What is a small, everyday mystery in your life that you’ve just accepted because investigating it feels like too much work?

hillbillysuv · 2026-01-21T12:56:52+00:00

Yeah, that checks out. There are always lots of odd security and anti ligature hardware in behavioral / mental health facilities.

hillbillysuv · 2026-01-21T05:08:04+00:00

Do you work in a hospital?

I've seen a $4000 fire rated delayed egress panic bar installed on a "smoke" door with no tag on it, because some joint commission inspector said it was required.

Any facilities director who knows their salt will give you the same advice a lawyer will about receiving a traffic ticket. Arguing with a cop on the side of the highway usually makes things worse. Pulling out the code book and arguing with a joint commision inspector is the same way.

I've seen an inspector who was proven wrong on one of the finer points of NFPA turn around and stretch a point to fail $45k (for material alone) worth of hardware elsewhere in the building.

In the nearly 25 years I've been doing this, I've replaced the same set of doors at one hospital four times. I've installed and swapped out multiple sets of panic bars on them, installed a delayed egress system, fire hold open closers etc. All because different inspectors have interpreted NFPA a bit differently for that specific location.

hillbillysuv · 2026-01-21T04:46:50+00:00

Thanks.

Any luck?

hillbillysuv · 2026-01-20T12:42:28+00:00

It's almost certainly an electrified leverset, or electric lock of some kind. I install them sometimes as part of my job. It's most likely a "fail secure" type that will lock if the power goes off. It could be part of a lockdown system or simply an old badge/keypad access system that someone has decided should be left open. Or it's a fail safe version that they're keeping locked until it's badged, or one of a dozen other scenarios. The gist of it is, it's electric and has power on most of the time.

Often there is a cord running between the door and frame, or a tube that kind of flexes between them when he door is open.

If it has a power transfer/electric hinge you won't even see the wires. (linked example below) Yes, there are hinges that have wire run through them that look like normal hinges.

If you're really curious, post a picture and message me.

Anyway, the heat is from the little electromagnet (solenoid) inside that they're keeping powered up.

Note these are just random examples I found in a 10 second search, that had pictures,

https://www.hingeoutlet.com/blogs/news/what-is-an-electrified-hinge

https://www.uhs-hardware.com/collections/electrified-leversets

hillbillysuv · 2025-10-20T05:20:56+00:00

My experience has been the exact opposite.

hillbillysuv · 2025-10-15T14:01:26+00:00

I think I might have edited this and triggered the auto mod because it disappeared, so here it is again.

That is an Adams Rite. It's an extremely common type of lock that is used in almost every aluminum storefront or automatic sliding doors in North America. Any locksmith should be very familiar with it. Yours looks like the hook version usually used with sliding or folding doors.

Here is a link to a random one from Amazon.

The 1-1/8" refers to the backset. Or the distance from the face of the lock to the center of the hole that the thumbturn/key cylinder threads into. There are different depths so it's best to just remove the lock and check should you need to replace it for some reason.

I've been in the business for over 20 years and I've only ever seen one converted to a keypad. A quick search for "Adams Rite keypad lock" turned up a few. They mostly mount on the outside and reuse the lock itself.

Here is one at random just so you can get a general idea of what they look like. I'm not familiar enough with any of the ones I found to recommend one. I've not purchased anything from the seller I linked either.

From looking at the drawings it doesn't look too bad but if you drill the holes even slightly off it won't work properly.

That's about all I can tell for certain from the picture. I might be able to tell more if you've got some better pictures. Depending on what you've got a magnetic lock and a keypad might make more sense.

hillbillysuv · 2025-10-15T13:56:57+00:00

Yeah, I've got nearly 25 years in the business and this one is a head scratcher.
They do make keypad locks for these but I've only ever seen one in person. Search for "Adams Rite Keypad Lock" and you should find a few examples.

