David Bolton What Happens to Your Access Control System When the Power Goes Out Why Backup Power Is a Core Part of Any Access Control Design This article explains how battery backup works in commercial access control systems, what happens to electrified door hardware when buildin... access control battery backup electrified hardware life safety power supply Jul 23, 2026
David Bolton Panic Hardware in Assembly Occupancies: What the Occupant Load Threshold Actually Triggers What This Article Covers and Who It Helps If you are specifying, bidding, or inspecting door hardware in a theater, arena, conference center, house of worship, banquet hall, or any other assembly-use ... assembly occupancy code compliance exit devices life safety panic hardware Jul 13, 2026
David Bolton Fire Door Inspector Certification: What the FDAI Credential Actually Requires and Why It Changes Your Inspection Walk Who This Article Is For and What It Covers This article explains the fire door assembly inspector (FDAI) certification process, what the credential actually tests, and how the inspection checklist con... FDAI certification NFPA 80 compliance fire door hardware fire door inspection life safety Jul 7, 2026
David Bolton Wide-Stile vs Narrow-Stile Exit Devices: Choosing the Right Panic Hardware for Your Door Why Door Stile Width Determines Your Exit Device Before Almost Anything Else This article explains the practical difference between wide-stile and narrow-stile exit devices, who needs to care about th... aluminum storefront doors exit devices hardware specification life safety panic hardware Jul 3, 2026
David Bolton The Rim Strike on a Mullion-Free Door Pair: Why the Meeting Stile Clearance Gets Ignored Until the Panic Hardware Binds Why the Rim Strike on a Mullion-Free Pair Is Not an Afterthought This article is for commercial contractors, facility managers, and architects who are specifying or installing rim exit devices on pair... door pairs exit devices life safety panic hardware rim strike Jun 26, 2026
David Bolton Latchbolt Monitoring on Fire-Rated Electric Strikes: Why the Auxiliary Switch Gets Ignored Until the Access Control Report Flags an Unlatched Door What This Article Covers and Who It Helps This guide explains the monitoring outputs built into fire-rated electric strikes—specifically the latchbolt monitor and locking cam monitor found on heavy-du... access control door monitoring electric strikes fire-rated hardware life safety Jun 14, 2026
David Bolton Fire-Rated Electric Strikes: Why the Monitoring Outputs Get Wired After the Fail-Secure Decision Is Already Made What This Article Covers and Who It Helps Fire-rated electric strikes with dual monitoring outputs -- latchbolt status and locking cam position -- are common on access-controlled openings in schools, ... access control door monitoring electric strikes fire-rated hardware life safety Jun 8, 2026
David Bolton Rim Exit Device Strike Alignment: The One Adjustment That Kills a Passing Inspection Why the Strike Is the Last Thing Installed and the First Thing That Fails This article is for commercial contractors, facility maintenance technicians, and project inspectors who work with rim-mounted... commercial door hardware door hardware installation exit devices life safety rim exit device May 16, 2026
David Bolton Fire-Rated SVR Exit Devices: Why the Door Label Drives Every Hardware Decision on a Labeled Opening What This Article Covers — and Who Needs It When a project calls for a surface vertical rod (SVR) exit device on a fire-rated opening, most of the critical decisions are already made the moment someon... NFPA 80 compliance SVR panic hardware exit devices fire-rated hardware life safety Apr 23, 2026
David Bolton Electric Strike Monitoring: What the Auxiliary Switch Actually Does on an Access-Controlled Opening What This Article Covers and Who It Helps Electric strikes do more than release a latch when a credential is presented. On monitored openings, the strike itself reports back to the access control syst... access control commercial door hardware electric strikes life safety monitoring hardware Apr 23, 2026
David Bolton Dogging a Rim Exit Device: When the Feature Helps and When It Gets You in Trouble What This Article Covers Dogging is one of the most useful features on a rim exit device — and one of the most frequently misapplied. This guide explains what dogging does, which door types and occupa... code compliance dogging exit devices life safety rim exit devices Apr 23, 2026
David Bolton Fire-Rated Rim Exit Devices: Why the Door Label Is Just the Beginning of Code Compliance More Than a Panic Bar: What Fire Exit Hardware Actually Requires This guide is for commercial contractors, facility managers, and architects working with fire-rated door assemblies that require egress... NFPA 80 exit devices fire door compliance life safety rim exit hardware Apr 23, 2026
