Dexter ED1500 Series Grade 1 Surface Vertical Rod Exit Devices

The 36 inch (3FT) ED1500 covers door widths from 29 inches up to 36 inches, so a standard 36 inch leaf is right at the top of its range and works. For anything wider, the 48 inch device covers 33 inches to 48 inches. The device mounts on a standard 1-3/4 inch thick door and needs at least a 4-1/4 inch stile.

No. The ED1500 as supplied here is not a fire rated device, so it should not go on a fire door assembly. For a fire rated surface vertical rod device of the same type, look at the Adams Rite 3100 Series, the Arrow S1150, the Sargent 2727, or the TownSteel 9700 Series EF9727, all of which we carry as fire rated.

Handing is not a decision you have to make. Every ED1500 device and every piece of ED1500 trim is non-handed, so one part number covers both swings. That matters if you are stocking spares for a building with doors swinging both ways, or if the door gets rehung later.

Only if the stile is at least 4-1/4 inches wide. That rules out most narrow stile aluminum storefront, which typically runs well under that. For a narrow stile aluminum door, the Adams Rite 8200 Series, the Von Duprin 3327A, the Corbin Russwin ED4400, or the Falcon 19-V-EO are narrow stile surface vertical rod devices we carry.

The ED1500 is furnished exit only, with no provision for operating trim on the outside. When the outside face has to be openable with a key or lever, the Corbin Russwin ED5400 in 36 inch is a Grade 1 wide stile surface vertical rod device that accepts trim on 1-3/4 inch doors. The Corbin Russwin ED4400 is the narrow stile version, also Grade 1 and trim ready. If the opening calls for a crossbar rather than a push pad, the Corbin Russwin ED7400 is a Grade 1 narrow stile crossbar device that accepts operator trim.

The Dexter ED1500 is carried as a non-fire-rated device, so a labeled fire door needs a different part. The TownSteel 9700 Series EF9727 is a fire-rated, ANSI Grade 1 certified heavy duty surface vertical rod device in 36 by 84 inch, wide stile, and compatible with wood doors. The Adams Rite 3100 Series in 30 inch is a fire-rated Grade 1 wide stile surface vertical rod device for 1-3/4 inch doors. The Arrow S1150 in 30 inch is fire rated, exit only, 1-3/4 inch door thickness, and works on narrow or wide stile. Fire-rated vertical rod devices do not dog, so plan on the device latching at all times.

The ED1500 needs a 4-1/4 inch minimum stile width, which rules out most narrow stile aluminum storefront doors. For those openings, the Von Duprin 3327A in 3 ft is a Grade 1 narrow stile surface vertical rod device with a grooved case for 36 inch doors on 1-3/4 inch thickness. The Falcon 19-V-EO in 36 inch is a Grade 1 narrow stile exit only device on the same door thickness. The Corbin Russwin ED4400 in 36 inch is Grade 1 narrow stile and accepts trim if the outside needs to be operable. The TownSteel ED3727 in 36 by 84 inch is Grade 1 narrow stile and also rated for wood doors.

Two to watch. The Sargent 12-8710 is a wide stile fire rated surface vertical rod device in the 8700 Series, but its function is dummy - it is a push pad with no latching mechanism, used to match appearance on an inactive leaf, and it will not do the work of the ED1500. The other trap is stile width: the Adams Rite 8200 Series in 30 inch and the Von Duprin 7527 in 3 ft are narrow stile devices, so their chassis and rod layout are built for a stile the ED1500 was never sized against, and neither is a drop-in for a wide stile opening. The Von Duprin 7527 and 7827 are also carried as not compatible with wood doors, while the ED1500 ships with a universal hardware pack for wood and hollow metal.

The 36 inch ED1500 device covers 29 inch to 36 inch door sizes and the 48 inch device covers 33 inch to 48 inch, so a door under 29 inches falls below the range. Several peers are built as 30 inch devices: the Adams Rite 8100 Series is a Grade 1 wide stile surface vertical rod device in 30 inch, the Adams Rite 8200 Series is the narrow stile version, and the Arrow 3700 Series 30 inch is a Grade 1 wide stile push pad device, exit only, for 1-3/4 inch doors. The Design Hardware 1000V and 2000V are furnished at 33 inch.

