Neil Ashdown MAFDI

The installation should have been completed in accordance with Building Regulations because replacement of fire doors is a notifiable activity and the local building control office should have been informed. The installer should have completed the installation in accordance with the fire resistance performance certification for the products used and installed as well as the relevant Code of Practice BS 8214: 2016. Your task now is to ascertain whether the installer has complied with the above. If they haven't, you have a legitimate reason to make a complaint.

Its OK to install intumescent and smoke seals to an existing timber-based fire door leaf. But first its important to ensure that concealed intumescents have not been fitted and if they have not then make sure the intumescent seals you fit are the same type as those already fitted at the other edges or in the door frame. For double leaf fire doors, both leaves should be of the same type and evidence of fire performance should be checked where possible.

So the installer seems to have made a mistake? The installer should be contacted and remedial works, approved by the door manufacturer, should be carried out. Subject to reasonable acceptance by the client.

Good information. Thank you.

From what you have said here, I would say the door does not need to be a fire door. The door opens onto an outside area so risk to other building users is virtually nil. However, in some such cases the door may still need to be self-closing fire door with smoke control where there is risk to life because an another property or walkway is located near to or directly above the door. Furthermore, the fact that behind your door is just a staircase (going upwards) lessens the risk to life safety for others considerably.

This self-closer is not suitable for a fire resistant door. Read the section on door self-closing devices at this document for more information: https://www.firecode.org.uk/

From what you have said here, it would seem the door was in poor condition. A fire door should completely and reliably self-close without having to be pushed, so the fact that it failed to do so would suggest that the door was in poor condition.

If the doors need to be fire resisting doors but are of a non-standard size or shape, then you will need to buy custom made fire doors and door frames.

There is no mandatory requirement in terms of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for existing emergency exit / panic escape hardware to be CE or UKCA marked. However, Article 17 of the Order requires that they are maintained in good repair and in efficient working order.

Nominal fire doors can only ever be existing doors already installed in a building - one would never install a nominal fire door. Any new fire door that you purchase to install at the holiday property will have documentary evidence of fire performance. Therefore the door must be installed in accordance with the manufacturers certification. The frames and handles may be reused provided that they comply with the specification in the manufacturers certification, including where the door frame reverse face meets the surrounding wall construction.

Misalignment of the door leaf and door frame is a common issue. In terms of requirement of the installation to comply with product certification the door leaf must not stand proud of the door frame or if this is permitted there will be a very tight allowance, typically 1mm. As far as the door leaf being "off" the rebate stop, I have not yet encountered a limit for this issue and recommend where the stop is the planted type that it be moved to compensate for any twist in the door. For a frame with a rebate machined from the solid this would not be possible of course. To be correct, one should always check with the particular door manufacturer to see what is permitted in terms of tolerance for the door leaf to stop dimension.

So long as the specification of the existing door frame meets the requirements for the new door leaf, then yes. So you need to obtain the product data sheet for the new leaf and check that the existing frame meets the requirements therein.

Or if you do want to persevere with a timber door, try Strebord or Strecore here https://falcon-timber.com/downloads/

One more that could be worth a try. This guy knows his stuff https://www.solarwindows.co.uk/team/3/john-lewis

Be sure to check the technical manual for the timber fire door core or installation data sheet for a timber fire door leaf. That document will advise which ironmongery is permitted.

If that won't work because the door leaf closing edge is eased at the corner, you could use these instead:

Use flat intumescent strips (fire-only) but with batwing seals to deal with restricted smoke spread.

You could ask these people https://www.permadoor.co.uk/contact-us/

Double swing action door?

https://www.firedoorscomplete.com/news/nominal-fire-doors-notional-fire-doors-upgrading-fire-doors The revised version of BS 8214 is due out soon, it might have a different view! Its open for comment at https://standardsdevelopment.bsigroup.com/Unauthenticated

Yes, I agree its an issue for me too. I have some evidence of fire resistance performance for a cylinder rim night latch and it refers to fire resistance performance tests. In terms of compatibility, I would only install one where I can be certain the type of door is covered by the available test evidence including intumescent protection and location of the device. Even then I wouldn't recommend one due to issues with the self-closer often failing to overcome the resistance from the latch strike.

The building may have changed. "On the day" is important.

It would appear that the doors you describe are most likely not fire resisting doors. Has a fire risk assessment been carried out? Are these doors considered adequate for the purposes of fire protection?

Its not the installers job to advise exactly where fire doors are required, that is a job for the Fire Risk Assessor. There should be a Fire Risk Assessment document for the building. Consult that document for information and if there's no relevant information there discuss this with the Fire Risk Assessor via your client.

This looks like an edge seal of intumescent material. FD120 doors require a greater amount of intumescent edge sealing than lower rated fire doors. Is there any mark, label or plug on the door enabling traceability to the door manufacturer? If so it should be possible to answer your question by consulting them.