One of our hospital clients is questioning why they need to have hospital tip hinges on their project. The firm where I am at has always specified hospital tip hinges for health care projects and I always assumed that it related to dust/cleanliness issues. I’ve tried to do some internet research on hospital tip hinges, but most of the hardware literature I’ve looked at simply states whether they offer them, not why they should be used. Can someone help?
Thanks!
Tracy,
Another use is for other Institutional type projects: the sloping top prevents people from hanging themselves.
Arcom’s Masterspec evaluations affirm David’s comment that hospital tips help support the safety of mental patients in mental institutions. It also says that hospital tips are used in locations where additional cleanliness is required.
Having worked as a hardware rep I can tell you that hospital tips are for cleanliness. With regular tips you get gunk that builds up on the top of the pin.
Yes. The other reason for beveling the pin is to prevent patients from hanging themselves…or the hospital staff.
One thing I don’t see very often (and don’t specify because we do not do healthcare projects) is undercutting of steel door frames.
David: Are you referring to the stops that terminate 2 inches or so off the floor to enable floor cleaning?
Quiz: What’s the metric equivalent of “or so”??
What’s the metric equivalent of “or so”??
I wouldn’t touch that one with a 3-meter pole…
Robert:
Would that be about 9 feet “or so”?
Sorry. Make that a “3.048-meter” pole. (Is that “soft metric” or “hard”?)
On second thought, maybe I’ll bite. How about “or so” = “give or take a few millimeters”? And how about metric equivalent for “just a tad”? When you get started on this, you have to resist going the whole 8.2296 meters…
Carpenters refer to dimensions as “Full” or “Scant” or “On the line”.
“Full” means cut the dimension just to the right (if you are right handed) of the line. That way the line shows up when you are done cutting.
“Scant” means cut just to the left of the pencil line.
“On the line” means run the saw blade kerf down the center of the line.
Phil,
Yes. A “hospital stop” or sometimes called a “terminated stop” is where you stop the stop a couple of inches above the floor. Sometimes the end of the stops have a bevel. The reason for not running the stop all the way to the floor is cleanliness. All sorts of gunk can build up between the stop and the jamb frame. I don’t see these very often.
Terminated stops are antiquated and I never specify them for our healthcare work. They pose a problem on fire rated openings where the stop must continue to the floor.