193-00 cable used to connect the E996L to the Chexit PC board. The cables are only provided if you order the Chexit from the factory with trim, but that is okay as long as you want to use no trim or non-electric trim. Electrified trim is a means to provide fail secure access control from the trim side, so if the fire alarm goes off and powers down the Chexit, the fail secure electrified trim will stay locked. Entry can still be gained by key.

On another note, recently I was involved in an application where the installer was replacing a mortise exit device and wanted delayed egress from the push side and free ingress from the pull side. Luckily it was a mortise device, so all I had to do was provide a Chexit mortise exit device with blank escutcheon (passage function) trim because THE MORTISE LOCK ACTS INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE CHEXIT ON THE TRIM SIDE. Cool. 🙂

Bear in mind that the Chexit remains active while people are using the passage function trim to get in, so if they happen to depress the touch bar, say by bumping it up against the wall for two seconds, they may activate the Chexit alarm. Von Duprin Tech Support suggested a palm switch on the trim side to activate the inhibit circuit in the Chexit while a person enters from that side.

It was fun, easy, and I looked like a … Hardware Genius.

Choosing a Delayed Egress System: Self-Contained, or Built from Components?

July 3, 2016 access control / electric locking / Life Safety Hardware / security hardware

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Delayed egress is a process that delays unauthorized exit from a space while complying with NFPA 101 life safety code. Use of this process is strictly regulated with the help of building inspectors and fire marshals across the United Sates. With that in mind it is always a good idea to get your local AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) on board whenever you are planning to install delayed egress on an opening.

When you beginning planning your delayed egress system you will find that many systems on the market are self-contained. These could be delayed egress electromagnetic locks or electrified delayed egress exit devices.

Here are some examples of self-contained delayed egress maglocks:

SDC 1511S
Schlage Electronics M490DE
Dynalock 3101C

Here are some examples of self-contained delayed egress exit devices:

Detex V40 EE
Von Duprin Chexit
Sargent Electroguard

Almost all delayed egress systems are made up of the same components:

Delayed egress timer and relay logic board
Initiating Switch (to initiate the delayed egress process)
Audible alarm
Signage
Reset switch
Optional bypass switch
Fire Alarm interface
Power supply
Locking device

Therefore it is possible to construct a custom delayed egress system from components. Later I’ll talk about why you might want to choose a built-from-components delayed egress system instead of a self-contained one. The following sections describe each part of a built-from-components delayed egress system.

Delayed Egress Timer and Relay Logic Board

This board is UL Listed and specifically designed to perform all delayed egress functions in compliance with life safety code. Here are some examples of component boards for delayed egress:

Securitron XDT-12 or XDT-24
Seco-Larm SA-025EQ

The board is the brains of the delayed egress operation. It has contacts to wire in switches for delayed egress initiation, fire alarm interface and system reset, timers to control nuisance and egress delay, and relays to control locks and notify external devices.

There are also delayed egress controllers that offer more features. The following may include the delayed egress timer/relay board and some other required feature(s) such as the initiation switch or the audible alarm.

Alarm Controls DE-1
Security Door Controls 101-DE
Securitron BA-XDT-12 or BA-XDT-24

Initiating Switch

The switch that initiates the delayed egress process shares several characteristics with any request-to-exit switch. To comply with life safety regulations it must require no prior knowledge to operate; it must require no more than one motion to operate; and it must be placed in relation to the door according to life safety standards in your local jurisdiction. I think that the best possible initiation device is a mechanical push bar with a switch, such as the Adams Rite 8099-M or the Securitron EMB. In a panic situation it remains obvious that to get out, one must push on the bar, and because it is mechanical it is unaffected by power outage. If it is wired to open the contact when pushed, if the wires leading to it are cut it will initiate the delayed egress process.

In rare circumstances where it might be permitted, the locking device might be a fail safe electrified mortise lock that is locked on both sides, inside and out. Then the initiation switch might be a palm switch next to the door.

Audible Alarm

The mandatory audible alarm sounds for 15 seconds before the delayed egress controller releases the locking device to allow exit. It’s loudness must be between 81 and 88 decibels. In some jurisdictions the alarm must be manually reset at the door; in others it may be self resetting via timer or door position switch. Yet another reason to have a heart-to-heart talk with your local AHJ when designing your delayed egress system.

Signage

The wording on the mandatory sign must comply with life safety code. There are minor variations in wording. I suggest buying a sign that is part of a delayed egress system. The sign that comes standard with the Von Duprin Chexit is readily available as a separate part.

Reset Switch

As mentioned in the “Audible Alarm” section above, a delayed egress system reset switch located at the door is mandatory in some jurisdictions. Check with your local AHJ. In some jurisdictions delayed egress systems are allowed to be reset by remote switch or other means, such as a door position switch.

Any kind of momentary contact switch will do the reset switch job, but delayed egress system reset switches located at the door almost always require some kind of security to prevent unauthorized resetting. Standalone keypads or key switches are often used for this purpose. Delayed egress systems can also be integrated into existing access control.

Optional Bypass Switch

Not required but often needed, the optional bypass switch allows authorized personnel to exit without triggering the delayed egress system. Again, any momentary contact switch will do, but usually some security is required. If you are using a keypad as the system reset switch and the keypad has more than one relay, you can program the second relay to be the bypass switch.

