I feel like a crazy person saying this but: one particular door handle in an office building I go to once peer week always feels warmer than ambient.
It’s the handle inside the stairwell on the main floor. It feels warmer than ambient, with either hand, if I was just using the handrail or not. There’s no sunlight shining on it. I use the handle on my way out of the building a few minutes after I pass by it on the way in, so I know there’s nobody standing there holding it for several minutes just before I use it. It feels warm if I check it on my way into the building as well.
The handle on the lobby side of the door seems normal. The handle upstairs seems normal. The door feels normal. The strike plate in the doorframe feels normal.
It’s super weird. Could the motion detector mounted above the door be bathing it in IR light or something?
I’m going to see if I can find my IR thermometer to quantify my subjective observation. Are there any other potential sources of energy I haven’t thought of? Anything that could be messing with my perceptions? anything in particular I should remember when going to collect some data?
Update:
Nothing in the strike plate. Electrical conduit goes into door frame, but not into door.
I took some measurements today. Sorry it took so long, I forgot the thermometer twice, then remembered but discovered it was out of batteries. Then I forgot the batteries once or twice.
Infra red forehead thermometer with “liquids” setting. I don’t trust it for absolute values but for relative values I think it’s okay.
I put blue masking tape on some points of interest so that I’d be measuring from the same material.
I waited at least a minute between applying tape and measuring temps.
The conduit on the left: 24.0C The junction box on the right:24.0C The handle on the hallway side of the door (not pictured): 26.0C The handle on the stairwell side of the door: 28-29.5C depending on where I measure.
Someone that works in the building mentioned the door in the basement is the same. I only measured the handle down there but yeah 28-29.5.
A problem with my methodology: I put some of the tape on a few weeks ago, (conduit and junction box), and some of it today (the door handles) all the door handles measured warmer than the conduit and junction box. It’s possible the tape had warmed up in my car in the sun, or pulling it off the roll may have warmed it.
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Maybe it’s made of a less-conductive materal (e.g., plastic with metallic paint).
Are there access controls on this door such as a badge/RFID reader? I’ve seen electric strikes on access controlled doors stay pretty warm.
This is what I thought of too. I worked in a building with a warm door handle. Its latch was open during the day, but locked after hours. I assumed the electro-mechanical mechanism generated heat keeping it unlocked.
I’ve seen one of these before! My old office had an unnaturally warm door handle too. You’re not crazy OP. We’re so close to the t
I’m working on the string board but for now see my update.
Youtube says it’s all in my head which just proves the conspiracy goes deeper than we thought. (/s)
Lol
Time to invest in an infrared thermometer to check things out
I have a forehead thermometer we got during covid. It has a non-human mode. It seems to over estimate, but could detect the temperature change from me putting my hand on the wall for 30 seconds.
Is it says my walls are 25.6 Celsius, and the wall that had just been under my hand was 28.4C. Maybe it’s off because it’s white paint or something. I think as long as I’m always measuring from the same surface material it will be okay for measuring relative temperatures.
Good enough to disprove my perception.
Good stuff. Keep us updated, preferably through the medium of a pin board and lots of red string.
I’m working on the string board but for now see my update.
Is the ambient temperature the same on both sides of the door?
No, colder in the stairwell I think. But I didn’t bring an ambient thermometer.
So the handle on the colder ambient side is warmer? Something is afoot. Keep investigating!
Lol
Are you sure it’s not the same temperature as the handle on the inside, and the stairwell is just colder? The handle on the office side could be transferring heat to the one in the stairwell.
If this was the case wouldn’t the other door handles in the stairwell also feel warm? I don’t think it’s a bad theory, but if the others don’t feel warm that’s more confusing
I’m working on the string board but for now see my update.
That part of the building could possibly just be warmer in general. Might not be super noticeable when inside, but it doesn’t take much to stand out when in a hallway with cold hands.
I agree it feels like a bit of a reach, but it’s the best hypothesis I can come up with.
I’m working on the string board but for now see my update.
I’ve considered that, but can’t rule it out yet. I can feel the warmth when I stand in the lobby and haven’t been in the stairwell yet, (closing the door behind me style) but I’m not sure that I’ve actually held both simultaneously.
But yeah perception is really slippery so I’ll use the thermometer. I’ll use some masking tape since I know they have trouble reading metals.
I’m intrigued and very much want to know the answer. If you figure it out or have updates on the investigation, I’d appreciate it if you ping me :)
I have no answers, but here are a bunch of questions:
I wonder if it could be caused by the difference in ambient temperature on each side of the door. Is the stairwell on that floor noticeably cooler than the lobby? Is there less of a temperature differential on the door upstairs where the handle feels normal?
What is the hvac like in the stairwell (if there is any)? Could it be causing this?
Are the mysterious handle and door identical to the handle and door on the floor above?
I’m working on the string board but for now see my update.
Thanks for the update! Those are some weird results. I don’t think tape temperature would matter - there is so little mass there that, even if it was warm when you put it on, it wouldn’t have an appreciable effect on the temperature of the handle, and I would think that its temperature would equalize pretty quickly… but maybe a minute isn’t long enough for that?
You may have addressed this already, but does the door have an electric lock?
You may have addressed this already, but does the door have an electric lock?
No it’s a simple plain handle, and nothing where it latches into the frame
I don’t think there’s any HVAC in the stairwell. I think the stairwell is colder than lobby in winter and pretty equal in summer.
I’ll try to take some wall temps too.
I think the handles are the same on both floors it’s not a remarkable handle, just like a brushed metal door lever.
Trick knob with electronics inside ready to melt your hand off one day
there any other potential sources of energy I haven’t thought of?
Wild card answer: Someone turned the Demon Core into a doorknob.
