Door Industry Journal - Summer 2017

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk locks and building hardware feature 123 THE door industry journal summer 2017 thrown open. This prevents damage to the door, door frame and door handles and is especially important for fire doors where damage can compromise its performance in the event of a fire. Furthermore, delayed action closers will keep the door open longer - allowing more people or slower moving traffic through the door before it begins to close. The delay is controlled by a valve and can be adjusted to suit different applications. This increased ease of movement through the door can prevent accidental damage to the door leaf and also reduce the number of open/close cycles the door is subject to. The risk of intentional damage should also be taken into account. Choosing slide arm door closers, or concealed door controls as an alternative to standard ‘scissor’ arm, surface mounted door closers can prove a practical and preventative measure. It is also imperative to check, understand and where necessary – question - the product information from the manufacturer. This is to ensure that you are making an informed decision on how that door component is expected to perform. Selecting components that are suitable for the application, and taking into account additional factors that could affect the doors’ performance, will also ensure that maintenance, repair and possible replacements will be minimised. It is also clearly important to select products from a reputable and trustworthy supplier. An easy way to ensure the reliability of door hardware is to check the certification as it can provide extra details including regulation compliancy and if any extra intumescent protection is required in the locality of some mortised items. In regards to both electro-magnetic devices incorporated into door closers, and hold open devices, specifiers should ensure that devices are in accordance with BS EN 1155 - Electrically powered hold open devices and that any door closing element complies with BS EN 1154 – controlled door closing devices. Specifiers should also check that door hardware is CE marked and a Declaration of Performance (DoP) has been produced. Finally, where budgets are tight it can often be tempting to delay or disregard non-essential maintenance and servicing of door hardware. However, to ensure a low running cost, doors should be regularly serviced and maintained by a specialist to help provide system longevity as well as continued compliance. Practical guides are available to help specifiers make an informed decision when it comes to choosing the correct door components for each application. For further information download dormakaba’s “Which Door Control?” document: http://www.dorma.com/gb/en/projects-solutions/case-studies/which- door-control/index.html