How to upgrade a door to a fire door?

[Guest charlierich]

Hi , I wondered if there is a pamphlet regarding the regulations re fitting fire doors. We are converting a loft in an old house .

1) do we have to fit imtumecent seals, if we have a ready made fire door?

2) if we fit the seals to excisting doors does that make them fire proof to standard?

3) do we have to do anything else to the frames?

thanks for your time, I hope you can help us. charlie

[Tom Sutton]

What you are proposing will require Building Regulations approval and as the result it will be up to the building control officer what him/her will accept. I am assuming you are not fitting a certified fire door set therefore it is almost certain you will need intumescent seals and maybe smoke seals. As the result you will have a nominal fire door which is fully explained in http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-doors/ and for more information on intumescent seals try

http://www.ifsa.org.uk/guidance.html

Providing the frame has a 12mm rebate and the the fire door is well fitted, then it shouldn't be necessary to do anything to the frame.

[Guest Charlie]

Sorry, Tom, what do you mean with the frame having a 12mm rebate?

Charlie

[Tom Sutton]

When you close a door it closes against a stop to prevent the door continuing through the frame. On most doors this stop is usually 12mm deep providing it it isn't a double swing door and this 12mm stop is known as the rebate. Many moons ago this rebate was increased to 25mm on fire doors but since the introduction of intumescent strips 12mm is adequate.

[Guest mattCharl]

Hi Tom

Thank you so much for your time , you managed to answer my question. We are fitting a certified fire door and you explained with that i don't need a frame seal. Thanks .

Is there a way of making an ordinary door up to fire door standard as the building regs people have asked /told us now we have to make the landing doors now to fire standard, they are unusually small as doors and finding them as certified ready made ones has become hard . We could make the door frames larger(horrid) and obviously don't wish too.

Sorry to keep picking your brains.

cheers Charlie

[Safelincs]

Hi Charlie

You can get fire doors or fire doors and frames made to measure quite easily to fit into your existing opening or even into an existing frame (although you have to make a number of fire safety assumptions about the existing frame).

The pages to visit about made to measure fire doors are http://www.safelincs.co.uk/Fire-Doors-with-30-minutes-protection-FD30/

Harry

[Tom Sutton]

Hi Charlie

Harry answered your question for me and having the frame makes it much more compliant.

[Guest Eddy Priest]

Can you clad both sides of a normal door with pink fire retardant plaster board to make it 1/2 fire resistant ❓ 

[Safelincs]

Hi Eddie

You might find this article about upgrading to fire doors helpful

Harry

 

[Neil Ashdown MAFDI]

Hi Eddie,

Fire performance products must be installed in accordance with supporting evidence from a fire test report or assessment. If you are proposing to over board a door to improve its fire separation performance make sure you refer to the product data sheets to check suitability of the board for that application. You will also find the above mentioned article, about upgrading doors, useful with regard to the numerous components of the door assembly that contribute to its fire and smoke separation performance.

[Guest Becca]

Having read all of the comments. i have got an FD30 door in the correct frame, with the certificate. however the gap at the bottom of the door is excessive. is there anything that i can put at the bottom of the door to lessen the gap and still meet the requirements?

[Tom Sutton]

Yes you can fit a threshold seal depending how big the gap is. