HARDWARE & SECURITY
As per the Regulatory Reform( Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must ensure that a maintenance routine is undertaken and logged for all architectural ironmongery.
The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers( GAI) recommends monthly checks on high-use doors and quarterly inspections elsewhere, and records should be kept as part of the building’ s safety file.
Typical maintenance tasks are straightforward: tightening fixings, lubricating moving parts with the manufacturer’ s approved products, and cleaning with mild detergent and a soft cloth. Silicone sprays, for example, can damage lock cylinders, while abrasive cleaners will strip protective coatings.
Warning signs include handles that don’ t return to horizontal, dragging or misaligned doors, closers leaking fluid, or corrosion appearing in highhumidity areas. These should be acted on immediately.
On a fire door, any of these issues can reduce its ability to perform when it matters most.
Manufacturers often provide their own maintenance guides, such as these helpful videos on how to maintain the ARRONE, a HOPPE Group brand, AR1500 door closer and the AR880 single panic bolt.
Retrofit and upgrades: more than a like-for-like swap
Replacing hardware is not simply a case of fitting the same product again. Changes in building use, regulations or environmental conditions can all mean a higher-grade or more durable finish is needed.
Air gaps, for example, are a common oversight. Excessive clearance between leaf and frame can seriously reduce fire, acoustic and security performance. BS 8214 recommends 2 – 4 mm for timberbased fire doors, and the gap should be checked as part of any retrofit.
Environments such as coastal locations or swimming pools demand higher corrosion resistance than standard stainless steel. Physical Vapour Deposition( PVD) coatings or marinegrade alloys can extend service life dramatically.
Meeting corporate ESG goals as well as green building certification requirements is now a key consideration in door hardware specification. When this is combined with proper maintenance, it maximises both performance and environmental value over the product’ s lifecycle.
Specifying products with Environmental Product Declarations( EPDs), such as those manufactured by HOPPE( UK) and ARRONE, guarantees they possess verified data on their lifecycle environmental impact. EPDs are not yet compulsory in the UK but they may be in the future, and they are fast becoming part of the product specification decision making process.
A simple troubleshooting mindset
Whether during installation or a maintenance round, the same principle applies: identify the cause, not just the symptom.
If a door refuses to latch, is it a faulty lock – or a dropped hinge? If a handle feels loose, is the return spring worn, or are the fixings the wrong type?
Looking beyond the obvious saves time, money and repeat call-outs, while retaining compliance.
The long view The best-performing door hardware is the result of three disciplines working together: correct product specification, competent installation, and planned preventative maintenance. Skimping on any of these almost guarantees problems later.
For facilities teams, contractors and anyone responsible for maintaining compliance and keeping a building’ s doors in working order a proactive approach pays back many times over – not just in fewer breakdowns, but in maintaining the security, accessibility and compliance that good hardware is there to provide.
www. hoppe. co. uk
NOVEMBER 2025
23
Issue Takeover Hardware & Security Sponsor locksmithjournal. co. uk