FAQ'S
Is a fire door a legal requirement?
All new buildings should come ready with fire doors installed that protect
escape routes. If your home has more than two storeys, a fire-resistant
door is critical in improving the safety of your building and complying with
building regulations. Any door that leads to a stairwell should be a fire door,
and there should also be a fire door between your garage and your home
How do I know if my door is a fire door?
A front door on a flat within a property is legally required to be a fire door in accordance with Building Regulations. The components of a fire door can be checked online. The door will have an identifying certification label on the top, a minimum of three hinges and close firmly into the latch from a half-open position. It is important to know if your door is a fire door if you are planning to make any alterations or modifications to the door. If you install non-fire-rated hardware on a fire door, the entire door opening will lose its fire rating. For example, non-fire-certified locks are not built to withstand the heat and/or pressure created by fire and could fail, meaning the door could blow open allowing the fire to quickly pass
Can you fit a fire door to an existing frame?
Frames usually require modification as fire doors are generally thicker than standard plain doors. Some fire doors often have ‘fire seals’ which have a groove inset in the frame/lining. A professional installer will be able to help adjust the frame to fit the fire door
How do I know if my doors are installed properly?
Open the door, look at the inside of the door, the surface that touches the wall when the door is closed. Near the hinge, you should find a label and a little round yellow or blue plug with a tree shape metal insert. The metal tree will have an embossed three-character number on it. The number will be registered to a certified fire door installer. The door must be fire stopped, remove the architrave. There must be absolutely no gap between the wall and door. If there is a gap the fire door is rendered useless as a fire can jump through the gap. The two most common categories of fire doors are FD30 and FD60 fire doors, which offer 30 and 60 minutes of fire protection respectively. However, their effectiveness can be compromised if they are incorrectly installed. The door must only be installed on walls with at least 30-minute fire resistance. The walls must be brick, blockwork, timber or steel stud all of a minimum 85mm thickness. Look for the “ Certifire ” label on the top of the door leaf to show that the door is independently 3rd party certified as a fire door and closely follow these installation
instructions. The Certifire label on the top of the door leaf must not be removed. Essential Ironmongery such as locks, latches, closers and hinges MUST NOT be changed. Modifying the door in any way is not allowed. The gap between the leaf and frame when closed should be no greater than 5mm and no less than 3mm. Check for any intumescent seals around the door or frame and ensure they are intact. Check that the closer shuts the door onto the latch from any position