It’s All in the Hips: Sargent ALP Push/Pull Hospital Handles

Sept. 3, 2010
ALP Push/Pull Trim provides an alternative to knob or lever mortise locks. It is available with the non-toxic MicroShield® finish coating.

In hospitals, the need for maintaining sterile conditions is crucial. Once hospital personnel scrub for a procedure, the last thing they want to do is grab a doorknob or lever to get into surgery or a procedure room.

Even with lever equipped locks, retracting the latch to gain access through an inswinging door requires downward and inward movement. With the development of push/pull handles, entry through an inswinging door only requires pushing the handle.

Many hospitals have power door operators to provide hands-free access into surgery. However, many of the procedure rooms, such as Cath Labs, labor and delivery rooms, cardio lab, etc., may not be equipped with costly power door operators.

With patent pending Sargent ALP Push/Pull (paddle) Trim hospital handles installed onto an inswinging door, pushing against the outside handle retracts the latch, and with additional force, the door will swing open permitting access. In fact, just as the installation was finished, a nurse pushed open the door with her hip.

The ADA compliant ALP paddle trim can be mounted horizontally up or down, as well as vertically. These non-handed handles can be configured for push or pull operation. The ALPs are field configurable, eliminating the need to know the handing and operation requirement prior to installation.

ALP Push/Pull Trim is designed to operate with Sargent 8200 Series mortise locks. According to Sargent, the ALP paddle trim can be used with 38 mechanical functions and four electromechanical functions of their 8200 Series mortise locks.

The 7800 Series mortise lock cannot be used with ALP trim because it does not have a lever return spring. This spring is requisite to keep the latch fully extended.

For this installation, the Sargent ALP trim in 630 finish and an 8205 mortise lock body were installed onto the door leading into a catheterization laboratory. The cath lab door was equipped with a through-bolted Sargent mortise lock with lever trim. The lead-lined double door entry is inswinging. The inactive door is secured using manual flush bolts. The door is 1-7/8” thick. A thicker door version of the ALP is available for doors up to 2-1/4”.

Note: The installation required no modification to the door in order to accommodate the ALP trim as holes were pre-drilled for the through-bolting.

The cast paddle handle chassis’s have 12 openings to accommodate the through-bolt positions in the mortise body. The 12 positions permit the ALP Trim to be installed with each paddle mounted in a different configuration. For example, the outside paddle can be mounted horizontally and the inside paddle can be mounted vertically.

To rotate the mortise lock hub in order to retract the latch, the spindle assembly has two tabs extending from the chassis. An insert is screwed onto the paddle to transfer the motion to the spindle assembly. Each insert has two sets of tabs that are designed to contact the spindle assembly tabs. Depending upon which of the two ways the insert is attached to the paddle, pushing or pulling on the paddle rotates the spindle assembly to retract the latch.

The paddles are mounted to the chassis’s by inserting an axle (rod) into the pivot holes. Once the axle connects the paddle with the chassis, the cover keeps the axle from sliding out. Two Philips head screws secure the cover onto the chassis.

This independent configuration permits the inswing side of the door to have a push handle while the outswing side of the door has a pull handle.

Installation Tips

If the end-user is uncertain of the best mounting position, do not install the secondary screws into the chassis. Have the end-user test drive the paddles. Once they are certain of the mounting position, then install the screws directly into the face of the door.

Do not install the mortise lock mounting screws until the paddles have been installed and operating. This can ensure a smoother operation and full retraction and extension of the latch.

ALP covers fit onto the chassis in only one direction. The paddle covers the screws.

If there is no reinforcement in the door, do not overtighten the through-bolting

If the door is hollow metal, drill and tap the secondary screws for mounting the chassis.

The ALP Push/Pull Trim provides an alternative to knob or lever mortise locks. Paddles and covers are manufactured of cast stainless steel or brass. They are available in 13 finishes including stainless steel.

ALP Trim is available with the non-toxic MicroShield® finish coating. Microshield is a silver-based antimicrobial compound, which according to Assa Abloy “permanently suppresses the growth of bacteria, algae, fungus, mold and mildew. It is effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria.”

According to Sargent Lock, a cylindrical lock version of the ALP will be available during the fourth quarter of 2010.

For more information, contact your local locksmith wholesaler or Sargent Manufacturing Company. Telephone: 800-727-5477. Fax: 888-863-5054. Web Site: www.sargentlock.com.