June 2002
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It All Falls Down
A maintenance supervisor in Ohio writes that he is having a problem with trim staying on. Let me guess, you have either Republic or Penco lockers. Further investigation revealed that the school does indeed have lockers manufactured by Republic Steel.
Both Republic & Penco use trim clips to hold recess trim in place. If lockers get pushed back into the recess, the trim is forced off. The first thing that has to be done to correct the problem is to fasten the lockers in the recess properly. Generally, for recess trim to fit correctly, the lockers should be flush with the fascia. I have seen installations where the lockers fastened through the top to reinforcing bars holding up the front soffit. It may be difficult to locate these small metal bars with all the lockers in the recess. You may have to slip a flat metal bar between the back and the side sheet to the wall behind the lockers. Once you reach the proper depth, fasten the bar to the side sheet. This will stop the lockers from sliding back in the recess. The best way to solve this problem is to remove the lockers from the recess and install blocking behind them permanently.
Once the lockers are in place, reinstall trim clips using standard locker nuts & bolts and snap the trim back on. If you are having difficulty fitting your fingers in place to install the clips and your Republic lockers were installed after 1970, there is a notch in the top frame so that you can screw into the trim. You must drill through the frame so your best bet is to use a TEK screw (self-drilling).
Obsolete?
A school principal in Indiana claim that he cannot find locker parts for his lockers because the manufacturer went out of business 20 years ago. I guess that he hasn't spent must time at this web site. Phoenix Systems specialized in part to find locker replacement parts. Please take another look!
Secure or Not Secure; That is the question
School Administrators beware! There are thousands of sites on the web designed to provide your students with information and instructions on how to get into or destroy a Master Lock. I've seen the crazy glue trick, the butane lighter scheme, and the instruction on how to determine the combination or pick a Master Lock. (smart little fellas!) Consider yourself warned!
Speaking about security, we received an e-mail from a contractor on the west coast who is complaining about the fact that school districts are removing lockers from schools in order to eliminate a hiding place for drugs, bombs & weapons. He suggests that the traditional metal lockers be replaced with glass, see-through units. (Been there, done that!)
After the Columbine incident, we approached a local school district and replaced existing locker doors with Plexiglas, using our LockerSaver® Handle for latching. The administrators were aghast! How could we violate these students' privacy? After much thought, I have to agree with the administrators. Do we sacrifice our fundamental right to privacy in order to preserve security?
Maybe someone in cyber land has a better solution. We'd like to hear about it.
Until next month, keep your doors hinged and your nuts tight.