Neil Ashdown MAFDI

Cold smoke separation will likely be an issue where a fire door opens onto a staircase. Ensure your fire risk assessment addresses fire and cold smoke separation issues before making a decision about the requirements for the door.

When selecting a self-closing device for a fire door consult the document 'Hardware for Fire and Escape Doors' at http://firecode.org.uk/Code_of_Practice_hardware_for_fire_and_escape_doors.pdf Also be mindful that concealed self-closing devices are not suitable for some type of timber based fire doors. It depends on core construction.

There's no legislation on whether the self-closer is fitted outside or inside. The usual reasons are because there's no room on the inside (because of a bulkhead for example) or because the building owner/operator wants to check each door has a self-closer without having to look inside each flat. Generally overhead self-closing devices work better fitted to the inside.

The guidance document 'Fire Safety in Purpose Built Blocks of Flats' by the Local Government Association covers this subject.

What you should do is..............Inform the residents about the importance of self-closing fire doors with effective smoke seals. Inspections by FDIS inspectors have shown these to be common faults and a recent inspection for a housing association found 57% of newly installed fire doors were non compliant on these issues alone. If you need help,let me know.

Intumescent gaskets placed behind the hinge blades will limit heat transfer from the metal hinge to the timber door and frame. They are required for FD60 door installations and sometimes for FD30. Always use the correct type, size and number of screws, its those little fellas that hold the door in its frame!

The gap at the bottom of the fire door is important. If the gap is too large, the issue is 1) That cold-smoke may spread from the fire side and 2) That cold air from the non fire side may be drawn under the door and feed the fire to aid its development. The maximum gap allowed for a fire door is generally 10mm between the door bottom edge and the floor covering. The maximum gap for a fire door with smoke protection is 3mm but if this is not possible a gap of up to 10mm is permissible with the use of a smoke seal to seal the gap at the door bottom edge. The easiest way to achieve the above is to use a hardwood threshold strip, that way you can get a consistent gap as well as avoid the door sticking on the carpet and failing to self-close.

When we use the word 'door' in terms of fire doors we mean the complete installed door assembly. An FD60 is very different to an FD30 door in terms of the quality of the components that make up the assembly. In order to upgrade fire separation protection from 30 to 60 minutes it will be necessary to upgrade the entire fire door assembly.

If it is a fire door in a common area to provide fire and smoke separation then under Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the landlord / building operator has a duty to ensure that the fire door is ‘subject to a suitable system of maintenance and maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair’. This means the ‘Responsible Person’ under the Order has a duty to ensure the door will provide sufficient protection to contain the fire and smoke so as to ensure the safety of persons in or around the building in the event of a fire.

The answer is maybe not! I am assuming the doors are timber based? Not all fire doors are suitable for glazing and all fire doors will have limitations to the amount of FR glass permitted. Other issues are margins from edge of door to glass panel and margins between glass panels. If you still wish to proceed with glazing you are well advised to consult a fire door expert who can assess the door's suitability for glazing and provide a specification for glazing it.

Hi Brian, I believe the door was manufactured by Premdor. The PLUS most likely refers to the door type Popular Plus which I think would be a paint grade internal flush door and FS I believe refers to the door type 'Fireshield'. 826 refers to the standard door-size of 826mm wide x 2040mm high and this size should not have been reduced by more than about 6mm (3mm from each vertical edge and 6mm from the bottom) for installation. If the door is 44mm thick it should be FD30 and if its 54mm thick it should be FD60. The door or frame must be fitted with intumescent fire seals and as its a flat entrance door it should have cold smoke seals. In order to provide effective smoke protection the brush or blade of these should contact its opposing face (ie. the one that it sweeps or compresses against). The door bottom gap should not exceed 10mm for a fire door and 3mm (or have a brush seal for smoke) for a fire door providing smoke protection. The gaps around the perimeter of the door should not exceed 4mm between the edge of the door and the frame reveal. The door should be fitted with a fire-rated self-closing device to a minimum power-size 3 of BS EN 1154 and must self-close (without any help) all the way to the rebate stop overcoming any resistance from the latch bolt, strike or smoke seals. If you have any problems with the door please report them in writing to the building manager.

