Door handle

A basic modern doorknob with a latching mechanism on the left.

A doorknob is a device which enables a door as well as a cabinet to be opened.

Most household doorknobs use a simple mechanism with a screw-style axle (called a spindle) that has at least one flat side, which is passed through the door latch, leaving some length exposed on each side of the door to which the knobs are attached. Knobs are attached on both sides by screwing or sliding them directly onto the spindle, and then securing one or more retaining screws (set screws) through the knob perpendicular to the flat of the spindle. Doorknobs that lose traction can frequently be repaired by replacing or adjusting the set screw, which prevents them from slipping on the spindle.

The location of the doorknob on the door may vary between a few centimeters away from the edge of the door to the exact center of the door, depending on local culture, decorative style or owner preference. The distance from the edge of the door to the center of the doorknob is called the backset.

Doorknobs can be difficult for the young and elderly to operate, especially infants. If a person lacks a firm grip a doorknob must sometimes be operated using two hands. For this reason doors in most commercial and industrial buildings and in many households now use an operating lever, rather than a doorknob, as the lever does not require a firm grip. Levers are also beneficial on doors with narrow stile widths where the reduced backset leaves insufficient space to comfortably turn a doorknob.

Of nearly universal concern is the thought that doorknobs are instrumental in the spread of many infections. Some materials, e.g. brass, copper and silver, are poisonous to many germs, via the oligodynamic effect. Brass and copper, for example, disinfect themselves of many germs within eight hours. [1] Other materials such as glass, porcelain, stainless steel and aluminum do not have this effect. Self-disinfecting doorknobs are particularly important in hospitals, but useful in any building.

Types of doorknobs

Entrance

These door knobs are typically used on exterior doors, and include keyed cylinders.

Privacy

Typically used on bed and bathrooms and most trailer parks, while they are lockable (unlockable with a generic tool), they do not have keyed cylinders.

Passage

Also known as Hall or Closet, these knob sets do not lock and are used in hall or closet doors.

Dummy

Single knobs that mount through backs of doors with single screws. These types are used for ball catch doors or other applications where a latch mechanism is not needed, but the look of a door knob is desired.

Gallery

• 
  A doorknob in the center of a door in Paris, France
• 
  An example of a generic door key
• 
  Head shaped doorknob, Florence, Italy
• 
  Fancy door knob on a Moravian Church
• 
  A Tulip Yale doorknob.

Doorhandles

Doorhandle

File:Doorhandle w keyless entry.jpg

The doorhandle of a Lincoln Town Car which portrudes from the vehicle's body, is decorated in chrome and features a numerical keyless entry pad.

A doorhandle is the device mounted on the exterior and interior of a door for the purpose of opening it.

In the US, the word doorhandle is mostly restricted to car doors because on other doors, doorknobs are more common. Car doorhandles might portrude from the vehicle's exterior surface or be streamlined into the vehicle's contour. In some automobiles, especially luxury vehicles, the doorhandles might be decorated with chrome and feature a keyless entry pad utilizing either a numerical code or thumb scan.

In the UK doorhandles and doorknobs are two separate things. A knob is rounded whereas a handle is long and slim.

See also

Doorhandle

External links

• Relative merits of copper and brass compared to stainless steel in microorganism hosting in hospital settings. (Copper industry site.)
• Scientific confirmation of doorknob materials' health effects
• Antique Doorknob Collectors of America webpage