If access from the exterior side is required a bypass switch is required on that side. Sometimes security is not needed from the exterior side. In that case a simple momentary contact pushbutton will do the job.

Fire Alarm Interface

The mandatory fire alarm interface allows enables fire alarm panel to deactivate the delayed egress system immediately in the event of a fire alarm. This is an integral part of the life safety code that allows a delayed egress system to exist. Therefore, if your building does not have a fire alarm panel, without special permission from the local AHJ you cannot have a delayed egress system.

Power Supply

All delayed egress systems I have had experience with run on low voltage power that comes from a low voltage power supply. Generally delayed egress systems require regulated and filtered power at 12 or 24 volts. Delayed egress controllers draw very little current, but as will all electrically operated systems, the current draw of all attached devices must be taken into account when selecting a power supply.

Locking Device

The locking device must be electrically locked and fail safe from the egress (interior) side. The most frequently used locking device in a component based delayed egress system is the electromagnetic lock.

Why Build a Delayed Egress System?

Why would you put together a delayed egress system from components when there are so many good self-contained systems?

To Save Money. Piecing together a delayed egress system can be significantly cheaper than buying a self contained delayed egress system.
To take advantage of existing hardware. For example, if there is already an electromagnetic lock on the door, adding the other components is relatively easy.
Conditions at the door prohibit use of a self contained delayed egress system. For example, door size or the presence of existing hardware may require the installer to seek a more creative solution.

Bottom line, unless you have a prison, you cannot lock ’em in. Well, not without permission. 🙂

The Wrap-Around Door Reinforcer

September 10, 2014 builders hardware / door hardware / Door Repair / Lock Repair / security hardware

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A wrap-around door reinforcer is a metal sleeve that slides over the door at the lock prep to conceal damage and/or reinforce the door. They are a quick and handy solution when wood doors are damaged by forced entry and are often installed to strengthen new wooden doors against forced entry attempts.

In my experience a wrap does not really deter forced entry, but it does limit the damage done to the door. I have found that when wood doors equipped with wrap around door reinforcers are burglarized, often only the wrap and the lock need replacing, not the whole door. As with all door security hardware, if your lock is installed in a wrap-around door reinforcer and your neighbor’s lock is not, a would-be burglar may choose to break into your neighbor’s place instead of yours; however, this hypothesis is dependent on the highly dubious notion that a burglar is behaving rationally. If the person were behaving rationally they would not risk their freedom and personal safety breaking into to somebody’s home to steal their iPad or PC and selling it for chump change to their drug dealer.

Another benefit to using wrap-arounds is that they can act as a drill guide for lock installation. Be careful, however, not to let the hole saw chew up the wrap. Also, especially with stainless steel wraps, be sure not to let your drill bind up with the metal at high speed. Injury would be likely.

Wraps are typically used on wooden doors, and while it is possible to use them on hollow metal doors, they never seem to fit quite right without a fight. It seems that hollow metal doors measure exactly 1-3/4 inches thick whereas wood doors tend to measure closer to 1-11/16 inches. Variations in door thickness affect the way a wrap will fit (or not fit) on a door.

A wide variety of wrap-arounds have been created to accommodate various locks and conditions. Don Jo Manufacturing currently carries the largest assortment, and if a new kind of lock by a major manufacturer emerges, they are pretty quick to design a wrap for it. To get the right wrap for your application you need to know:

Door thickness
Size of the wrap you want
Diameter of the lock bore
Backset
Finish
Through-bolt holes (yes or no)

(see illustration)

Standard door thicknesses for wraps are 1-3/8 inches and 1-3/4 inches. Some models of wraps are available thicker doors. Wraps come in a variety of heights, but height is usually determined by the kind of lock the wrap is designed for and the backset. See the illustration for bore, through-bolt hole and backset details.

For other wraps you may need other dimensions. For example, Don Jo makes a number of wrap-arounds for interconnected locks and these (naturally) have two bores cut in instead of one. If you need a wrap for a mortise lock you may have to change the trim on the lock to make it work, or you might have to drill lever, cylinder and thumb turn holes into a blank wrap to customize it to the lock you have. See my warning about hole saws and stainless steel above. I earned myself sprained fingers that way once.

I used to joke about certain doors that they could use a door sized wrap. Then some enterprising individual actually brought one by. The idea didn’t go anywhere, as far as I know, but it was a good concept: one wrap covered the door completely in sheet metal and another covered the frame. Still, at that point why would one just buy a hollow metal door and frame?

And that about wraps it up.

Electric Strike Monitors: LBM and LBSM

Ligature Resistant Door Hardware

The Time-Out Room

Exit Device Retrofitting Adventures

Electric Hinge vs. EPT (and oh yeah, Molex)

The Wacky World of Wireless Access Control Locks

Field Reversing the Precision E2203 SVR Exit Device

Handing

Experiencing the New Von Duprin Chexit

Choosing a Delayed Egress System: Self-Contained, or Built from Components?

Delayed Egress Timer and Relay Logic Board

Initiating Switch

Audible Alarm

Signage

Reset Switch

Optional Bypass Switch

Fire Alarm Interface

Power Supply

Locking Device

Why Build a Delayed Egress System?

The Wrap-Around Door Reinforcer

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