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?

  • NimrodEnglish
    5·
    4 days ago

    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?

    • m0darn@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      2·
      4 days ago

      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.