The Dexter ED1500 ships with a universal hardware pack covering wood and hollow metal doors, and the install template is published for both. Among peers, the TownSteel ED8927 in 36 by 84 inch is a Grade 1 wide stile device confirmed wood door compatible, the TownSteel ED3727 is the narrow stile equivalent, and the TownSteel EF9727 is the fire rated heavy duty wide stile version, also wood door compatible. On the other side, the Von Duprin 7527 and 7827 in 3 ft are carried as not wood door compatible, so on a wood opening those are not the substitution.

That is exactly what a surface vertical rod device is for. It latches at the head and at the threshold rather than into the frame jamb, so a pair of doors can be secured without a center mullion in the opening. If you have a single door in a frame with a strike jamb, a rim device is the simpler and cheaper way to go. The ED1500 is a Grade 1 device carrying a UL panic listing.

Hex key dogging comes standard on all ED1500 panic devices, so you can dog the pushpad down with the supplied hex key and let the door push-pull freely through the day, then release it at close. No extra option or suffix to order for it.

It is a Grade 1 device, the heaviest ANSI/BHMA duty classification, built commercial with an aluminum mechanism case, and the latch deadlatches as standard so it resists being carded or shimmed. Grade 1 is what you spec for school, hospital, retail, and multi-family exit doors that cycle all day.

On a 1-3/4 inch door with a stile of 4-1/4 inches or more, the Dexter ED1500 is a straight non-fire-rated, exit only, Grade 1 swap. Comparable wide stile devices we carry include the Von Duprin 2227, the Falcon 20 and 25 Series, the Corbin Russwin ED5400, and the Arrow 3700 Series, all Grade 1 wide stile surface vertical rod devices rated for 1-3/4 inch doors. Prep and rod locations differ between manufacturers, so expect to drill to the new template rather than reuse the old holes.

The ED1500 is a full top and bottom rod device. If you want to eliminate the bottom rod and latch, so nothing sits at floor level to collect grit or ice, the Orca Hardware OED56 Series 36 inch device is a less bottom rod, non-handed surface vertical rod device in aluminum finish that we carry.

Two Falcon lines cover the wide stile opening the ED1500 serves. The Falcon 20 Series in 36 inch is a Grade 1 wide stile surface vertical rod device, exit only, for 1-3/4 inch doors, non-fire-rated. The Falcon 25-V-EO in 3 ft is also Grade 1, wide stile, exit only, on 1-3/4 inch doors. Falcon's narrow stile options, the 19-V-EO and the 24-V-EO in 36 inch, are built for a narrower stile than the 4-1/4 inch minimum the ED1500 requires, so they are the choice only when the door itself is narrow stile.

The Dexter ED1500 is a Grade 1 device. Where the traffic does not justify Grade 1, the TownSteel TS5100 Series in 36 by 84 inch is a Grade 2 heavy duty wide stile surface vertical rod device, non-fire-rated. The Design Hardware 2000V in 33 inch is a standard duty surface vertical rod device, with the Design Hardware 1000V in 33 inch as the heavy duty version of the same family. The Orca Hardware OED56 Series in 36 inch is a standard duty exit only device for 1-3/4 inch doors, furnished less bottom rod, which removes the bottom strike from the floor. Note that ANSI grade is what most institutional specs call out, so confirm the spec allows anything below Grade 1 before substituting.

All Dexter ED1500 devices and trim are non-handed, which is why one stocked part covers both leaves of a pair. Among peers, the BEST Precision 5201 Series in 36 inch is a reversible surface vertical rod device, and the Sargent 2727 is a reversible Grade 1 fire rated wide stile device. The Von Duprin 2227-3FT in 36 inch is non-handed and Grade 1. For a shop standardizing a fleet of exits across a property, any of these keeps handing out of the ordering decision.

Two, both painted: 689 (SP28) aluminum paint and 695 (SP313) dark bronze paint. Aluminum paint is the one that blends with clear anodized aluminum storefront; dark bronze matches dark anodized frames. If you are standardizing a building on one look, those are your only two choices in the ED1500.