Hello.
We have a problem because we have electric roller shutters throughout the ground floor and first floor. Our architect said that a second escape route must always be ensured. In the event of a fire, the electrical system could fail, and we might not be able to use the second escape route from the first floor window above the garage. The building authority / planning permission office is said to be strict in such cases. The architect recommends a manual crank. Do you possibly have a better idea? A manual crank doesn’t look very appealing…
We have a problem because we have electric roller shutters throughout the ground floor and first floor. Our architect said that a second escape route must always be ensured. In the event of a fire, the electrical system could fail, and we might not be able to use the second escape route from the first floor window above the garage. The building authority / planning permission office is said to be strict in such cases. The architect recommends a manual crank. Do you possibly have a better idea? A manual crank doesn’t look very appealing…
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Mottenhausen4 Jul 2019 14:06We also received an electric drive with a crank eye for the upper floor and the ground floor. The cranks themselves will probably be handed over later by the window manufacturer. I don’t want to question the concept or the necessity.
But: where do people usually keep the crank? Right next to the roller shutter window? I fear it will be put away somewhere and won’t be found in an emergency. Often, additional features like laminated safety glass (VSG) and lockable handles are used, making it difficult to even reach the shutter.
Additionally, there is the following problem: the gear ratio of the electric motor drive is different (due to its high speed) compared to standard manually operated roller shutters. The emergency crank eye is located directly on the motor, so the unfavorable gear ratio also applies here. You feel like you have to crank about 100 times to raise the shutter just a few centimeters. In an emergency, this is completely impractical; nobody will crank the shutter up millimeter by millimeter for minutes while everything behind them is on fire. It simply takes too long.
The only viable escape solution I see is to force the shutter curtain out of the guide rails by pushing or kicking it and then pulling it down. This is 1. fundamentally much faster and 2. possible at any window, regardless of whether it has an electric drive, emergency crank, or whatever system is in place. It’s also important to regularly practice such emergency scenarios with children. Hopefully, this way they will be able to open the floor-to-ceiling shutter curtain leading to the roof terrace without problems in an emergency, for example by throwing themselves against it.
But: where do people usually keep the crank? Right next to the roller shutter window? I fear it will be put away somewhere and won’t be found in an emergency. Often, additional features like laminated safety glass (VSG) and lockable handles are used, making it difficult to even reach the shutter.
Additionally, there is the following problem: the gear ratio of the electric motor drive is different (due to its high speed) compared to standard manually operated roller shutters. The emergency crank eye is located directly on the motor, so the unfavorable gear ratio also applies here. You feel like you have to crank about 100 times to raise the shutter just a few centimeters. In an emergency, this is completely impractical; nobody will crank the shutter up millimeter by millimeter for minutes while everything behind them is on fire. It simply takes too long.
The only viable escape solution I see is to force the shutter curtain out of the guide rails by pushing or kicking it and then pulling it down. This is 1. fundamentally much faster and 2. possible at any window, regardless of whether it has an electric drive, emergency crank, or whatever system is in place. It’s also important to regularly practice such emergency scenarios with children. Hopefully, this way they will be able to open the floor-to-ceiling shutter curtain leading to the roof terrace without problems in an emergency, for example by throwing themselves against it.
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Steffen804 Jul 2019 17:17haydee schrieb:
I once asked a fire chief.
It is correct that roller shutters must be manually openable. Either with a crank or simply by forcing them open.
It’s not a matter of how intense the fire has to be before a power outage occurs. Once the fire is reported, the utility company is immediately alerted and the power is shut off. By the time the fire department arrives, the house will be without electricity.
I am now checking whether we have such roller shutters; we don’t have cranks. How exactly is the utility supposed to shut off power to a house remotely? That’s basically not possible... they might be able to cut power to the entire street but not to an individual house.
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Steffen804 Jul 2019 20:45haydee schrieb:
How should I know?
I’m not a firefighter and don’t want to experience a house or apartment fire.
I asked someone who is a fire chief, and this was his answer Then maybe he wanted to give you a great answer... I’m actually quite sure that is NOT possible!
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