FIRE SAFETY
SPECIFYING FIRE DOOR HARDWARE
» IN SUPPORT OF FIRE DOOR SAFETY Week , Scott Copeland , Category Manager at IronmongeryDirect highlights the key considerations for door hardware and the critical role it plays in ensuring the overall performance and reliability of fire doors to help protect lives .
In England and Wales , Approved Document B ( Fire safety ) of the Building Regulations provides guidance and standards on all aspects of the building , including requirements for fire doors . These are reflected in the equivalent sections of the regulations in Scotland ( Section 2 ) and Northern Ireland ( Part E ).
Doorsets must be fully certified with a CE mark and should be independently tested and approved by a third party , such as Certifire , to guarantee their performance in a fire . Products must also have a Declaration of Performance ( DoP ) from the manufacturer to validate the CE mark .
When installing a fire door , the required hardware such as the locks , latches , closers and hinges , should be compatible with the door leaf ’ s certification . For Certifire Approved fire doors , all of the ironmongery must also be Certifire Approved and this is critical , as fitting a non-approved product to a Certifire door will invalidate its certification .
Door closers
For a certified fire door to be effective and legally compliant with the Building Regulations , it must be able to fully close by itself and remain closed .
Door closers are a crucial element to this and provide the mechanism to ensure the door closes fully from any angle to prevent the spread of smoke and fire , as well as provide safe evacuation routes from a building . Door closers must comply with BS EN1154 “ Controlled Door Closing Devices ” and be CE marked to this standard .
The weight and width of the door , level of traffic through the door and the type of building will determine the specification of the door closer device . Fire door closers must have enough power to reliably close the door and keep it closed in the event of a fire , but not be restrictive . To ensure the door also meets the requirements of The Equality Act 2010 and access regulations , it may be advisable to look for a closer that allows the power to be adjusted on site .
Hinges
Hinges are an essential component of a fire door set to secure the door in its frame and ensure it performs as it should . Fire doors must have at least three hinges that achieve the intended fire door rating , fitted with the correct sized screws and should be CE marked and compliant with BS EN 1935 .
Several factors will determine the strength and features of the hinge required for the fire door . This includes the level of use the hinge must withstand , the size and weight of the door leaf that it is intended to support , and whether the hinge must feature corrosion resistant properties .
Hinges on fire doors should be inspected regularly to check for missing or loose fixings , signs of wear and rising pins . If the door has dropped , all three hinges will need to be exchanged with good quality , CE marked replacements .
Locks and latches
Locks and latches must be CE marked to BS EN 12209 , with the latch fire rating supporting the rating of the door set as a whole , and must be specified based on the application and its level of use . Due to their importance , these should be maintained on an ongoing basis to ensure the latch closes easily and holds the door in place , that the bolts align and the angle of the strike plate is correct .
Specification advice
Common sense dictates that you should only ever specify or install fire door hardware from a reputable manufacturer ; sourced from a trustworthy and responsible merchant . To help professionals select the right products , IronmongeryDirect ’ s team of GAI trained advisors are available to assist with any product queries or specification advice on its wide range of over 18,000 ironmongery solutions .
For fire door installations or refurbishments , it is critical that every aspect of the supply chain - from the manufacturer , the specifier , though to the end user - is aware of their responsibilities to ensure optimal fire safety measures . As such , IronmongeryDirect has produced several in-depth guides , as well as a series of informative videos , all designed to help customers understand the legislation and make the correct specification .
www . ironmongerydirect . co . uk
42
SEP / OCT 2021
locksmithjournal . co . uk Issue Takeover
Magazine Sponsor