Building Regulations apply to new buildings or where there is a proposal to change the use of an existing building (say for example: from an office block to a block of flats). From what you say, it sounds like what you are doing is trying to upgrade the fire performance of a door.

Hi Doorguy, Assuming these are cupboard doors FDKL. You need to use 'projection hinges' and as its a fire door they need to be CE marked BS EN 1935 compliant fire rated ones. Depending on the size of the doors a minimum of three hinges are required for each leaf.

Hi Rob, You may find 'Section 3 : Door Closing Devices' of the Code of Practice : Hardware for Fire and Escape Doors useful. http://firecode.org.uk/Code_of_Practice_hardware_for_fire_and_escape_doors.pdf

Hi David, A flat entrance door opening onto a common area should be a FD30s door so that the common corridor/hall/lobby area is protected in-case of a fire inside the flat. This is so that people may escape safely using the common area without it being compromised by the effects of smoke and fire. The door must have a BS EN 1154 compliant self-closing device that has been successfully fire performance tested on a FD30 fire door of the type installed at your flat. The door should have a lock / latch fitted that enables key-less egress from inside the flat. If you can find out which company manufactured the fire door you can ask them about the type of lock that may be fitted as well as its position at the locking stile. Some fire doors have a lock-block and installation of the lock is then limited to a defined location. More information in the LGA document Fire Safety in Purpose Built Blocks of Flats http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Fire safety in purpose built flats.pdf and LACORS guidance https://www.rla.org.uk/landlord/guides/housing_act/lacors_fire_safety.shtml

The flat entrance doors should be FD30s fire doors as they open onto common areas.They should give protection against fire and smoke spread from inside the flat to the common areas, in a fire. The common areas must be protected against fire and smoke spread so that people may safely escape in a fire. In some cases (with flats) there may be a stay-put policy in which case the flat entrance door should provide protection until such time as the fire can be dealt with and/or the person(s) evacuated. Check out the local government publication 'Fire Safety in Purpose Built Blocks of Flats' http://www.local.gov.uk/fire-safety-purpose-built-flats and LACORS guidance for fire safety in flats https://www.rla.org.uk/docs/LACORSFSguideApril62009.PDF You could also contact your local Fire and Rescue service for advice or contact a fire door inspector.

Hi Marie, The doors are fire doors with smoke protection because building regulations (approved document B) say they need to be. When closed they should provide protection from fire and smoke spread so that in a fire somebody on the upper floor should be able to safely escape, passing a fire in a room in a lower floor, using the staircase. Most designs of timber door are also available as FD30(s) fire doors. Fire doors are 44mm thick whereas standard doors are only 35mm or 40mm so you would have to alter the door frame accordingly. With this in mind and the fire and smoke protection issue I can't think of any reason to fit non fire doors instead. All the best with your home improvements!

Hi CherylH, You don't say if the work you are doing is subject to building regulations? What I can tell you is that not all timber fire doors are suitable to be used as a pair. Fire doors are fire performance tested for certain configurations (double leaf, single leaf, single swing action, double swing etc) so my advice would be to make sure you purchase fire doors that have evidence of fire performance where used as a pair of double doors. Don't forget to correctly fit the cold smoke seals too.

Hi Gavin, Tom is correct. Generally, for FD30s doors intumescent fire seals may be interrupted at the hinge blades and latch positions. Ask the joiner why he has removed the certification labels because you are correct the label must be remain intact and indeed there are limits for planing / trimming door edges on many fire doors. As a minimum I would insist that the installer provides fire performance certification from the fire door manufacturer. Going back to seals, make sure he has fitted the cold smoke seals correctly. In order to be effective the brush or blade (when fitted in the door frame reveal) must contact the opposing door edge. As above they may be interrupted for hinges and latches but there must be no gap between the seal brush or blade and the door edge itself.

Or you could fit a replacement self-closing device that incorporates closing speed/damping adjustment.

Hi Valerie, Its important that the self closing device is compliant to BS EN1154, fitted correctly and that the correct seals are used and installed correctly. You can find help and advice in you area by contacting a CertFDI qualified Fire Door Inspector www.fdis.co.uk/inspector