Corrosive and Controlled

Aug 1, 2006 12:00 PM

Doors and hardware at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California are put to the test daily. A large volume of visitors and a salt-laden, oceanside environment call for constantly evolving product selection and a rigorous maintenance program to protect the appearance and operation of the facility's 760 doors and their hardware.

The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the oceans. Its exhibits are a living extension of Monterey Bay, which is at the heart of the nation's largest marine sanctuary. The facility's nearly 200 galleries and exhibits feature more than 35,000 creatures and 623 species of plants and animals from the waters off California's central coast and other marine habitats worldwide. It hosts approximately 1.8 million visitors annually.

The site for the aquarium became available after the area's sardine fishery collapsed and the Hovden Cannery closed in 1972. Following seven years of planning and building that began in 1977, the facility was built using the style of an old sardine cannery. The aquarium opened on Monterey's Cannery Row in 1984. Exhibit space almost doubled with the opening of the Outer Bay Wing in 1996, and the facility continues to expand.

Tough duty

Doors and hardware in any public facility take a beating from heavy use, but the doors at the aquarium are subjected to above-average trials that accelerate wear and raise the need for vigilant maintenance.

Heavy traffic is the norm. The aquarium's master craftsman Jurek Zawadzki, whose responsibilities include the aquarium's many doors, explains, “Sometimes we have as many as 10,000 people here in a single day.” He says, “We're open close to 24 hours a day because we have night functions, and the aquarium is also rented out for private events. Then we often have to work overnight to perform maintenance.” The effect of this constant use is to accelerate wear on the hardware and compress the hours of expected service life into a shorter time frame.

The facility's proximity, adjacent to Monterey Bay, subjects anything made of metal to corrosion. Door hardware, one of the more visible components, is no exception. Even stainless steel is not immune, since some hardware parts are inevitably made of dissimilar metals, and the salt air accelerates the galvanic corrosion effect.

Solutions that work

Selecting the best materials and designs in doors and hardware for each application and developing an effective, prioritized maintenance program have been the best ways to stay ahead of these challenges, Zawadzki says.

When he first became involved with the doors, Zawadzki says that the construction of the existing steel doors did little to withstand corrosion. “The way the door edges were folded and constructed created a trap, and some of the doors had an imbedded magnetic weather strip that became a problem,” he says. “I replaced the weather strip with an inverted u-channel that was welded in to fill the groove.” Eventually, he began replacing the most troublesome doors with fiberglass doors.

He notes that implementing ADA guidelines presented the opportunity to change from orbital to lever trim on existing doors. Standardization whenever possible simplifies maintenance and reduces spare parts stocks, an important benefit when corrosion requires frequent replacements. One example is the use of Schlage lock cylinders throughout, even where different types of hardware had been installed previously. Non-conforming items are changed in phases as upgrades are needed. “I want to have standardized items so I don't have so many different variations of hardware,” Zawadzki says.

Exit devices used at the aquarium also exhibit a progression. Originally, most doors that required exit devices were equipped with concealed, vertical rod devices, either Von Duprin 98/ 99 Series or 33 Series for narrow stile applications. While many of these are still in use, a significant number of doors have been converted to the new Von Duprin INPACT device, a concealed vertical rod device that is recessed into the door. This has been done in stages, as various doors have been replaced with new doors designed to accommodate the recessed devices. In addition to having fewer exposed parts, the new devices feature sloped metal end-caps that deflect damage from carts or other traffic.

To keep door systems looking good and operating as they should, the aquarium follows an aggressive maintenance plan that tracks the condition of each door and hardware location. Under the computerized preventive-maintenance program, each door is assigned a number, and regular inspections are performed on a scheduled basis to identify any needs or problem areas. Zawadzki says the program helps prioritize what needs to be done and also ensures that all exits receive attention. He adds that hardware such as exit devices is removed and washed to remove any deposits, then lubricated and freed up. Pins, springs and other components are replaced as needed, as well as trim parts when their plating may be damaged or scratched. The device is then adjusted and reinstalled. Screws on hinges and other hardware are checked and tightened. Door closers are adjusted as needed, and any other maintenance is performed or noted in the program if it requires more attention. Finally, the resulting records make it easy to spot troublesome items with recurring problems so improvements can be planned.

Security considerations

Although the aquarium may remain open for extended hours, many areas have to be secured from public access. A Schlage restricted key system has been used on most doors, along with Schlage Primus patented keyways in higher security areas. Over a period of time, key control became questionable as keys were lost and it became difficult to know which people had which keys. “I went to a Schlage keying class, and we are in the process of rekeying most of the cylinders to Primus with Everest serial D,” Zawadzki says. “This will be owned by us as end-user, with the Schlage factory supplying us the cylinders to fit specific locations. Then we control the keying and manage the key system.”

He adds that the exterior perimeter doors eventually will be controlled by a Schlage wireless access control system, providing greater control of access, especially for contractors and deliveries. The wireless system will make it possible to restrict access to certain hours. It will be easy to add or delete people compared with issuing and recalling keys, and it will be unnecessary to pull wires throughout the building as the system is installed.

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