If you own or manage a commercial building, you may want to invest in copper crash bar covers. Offices, restaurants, retail stores and other commercial buildings often have crash bars on their doors. Rather than pulling a handle, visitors can leave the building by pushing the door open.
Crash bars are opening mechanisms that allow visitors to push open the doors with which they are used. Also known as panic bars, they’ve been around for over a century. Most countries, in fact, have building codes requiring the use of crash bars on the doors of publically accessible buildings. If your commercial building has crash bars, you may want to upgrade them with copper crash bar covers.
What Are Copper Crash Bar Covers?
Copper crash bar covers are sleeve-like fittings that are designed for use on crash bars. As the name suggests, they are made of pure copper. Copper crash bar covers aren’t made of an alloy, nor do they contain any coatings or finishings; they are made entirely of copper.
You can use copper crash bar covers on most crash bars. Whether the cars bars themselves are made of plastic, aluminum or any other material, they should support copper crash bar covers.
The Benefits of Copper Crash Bar Covers
Copper crash bar covers offer several benefits. They are easy to install. They consist of self-adhesive sheets of copper. You can peel off the backing, after which you can apply the copper crash bar cover to one of the crash bars. You don’t have to mess with any fasteners or hardware when installing them.
Another benefit of copper crash bar covers is their antimicrobial properties. Unbeknownst to the majority of the population, copper can kill bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms on contact. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) even announced copper as the first antimicrobial metal back in 2008.
The microorganism-killing properties of copper aren’t fully understood, though one of the most popular theories involves oxidation. Scientists believe that microorganisms undergo oxidative stress when exposed to copper. This oxidative stress triggers chemical changes within the microorganisms that eventually leads to their death and destruction.
Copper crash bars are aesthetically pleasing. Copper has a warm, reddish-brown color that makes it stand out. Its warm tone can add depth to various design styles, from traditional to modern. Because they are made entirely of copper, copper crash bar covers are aesthetically pleasing as well.