Neil ashdown

The Housing Association will be trying to comply with Government advice from MHCLG https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-advice-for-building-owners-including-fire-doors Can your friend confirm the flat entrance door-set is compliant?

This is one for a competent architectural ironmonger. Find you local GAI member at https://www.gai.org.uk/GAI/GAI-Membership/DirectoryofMembers.aspx?ctl01_TemplateBody_WebPartManager1_gwpciMemberSearch_ciMemberSearch_IAIRegAIcontacts_ResultsGrid_Grid1ChangePage=6_20&ctl01_TemplateBody_WebPartManager1_gwpciMemberSearch_ciMemberSearch_NewQueryMenuCommon_ResultsGrid_Grid1ChangePage=11_20

Most standard fire doors cannot be trimmed by such an amount and quite often the top edge may not be trimmed at all. Contact a reputable fire door supplier and ask them for a suitable fire door.

Some chain closers do conform to BS EN1154 and have controls for adjusting the closing speed and the latching action. The self-closing device in the picture looks similar to the Perkomatic by Samuel Heath. Look for a manufacturers mark on the self-closing device and contact them for the adjustment instructions.

In my experience FD60 require 20mm minimum (in one or two strips). Are you sure they are FD60? Sometimes 54mm thick doors are used for other reasons than their fire resistance properties.

For FD30(s) timber-based fire doors the intumescent seal size is usually 4mm thick x 10mm or 15mm wide so and the seal should fit tightly in the groove and flush with the edge of the door leaf. The integral brush or blade should only lightly contact the opposing surface, ie. the one that it sweeps or compresses against. So if the groove is too deep, it would be necessary to cut a fillet from thin hardwood or MDF to fit tightly into the groove behind the intumescent seal. Ensure that the fillet is continuous and that there are no voids behind the seal.

Hi Paul, Fire Door Inspection Scheme Transition Module. Should I come across this elsewhere, I will post here.

Hi Jane, If you wish to keep the doors you could get an expert opinion from a certificated fire door inspector. Try https://fdis.co.uk/find-an-inspector-2/ and https://www.blueskycert.com/members-main/#fire and http://www.nafdi.org.uk/members-search/

No you can't make a fire door and offer it as 'Nominal or Notional'. If you put a fire door on the market it must have evidence of fire resistance performance but that's not a problem because you can use the evidence provided by the door blank manufacturer. Clearly, you have a duty to fabricate and install the door in strict accordance with the door blank manufacturer's technical manual and fire resistance assessment report.

Be mindful that installation of a codelock could possibly affect the fire resisting performance of the door.

Current regulations do not require that fire resisting Flat Entrance Doors have signs. They must have suitable working self-closing devices and smoke seals though. Pages 134 & 135 of https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/832631/Approved_Document_B__fire_safety__volume_1_-_2019_edition.pdf refer.

The current building regulations (England & Wales) that apply to dwelling houses can be found here https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200135/approved_documents/63/part_b_-_fire_safety Appendix C on page 134 deals with Fire Doors. Section C5 deals with self-closing requirements and Table C1 deals with positions of fire doors.

This is a question that should be put to the manufacturer of the particular fire door leaf.

The current building regulations (England & Wales) that apply to dwelling houses can be found here https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200135/approved_documents/63/part_b_-_fire_safety Appendix C on page 134 deals with Fire Doors. Section C5 deals with self-closing requirements and Table C1 deals with positions of fire doors.

The problem is that composite fire resisting doors are designed for flat entrance doors, not for fully exterior situations. So unless you can provide a shelter to sufficiently protect the door from weather, you will need a timber-based fire door. This means the core is made from timber but with the recent technology of engineered timber the door should be stable even in fully exterior situations. The best way forward is to make an enquiry to the technical departments of the door-core manufacturers and ask them where you can buy the door you need using the engineered core that they manufacture. Try these https://www.halspan.com/products/solid-timber-core & https://www.falconpp.co.uk/contact/ Also, remember the thicker and denser the timber the more likely it is to perform well in exterior situations, also ask them about finishes for best edge and face weather protection and whether multi-point locking is permitted.

If an intumescent strip is missing from the edge of the door leaf or from the head or jamb of the door frame, it should be replaced with the correct sized strip and of the same type as the other strips fitted. The reason that intumescent strips are not fitted to both door leaf and frame, is that the intumescent strip is designed to expand to form a seal against a solid surface rather than against an opposing intumescent strip. It is not uncommon to find intumescent strips fitted to both door and frame opposing each other and this has usually been done in ignorance of the fire door installation requirements. Some people often say that having strips fitted in this way could cause the doors to open in a fire situation due to the expanding pressure from both seals and therefore the door would fail to provide the required fire separation performance. However, there are some double leaf fire doors with edge protectors that have been tested with opposing strips to the meeting edges of both door leaves. Clearly, a fire door fitted with intumescent strips in a manner contrary to the door manufacturer's installation requirements could behave in an unpredictable way in a fire situation, that's why the fire door industry trade associations go to such lengths to promote correct and compliant fire door installation. More on this at https://www.ifsa.org.uk/

The 50mm gap is too large for a timber-based fire door assembly. Consult 'BS 8214:2016 Timber-based fire door assemblies - Code of practice' for details about maximum gap sizes and suitable fire stopping materials.

Yes, if they are required by the door leaf manufacturers evidence of fire resistance performance.

That depends on the fire door leaf manufacturers requirements. Many fire door manufacturer's insist that such work is carried out by approved processors under licence. If the vision panel is not fitted in this way, then the fire performance certification for the door is void. However, if you are fabricating a door from a fire door blank, you can cut and glaze vision panels so long as the work is carried out within the scope of the blank manufacturers instructions.

For the door to be properly effective as a fire door the maximum gap at the bottom should be 10mm. You could fit a threshold plate to the floor or cill under the door to rectify this or if you prefer you could fix a hardwood lipping to the bottom edge of the door. Today's building regulations require such a door to be self-closing and to restrict spread of cold smoke FD30(s) so a suitable self-closing device, the correct size intumescent seals and smoke seals should be fitted. To seal the gap at the bottom edge of the door you could fit a threshold seal (see below). Not sure what the requirements were in 1985.

You seem to be describing combined intumescent fire and smoke seals, both are suitable. When fitted the brush or blade should lightly contact the surface of the door edge or door frame to provide an effective seal to restrict the spread of cold smoke. The brush type tends to be more durable but the blade type are more forgiving in terms of the door self-closing and overcoming the resistance fro the seal.

Before you prepare to install and when you carry out the installation, carefully adhere to the fire door leaf manufacturer's instructions. These should include screw fixing sizes, penetration and centres for frame to wall. For advice on smoke seals and threshold requirements try ifsa.org.uk and asdma.com

Although there is no legal requirement for the fire door installer/maintainer to have a particular qualification, there are relevant requirements set out in Article 17 and Article 18 of the Fire Safety Order https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541/article/17/made and https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541/article/18/made There is no list of competent installers / maintainers as far as I am aware.

The standard for door self-closing devices is BS EN 1154. For a fire door the device should be minimum power-size 3 and have controls for adjustment of closing speed and damping action. Section three of the document 'Hardware for Fire & Escape Doors - Code of Practice' at http://www.firecode.org.uk/Code_of_Practice_hardware_for_fire_and_escape_doors.pdf#:~:text=Code of Practice%3A Hardware for Fire and Escape,on fire-resisting doors and doorsets%2C and escape doors. provides detailed information.