16 | JULY 2019
News
Installer News is
sponsored by FENSA
A GUIDE TO FIRE DOOR COMPLIANCE
With fire doors being a crucial part
of passive fire protection, David
Saxby, Senior Category Manager
at IronmongeryDirect, provides
guidance on how to choose fire door
hardware to ensure they comply
with the required regulations…
Fire doors are vital in any
commercial, public or multi-occu-
pancy building to protect life by
preventing fire and smoke from
spreading, whilst also minimising
damage to the building itself.
Despite their importance
however, fire doors still remain a
significant area of neglect, with
faulty, defective or badly installed
fire doors costing lives. Ironmon-
geryDirect, the UK’s largest sup-
plier of ironmongery, has created
a checklist which advises on the
correct specification and mainte-
nance of fire doors, with the aim
of achieving the highest levels of
safety in the event of a fire.
Door closers
As specified by Approved
Document B of the Building
Regulations, a door closer must be
fitted to a fire door to prevent the
spread of flames and smoke by
ensuring it is held closed. One of
the most trusted and economical
options for an overhead closer is
the Arrone AR3500 Door Closer.
With an adjustable power size 2-4,
it’s suitable for living accommoda-
tion, offices and corridors. With a
120-minute fire rating, closing and
latch speed adjustments, back-
check and a 10-year guarantee,
this product offers durability and
flexibility.
Another top choice is the Dorma
TS92 Cam Action Door Closer
which consists of a track arm that
fits neatly against the frame of
the door. The cam action mech-
anism makes the door easier to
open, ideal for fire doors in public
buildings, and is compliant with
BS8300 standard, offering equal
access for the disabled, elderly or
those less able.
Electromagnetic door closers,
such as the GEZE TS4000E Elec-
tromagnetic Door Closer, are a
particularly good choice, provid-
ing a modern and state of the art
alternative. They are wired directly
into a fire detection system,
allowing doors to be held open
for everyday use but which will
then close upon activation of a fire
alarm.
Hold open devices
In certain situations, it may be
inconvenient or impractical for
fire doors to always be closed. For
example, it can present hazards
in a building where there is busy
traffic circulation such as a school
or hospital. Installing a hold-
open device such as the Dorgard
Smartsound is the only legal way
of keeping a fire door open: on
hearing a continuous fire alarm, it
will release, allowing the fire door
to close under the pressure of the
overhead door closer. This new
smartsound technology uses audio
filtering to listen for an actual
alarm, reducing false activations
by background noise
When assessing a fire door, it is
imperative to check that the hold
open device releases when re-
quired, the batteries are working,
and if the device has been tested
in accordance with BS EN1155 for
electromechanical devices.
Hinges, locks
and latches
Because fire doors are much
heavier than normal doors, they
should be fitted with a minimum
of three hinges, although this
can be more for taller doors. The
hinges should always bear the CE
stamp and must be the correct
grade for the type of door.
When checking existing fire
doors, it is important to make sure
the hinges are free of metal frag-
ments and oil leakage which could
indicate signs of wear. If the door
squeaks when it closes, then the
hinges must be replaced. It’s also
important to check that protective
intumescent pads (which expand
when heated) have been fitted in
the correct material.
As with hinges, locks and latch-
es on fire doors must also be CE
stamped to indicate conformity
with protection standards sold
within the European Economic
Area. Locks should also be fitted
with the correct intumescent and
latches must hold the door in
place firmly without rattling.
Seals and vision panels
If a fire door is made from tim-
ber, it must be fitted with intumes-
cent material. The seals around
the doors, which act as smoke
barriers, must also be checked reg-
ularly to ensure they are free from
damage or breakage and tested to
BS 276 part 22.
Furthermore, when doors on
escape routes sub-divide corridors,
they must be fitted with vision
panels.
To view the Fire Door Checklist,
visit: ironmongerydirect.co.uk/
fire-door-checklist