Fire Doors and Accessories

Hi there, We have to fit a double set of 30 minute fire doors to our new kitchen as it off the hallway by the staircase, and the house has an attic room. However, building control have refused to provide any more information beyond this and I am struggling to understand the requirements of the regulations. We have found two period 30 minute doors (Deanta Kingston) that match the rest in the house and hope to have these fitted using a 30 minute fire rated door lining, hinges, latch and intumescent strip(s). What I am finding difficult to understand is how we keep the doors securely closed without compromising their fire certification. I have manged to find a flush f…

Can anyone tell me what approved document would have been used for fire safety in 2004? We found a sticker on top of a fire door which has this date on it and would like to know more about regulations around the time of install.

Can anyone point to requirement to have a blue mandatory warning sign on residents bedroom doors in care homes that have a swing free device fitted? Is there an exemption on bedroom doors being required to have these under building regulations? Thank You

Hi, Can you install a thumb turn lock in a stairwell door (emergency escape route). I didn’t think you could but some of the staff in the office want the lock installed. There is no lock at door at the moment. So would a push bar be better option?

hi, i manage a childrens residential home, for young people with disabilities and behavioural issues. We are having our fire system updated and we’re asked today whether if our Maglock system fails we have a fail safe back up, we have had numerous risk assessments completed and carry out weekly checks on our system and this has never been raised or asked before as it is connected to the mains power. However today we were advised we need green push to release buttons too. Due to the nature of my young people I am concerned that these make them less safe than if they were not in place. Can someone point me in the direction of the regulation which required me to have a…

I've just occupied a new building and I have a query about office doors. Most of our doors are solid fire doors but is there a requirement for offices to have a glass strip to assist with office clearances during fire warden checks of the building after an alarm?

I'd like to ask for views on how you go about assessing the above.I'm conscious that the current available guidance sets out that doors incorporating panels are unlikely to be suitably fire resisting (with 44mm core thickness being the recognised acceptable standard). However, I'm seeing an increasing number of panelled timber fire door products, and often come across existing timber panelled doors in a block of flats which are uniform in design and appear to be the original doors. When such doors are in sound condition and also incorporate other features of a fire door assembly which you would expect to see (suitable self closers, fire rated hinges, suitable intumescent …

Hi, Do all steel doors need to have smoke seals. We have a set of doors at our workplace with no seals. The room has compressed air bottles in it so I would have thought they would be needed.

hello I am trying to find out if my front door needs a lock that can be opened without a key in case of a fire. What law do I follow thanks for your help Chris

Hi, if timber fire doors are being surveyed under the guidance of Bs 8214 what bs standard is used to survey steel doors?

My name is Derek Gough and I m working as a building control officer. I have numbers of responsibilities like responding to emergency calls to check buildings which have been damaged by fire, bad weather, or due to poor building standards. Working closely with construction workers on planning proposals. Carrying out inspections on site at each stage of the building process. Recently, my manager added one more responsibility to inspect fire doors as per country regulations but I do not have a specific certification. Can anyone suggest me the best institute for fire door inspection?

I have read that fire doors with overhead mounted self closers require a minimum of grade 13 hinges. This is due to the increased stress on the hinge. Is this correct?

Hi, we have a riser cupboard fire door with smoke seals in our office which is on pivot hinges. Can you tell me what the gap should be under the door? . It seems there is bigger gap where the hinge is. Do you get more tolerance with pivot door hinges?

Hi I have a question regarding old fire doors and frames. The building where I work is a place of worship and is open to the public, private members, guest, visitors and has 4 residential flats within. The building is not grade listed and does not have an internal conservation order. The fire doors were installed in 1958 and I believe that they are referred to now as 'notional' doors. The doors themselves are made of solid oak with viewing panels. The types of door are single leaf and double leaf doors (apologies if that is not the correct terminology). At work, we have been debating as to the doors' compliance. The condition of the the 30 doors (majority doub…

Hi, Hoping you could assist with a query re flat entrance doors. The fire risk assessor has advised that ideally, the flat entrance doors in my block of flats should have locks that are 'easily and immediately openable, without the use of a key i.e thumb-turn locks'. Their reasoning for this was that the doors form a necessary part of the escape route for the occupants and thus occupants may be hindered if they cannot access/find their key. I understand that the flat doors are under my responsibility however i was under the impression that only the final exit doors needed to be secured in this way and didnt think this applied to the flat doors themselve…

Hi Is it possible to lip the top of the frame to close the gap at the head of the doors to the frame on a nominal door? thanks

Hi Can you please assist What is classed as a small gap between door and frame to allow intumescent seal to work

Hello all, Please can you advice on a fire rated pocket door and it's system. I have recently been going through a rebovation in my home, after a structural engineer advice we have opened up a wall between kitchen and living room and the beams have to be 125 mm thick minimum so we did that. And because we live in a flat we need to change all the doors in the flat to fira rated doors. We have bought a single fire rated door system with jambs from eclisse to fit 125 thick wall as per their description on the website but they have send us a jambs fitting only finished wall 100mm. They refusing a refund claiming that fire regulations only allow fire rated pocket door of …

Hi, I'm converting my loft and have been instructed to change certain doors too fire doors to me regulations. Can I just change the doors or do I have to change the frames also. I have one door that is a solid timber door that needs to be a 30min can the intumescent strip just be installed on this as the door is set into a load bearing wall on the ground floor. Thanks Brad

Hello there, I am currently living in a block of flats with fire doors, and they all bang shut - loudly. None of them have a spring mechanism, whereas other dwellings I have lived in have done. I have repeatedly asked neighbours to mind them, but not all of them do and it has become such a nuisance I am considering moving elsewhere. Can you please tell me, what can be done and is it worth my addressing this issue with the company who maintain the building? Regards,

I have a property that I let out to students. i am refurbishing the house and I would like to paint the fire doors as they have some marks on them. The fire doors are plain wood with no paint on. Can I use any paint to paint the doors or do i need to use a special paint? Many thanks,

I need to fit a fire door frame tomorrow! I've just read the intumescent strip should be on the side where the fire is likely to start ie kitchen, it should be kitchen side. I Need to find out if that’s mandatory as currently fire door opens outward (if going into kitchen) so strip is on the outside. Don’t want to install it and then the fire inspector says its the wrong way. I need to change it as the previous cowboy left it in a right mess

Our fire doors are around 5 years old now and whilst doing the annual inspection, most of the hinges are now leaking oil. Am i best to replace these? Or is this still deemed acceptable? Thanks

I am trying to find out whether rising butts are permissible for the front doors of flats.It is a 1930`s building which is being refubished. The doors open onto an internal corridor. The Buildig Regulations are not very clear.

Hi We live in a basement/garden flat of a converted Victorian semi-detached house. There are four flats above us which share a front entrance and communal staircase / landing areas. Our flat has its own entrace from the side of the building. We have been informed by our managing agents that based on a fire risk assessment all flat entrance doors should have hydraulic overhead closures and combined intumescent strip / smoke seals installed. The risk assessment has not differenciated the requirements between the five flats. This requirement makes sense to me for the four flats above us, as their entrance doors open to the communal areas which will be the common e…