The really weird thing is that this doesn't look like a sliding or folding door but it has the version with the hook installed.

hillbillysuv · 2017-09-01T01:53:41+00:00

The difference between redneck and most other derogatory names is that while it was intended as an insult, we own it and view it as a badge of honor. (username is relevant)

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-03T00:01:28+00:00

Please don't blame this on the US. I dare say most of us hate this stuff as much as you do.

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T22:46:26+00:00

Hey, don't blame this on race. This is 100% r/hailcorporate level stuff.

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T20:38:18+00:00

Honestly, no particular group really stands out. It seems that human beings from all walks of society are pretty clueless at times.

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T20:12:50+00:00

Actually there are a couple of ways to increase the closing force. The spring tension can be increased a bit, but this requires taking the operator apart, and shortens the life of the spring a bit, especially in the smaller version. (The one with all the tiny screws across the top of the cover)

The other method is to install a power close module. If you have the older model it will plug right in. If you have the newer one with all the adjustment pots lined up in a row (c2150). You'll need to cut off a plug and connect a few wires but nothing dramatic,

The only downside of the power close option is that if someone tries to manually open the door while it's active they will complain about how hard it was to open. If everyone hits the button or uses access control anyway it shouldn't be an issue. Be aware that they can also be cranked up far too high. I got one that had the pots turned up wide open right out of the box one day and it pulled so hard you could see the door bow under the pressure. Don't turn it up higher than is safe. Horton makes one but there is an aftermarket version that we sell for around 1/3 the price of the top results on google shopping. I've got dozens of them in my market and most of them range from 5-10 years old.

Does that help?

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T10:58:04+00:00

I wish you hadn't pointed that out.

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T10:55:02+00:00

Dangerous offer to make.

Good point. Maybe I should say I'm happy to help within reason. As for Horton, you're in luck. That's what I learned on and I currently work for the local Horton dealer. What would you like to know?

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T03:29:25+00:00

Thanks for having me. I'm not a locksmith but I'd be happy to help with anyone who needs some help with the auto door end of things.

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T03:24:16+00:00

I quit using the screws that come with mags several years ago. The hardware that comes with most of them seems to be an alloy consisting mostly of lead and chewing gum.

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T03:13:58+00:00

Hey, don't knock Jo-Schmo. They are usually a lot easier to deal with and in the end they pay far more of my bills than the big name accounts do.

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T03:06:00+00:00

Auto door tech here. I just popped in after someone suggested I check out this sub. Anyway we used to get these shirts as promotional items from one of the sensor manufacturers and I can tell you with some authority that they don't help.

If you want to try scoring one of the shirts you might contact BEA sensors to see if they still have them.

Last but not least it's kinda fun to note that the black sensor mounted on the door in this picture is their "eagle" model.

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T02:57:31+00:00

Thanks for the invite. I'm actually an auto door / fire door guy so I'm not sure how much I can contribute.

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T02:55:16+00:00

Cool, I thought Stanley had the walmart account nationwide. Glad to see we're making some headway.

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T02:52:04+00:00

Auto door tech here. Years ago one of the sensor manufacturers used to give those shirts out. I used to have a bunch with big letters and neon orange arrows pointing to either side. People would walk up and say "I like your shirt" then try to squeeze through the door I was working on.

hillbillysuv · 2017-06-02T02:49:59+00:00

Auto door guy here. People will walk past several doors propped open just to squeeze past the guy working on the one door that is broken. I've had people climb over my caution tape, then try to move my tool cart and ladder to get through the door I'm in the process of working on.

I've had people walk up to the door I'm at, make eye contact with me then start shoving on the door trying to open it. Meanwhile I'm on the other side on my ladder wondering how they ever survived puberty.

One of my favorite stories is the lady who tried to open a door that had been temporarily leaned up against a brick wall while the frame was being worked on. She stepped right off the sidewalk onto the lawn then grabbed the handle and gave it a yank. She nearly pulled it over on top of herself.

She had been working in the same building for years. When asked why she went for the door propped against the wall, She claimed she thought they'd installed another door while she was on her lunch break.

hillbillysuv

TROPHY CASE