Vault hatch

The  was a type of electro-mechanical door used in the Vault-Tec Vaults for creating physical barriers between corridors, rooms, and stairways. The hatch was a heavy steel door, of one or two pieces, supported in a heavy steel frame built into a wall and powered by concealed powerful hydraulic motors. In Vault 101, many of the hatches were accompanied by signs. These signs either identified the level or room, or directed the resident in a general direction to where a level or room was located.

Hatch Model #1
This hatch represented a majority of the hatches used in the Vaults. This was a two-piece hatch with a lower and upper part. The upper part had cones which fitted into conical depressions in the lower part. The two parts, when closing, slided together; whereas, when opening, they slided apart. Located above the separation seam between the two parts, there was an override handle used for emergencies. Under normal circumstances, when a hatch was locked, only an experienced locksmith could lockpick the hatch.

On both sides of the hatch, there was a centrally painted yellow vertical band with black text. Below the Vault number, the text read, "Warning - Hydraulic Door - 3300 Lbs Pressure". This was the amount of pressure exerted by the hydraulic motors when operating the hatch.

Hatches were designed with three safety features. The first of the safety features was a caution zone marked by yellow boundary lines painted on a corridor floor in front of and behind the hatch. The second safety feature was when the hatch detected an obstruction in its path, the hatch's downward movement stopped and the hatch reversed its movement. This back-and-forth movement was repeated until the hatch is powered off. The final safety feature was a power access switch box wall-mounted close to the hatch's left frame. A switch box had a switch and two power indicator lamps. Under normal conditions, the switch was turned to ON, the lamps glowed green, and the hatch was powered. In an emergency condition, the switch was turned to OFF, the lamps glowed red, and the hatch was not powered. A hatch in this condition couldn't be picked by a locksmith.

For Vault Security, they benefited from this last safety feature. By choosing which hatches were powered, the Security officers could corral a person of interest through a carefully planned route towards a location where the person could be detained without endangering the lives of other residents.

Vault 101 Locations

 * Apartments
 * Classroom
 * Clinic
 * Physician's Office

Hatch Model #2
This hatch was identical in function and safety features to the first hatch model. Some of these hatches could be unlocked by an inexperienced locksmith; whereas, other hatches required a more experienced locksmith.

On both sides of the hatch, there was a centrally painted white vertical band with red text and symbols. Under the palm of a left hand, the words read, "No Access - Authorized Personnel Only". There were downward pointing chevrons above and below the text.

Vault 101 Locations

 * Main Entrance
 * Overseer's Office

Hatch Model #3
This was a one-piece, manually operated hatch. Hydraulic motors swing the hatch out and left when opening, and reversed the movement when closing. On one side of the hatch, there were two circular indicators. When the hatch was closed, both indicators displayed diagonal red lines on a white background. During the hatch's operation when opening, the indicators changed. One of the indicators displayed the word OPEN in red text on a white background; whereas, in the other indicator, the words STAND BACK are displayed in red text on a black background. When this hatch was closed, the lock couldn't be picked by a locksmith.

Vault 101 Locations

 * Filter Room
 * Reactor Room
 * Storeroom (Reactor Level)