Archive for January, 2011
Von Duprin Exit Devices And Fire Doors
Every region in North America and most industrialized countries mandate exit devices on commercial building doors. Exit devices also known as crash bars or panic bars are a crucial safety and security measure. They allow doors to be locked to people outside but easily opened by people inside. Building owners are thus able to control access to the building. At the same time doors can be quickly and easily opened from the inside. This is particularly important when it comes to commercial fire doors.
The Von Duprin name is probably the brand most highly associated with exit devices. Von Duprin was the very first company to produce the newlyinvented crash bar in the early 1900′s. The mechanism a collaboration between three entities including inventor Carl Prinzler revolutionized security and public safety. Today a number of companies have copied and marketed Von Duprin’s invention and exit devices are now standard features in commercial buildings.
Most every commercial building has one or more fire doors. Fire doors are mounted within fireproof walls. These walls prevent fire from spreading from one part of a building to another. This greatly limits damage in commercial buildings confining it to the space unit or floor where the fire originated. Naturally it saves lives too.
Cutting any kind of an opening in a fire wall creates a potential fire breach. Door openings must be outfitted with fire doors made of incombustible components to combat this. Every piece of door hardware from the composition of the door material down to the smallest screws must be able to withstand heat and flames and still perform correctly. This includes exit devices which are mandatory on commercial fire doors.
Every industrialized country has a set of governmentimposed standards which fire doors and door equipment like crash bars must stand up to. Testing in the United States involves exposing doors to a range of high temperatures for varying increments of time. They are rated on how well they prevent the spread of fire and how long they continue to perform over time. Testing is performed and ratings granted in the United States by Underwriters Laboratories. Only ULapproved doors components such as crash bars and materials should be used in commercial fire doors.
Companies which manufacture exit devices such as Von Duprin must adhere to UL standards when producing and marketing their products. When replacing parts upgrading or retrofitting commercial fire doors new components must be able to withstand the same type of heat and flames that the door and its other parts can.
Another concern with exit devices and commercial fire doors is the ability to maintain function under the added pressure that fire and heavy use brings. Crash bars may be subject to a tremendous amount of pressure during an emergency. Fire doors may be exited by several hundreds or thousands of people in a fire emergency depending on the building’s size. The exit device must be able to withstand this pressure and still work as designed.
When purchasing any exit device intended for use in a commercial fire door always look for its UL seal of approval. Check its rating to determine its compatibility with the function of your fire door. Major manufacturers like Von Duprin usually include this information in its product description. Finally be sure that the hardware’s components do not compromise the functionality of the door during a fire emergency.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Jenny Schweyer is a freelance writer from the Pacific Northwest.
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Utilities – Energy Monitors
As the ongoing credit crunch has meant a reduction in monetary resources as of late many are now turning to appliances that will help save money on their bills.
Everything from watersaving kettles to laundry balls have seen an increase in sales as more of us are beginning to become wary of how much energy we are using.
It may seem a bit paranoid at first but keeping an eye on your energy levels can be beneficial for keeping an eye on the cost of your utilities as well as saving you some money in the process.
One of the most popular appliances are units which will calculate the level of energy used by taking readings from your meter and warning you when youre using too much.
Energy meters are sold in easytoassemble kits the sensor itself clips to the cables on your meter or fuse box and uses wireless signals to communicate with the batterypowered base unit which can be placed anywhere in the house.
Throughout the day the sensor takes readings of how much electricity you are using. Depending on the mode you select on the base unit itll tell you how much electricity you are using in monetary terms as well as kilowatts.
By keeping a tab on how much you are using you could save money on your gas and electricity billsby keeping an eye on your levels of energy use.
Some units will even come with software you can install onto your home computer with the option of viewing comparisons of your energy uses through graphs and charts allowing you to see how much you energy youve used over a period of time.
As gas and electricity prices continue to rise investing in an energy meter can certainly help you to keep an eye on how much you are spending on excess energy and save yourself some much needed money.
About the writer: David is an experienced web author based in the UK
Tool Boxes Come In All Shapes And Sizes
I remember my Dad having a tool box when I was a kid and it was never really that organized. But for my husband one is not enough he has three tool boxes. To me they do not really look that super organized but I know that there is some method to the madness as to what is stored in each box. And though I do not understand the system I do know what box to look in for the basic everyday tools such as screwdrivers wrenches and hammers. Anything beyond that and I just dig or ask my 11 year son who seems to have a natural radar for finding any tool.
Historically tool boxes were made of wood and often had an open design but today most are made of metal or plastic and have a hinged lid. Inside there is often a removable tray with a handle. Both of my sons have their own tool boxes both plastic. My younger son’s box has two smaller compartments built into the lid which he can access from the outside where he likes to keep a small assortment of basic nails and screws handy. But to me it seems like a tool box should be made of metal and for no particular reason than that is what I associate from my childhood.
Metal tool boxes seem more sturdy than their plastic counterparts. Many of these portable boxes can get quite deluxe. Besides a hinged lid some have multiple drawers. The lid usually just opens to a shallow compartment and then there are two to five drawers below. I can see the advantage to this in that it forces your tools to be more organized. I know that when I go and dig out in the tool box once I remove the inner tray everything below always seems to be in a jumble. Drawers would stop this jumble everything would have its own space and things could be categorically organized. Such as screw drivers in the top drawer then wrench etc.
If these portable tool boxes do not have enough space then you move up to the deluxe tool chests on wheels. It seems to me that these are mainly desirable if you use your tools for a profession such as a mechanic. Though there are some neat tool chest / tool box combo’s where the top tool box can be removed for greater portability.
Another type of box that is normally used professionally are job site tool boxes. These are like a large metal chest designed for storing power tools and even these can sometimes come with the removable top tray. These are perfect for securing expensive tools on the job site without having to take them home every night.
I have noticed in the last 20 years that the all in one tool sets have become popular. These sets typically come in a plastic case where everything snaps securely into its own spot. These are often marketed to home owners and women get it in pink!. I think that these serve a good purpose and are great for the nonDIY person. At least they have some tools to do a few basic things around the house.
Even as a home owner I personally prefer traditional metal tool boxes where you can hand pick what brand and type of tools you want to own. But this is especially important for craftsman who need special tools for their trade such as carpenters machinists and jewelers. But you have to decide what type of tool boxes work best for you and your personal situation.
About the writer: MJ writes for ClickShops Inc. where you can find a great selection of tool boxes at www.garagecabinetsonline.com.