# Elevator buttons **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 7, 2019, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevator-buttons/830722 "2019-03-07T21:20:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevator-buttons/830722/21 "2019-03-09T04:46:37Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Do you know of any elevators that open have front and rear doors opening to accessible areas? I can’t think of one offhand but I’m sure there must be one somewhere. I occasionally stay in a hotel where the elevator can open on both sides on one floor. There’s not any security reason why you couldn’t use the rear door, but it opens into a drab housekeeping corridor and I can see why the owners wouldn’t want that on display every time the front doors open. But I think this is probably the main reason why there would be separate open/close buttons: > [@sitchensis](#): > > I think the only person that needs to know would be a firefighter with the manual override key. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevator-buttons/830722/22 "2019-03-09T06:24:29Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Why would you need separate buttons for the door at the front and back of an elevator? It’s not like it can move with one door closed. Why not just have the same button open and close both doors? If it’s a security issue then presumably there would be a key that would enable/disable the door on the secure side. > > The only scenario I can imagine where it’s useful is if you’re trying to escape zombies. The front door is opened and closed by a completely separate set of relays and circuits. The door buttons are single contact. To use the same button for two circuits it would require a double set of contacts and extra wiring. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevator-buttons/830722/23 "2019-03-09T06:29:15Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > I think the only person that needs to know would be a firefighter with the manual override key. Would you like a write up on the proper procedure to test the fire recall on a elevator? ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevator-buttons/830722/24 "2019-03-09T06:36:02Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > I think the only person that needs to know would be a firefighter with the manual override key. By the way most firemen do not know how to properly operate and elevator that is in Phase II fire recall. And that can be a real pain when they get off the elevator before the doors are 100% open. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevator-buttons/830722/25 "2019-03-09T07:22:35Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I’ve read your posts and responded to them. If you’d care to do the same rather than ignoring the points I made, that might help the conversation make progress. For example, when you ignored this point (for a second time): > > You quoted this in your post #15, but replied with a _non sequitur_. > > There may well be a situation that is best addressed with two buttons, but you haven’t stated it. The only situation that really makes sense is two exits where by default you don’t want one to open, but there is _no_ security concern. So you don’t want key control because that would require giving a key to everyone taking the non-default exit. Maybe this is common in hotels? I responded to everyone of your comments. Again you mention the key, part of an elevator security system but not specifically a system for controlling two doors. If you have two doors that can be operated separately then you can use two buttons to do it. You can have a key, or since this is 2019 you can swipe a security card, but that doesn’t mean that would be the only difference between one and two door systems. And apparently you don’t understand that everyone does need a ‘key’ of some kind to use secure doors. Once again, as clearly as I can state, there’s no reason that two buttons are necessary if the two doors can open at the same time, but that appears to be rare, you don’t even know of such a case, and all other cases could use two buttons, and that case could use two buttons also except somehow you seem to think that using more than minimum number of buttons is somehow an affront to the sensibilities. Now ask yourself why cars have more than one door. After all the bare minimum of one works just fine, even if you pack the car with 100 clowns. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevator-buttons/830722.md?page=1)