Why Is a Fire Door Handle Stiff?

Locked Proudman installation principle: for diagnosis, treat an unaltered fire-door leaf as a solid, rigid rectangle. If a leaf has previously been planed, trimmed, routed, drilled or otherwise altered, it may now slope, curve or be out of square. Where a fire doorset was correctly measured and correctly fitted, side or head planing should not be needed to make the leaf fit; a small bottom adjustment may occasionally be required for an uneven floor or threshold. Always diagnose the complete doorset before altering one component. The symptom The handle feels stiff, does not return correctly, becomes worse as it is turned, or seems easier to operate when the door is open than when it is shut. Test the handle with the door open Operate the handle without the door loaded against the keep. This helps separate internal mechanism resistance from…