# Double Doors



## Tim Cannon (Dec 4, 2013)

On double doors does the inactive leaf also need to be self latching, or can it just have a fire latch like a Hager 295 in it?


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## cda (Dec 4, 2013)

Depends

Where are these doors at

Are they required fire rated doors

Are both required for required exit width

Are


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## Tim Cannon (Dec 4, 2013)

It is in a water treatment plant and separates the chemical storage area from the rest of the building.  Yes it is rated...45 min.  They would only open the inactive door when loading and unloading the storage room with pallets.  When they are feeding the equipment they will only be using the active door to bring out 1 barrel at a time.


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## cda (Dec 4, 2013)

Cannot speak to a rated door but

1008.1.9.4 Bolt locks. Manually operated flush bolts or surface bolts are not permitted.

Exceptions:

2. Where a pair of doors serves a storage or equipment room, manually operated edge- or surface-mounted bolts are permitted on the inactive leaf.

3. Where a pair of doors serves an occupant load of less than 50 persons in a Group B, F or S occupancy, manually operated edge- or surface-mounted bolts are permitted on the inactive leaf. The inactive leaf shall contain no doorknobs, panic bars or similar operating hardware.

4. Where a pair of doors serves a Group B, F or S occupancy, manually operated edge- or surface-mounted bolts are permitted on the inactive leaf provided such inactive leaf is not needed to meet egress width requirements and the building is equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1. The inactive leaf shall contain no doorknobs, panic bars or similar operating hardware.

The door guru would know for sure


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## cda (Dec 4, 2013)

Not sure hager would work

I would say needs to be latched at all time

http://www.hagerco.com/Products/Trim-And-Auxiliary/Flush-Bolts-And-Coordinating-Devices/295M


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## Tim Cannon (Aug 11, 2014)

I am still confused on this one.  Does the inactive door need to be self closing and self latching?  I am not so much concerned with the exit part, only the rated part.  Any help?


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## cda (Aug 11, 2014)

I am thinking no not self closing , if it is locked down in some manner


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## cda (Aug 11, 2014)

715.4.8.1 Latch required. Unless otherwise specifically permitted, single fire doors and both leaves of pairs of side-hinged swinging fire doors shall be provided with an active latch bolt that will secure the door when it is closed.

This section merely reinforces the acceptance criteria of fire test standards for fire doors. A door that does not latch would generally be an ineffective barrier against the spread of a fire and would be unable to withstand the pressures of a fire in the adjacent space.

May need to check with door maker, ul ,, nfpa 80 to see what is legal to lock/ latch an inactive leaf


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## cda (Aug 11, 2014)

10. Bottom flush bolts that do not project ½” into the strike

Flush bolts are used on the inactive leaf of pairs of doors when the active leaf has a lockset.  There are three types – manual, automatic, and constant-latching.  They typically project into the frame head and into the floor, although there are some automatic and constant-latching bolts which have a top bolt only, and incorporate an auxiliary fire pin which projects when a certain temperature is reached and engages into the edge of the other door.

Manual flush bolts are projected and retracted manually, and are only allowed by NFPA 80 on fire doors “where acceptable to the AHJ, provided they do not pose a hazard to safety to life.”  Annex A – Explanatory Material states, “This provision limits their use to rooms not normally occupied by humans (e.g., transformer vaults and storage rooms).”  The use of manual flush bolts is also limited to certain applications by the egress code requirements, because it requires two motions to unlatch the door when manual flush bolts are installed, and they are not within the allowable reach range for accessibility.

Automatic flush bolts project automatically when the active leaf is closed, via a small trigger on each bolt.  When the active leaf is opened, the bolts retract automatically, making them acceptable for use on most egress doors which don’t require panic hardware as long as the inactive leaf is not equipped with “dummy” hardware (lever or bar) which suggests that the inactive leaf can be operated independently.  Automatic flush bolts are considered positive-latching and can be used on fire doors.  A coordinator is also required to ensure that the inactive leaf closes before the active leaf.

Constant latching flush bolts have an automatic flush bolt on the bottom, and the top is a spring-loaded bolt which is retracted manually to open the door.  These bolts provide a higher degree of security than the other two because the inactive leaf is more likely to be closed and latched properly.  They can be an egress issue for some doors because the top bolt has to be retracted manually, and it is not within the accessible reach range.  A coordinator is also required for this application.

When the bottom bolt doesn’t engage properly, there is no assurance that the fire door will perform as it was designed and tested during a fire.  The undercut of the door must be carefully coordinated to ensure the proper engagement of the bottom bolt.  Another issue with flush bolts on fire doors is that the coordinator / auto flush bolt combination can be difficult to keep functional in a high-use opening.  If the latches don’t retract properly or if the inactive leaf is pulled or pushed without opening the active leaf first, the corners of the door can be susceptible to damage because of the volume of material removed to prepare the door for the flush bolt.  This is a particular problem on wood doors.

http://idighardware.com/2012/10/fire-door-inspection-top-10-deficiencies/

Maybe

http://www2.mdanderson.org/depts/cpm/standards/supp_stds/ls_lessons/bulletin_10-006.pdf

http://www.steeldoor.org/res/118.pdf


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## cda (Aug 11, 2014)

A.6.4.1.1

It is the intent of the standard that most fire doors will have a closing device. However, in limited circumstances the closer might not be necessary because the door leaf is inactive and is normally in the closed position. Examples of such applications include pairs of doors to mechanical equipment rooms and certain industrial areas where an inactive leaf is provided and is infrequently used to permit large equipment to be moved through the door opening. In such instances, the AHJ should be reasonably assured that the inactive leaf normally will be closed and latched. Another example where the AHJ can omit the requirement for a closer involves communicating doors between hotel/motel sleeping rooms. In this instance, when the communicating rooms are occupied by separate parties, the communicating doors are part of the guest room separation and normally would be closed. However, if the suite of rooms is occupied by a single party, the communicating doors are no longer part of the guest room separation because the suite of rooms would be considered a single guest room.


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## cda (Aug 11, 2014)

6.4.4.5    Where a pair of doors is needed for the movement of equipment and where the inactive leaf of the pair of doors is not required for exit purposes, labeled, top and bottom, self-latching or automatic flush bolts, or labeled two-point latches shall be permitted.

6.4.4.5.1*   Manually operated, labeled, top and bottom flush-mounted or surface-mounted bolts on the inactive leaf of a pair of doors shall be permitted to be used where acceptable to the AHJ, provided they do not pose a hazard to safety to life.


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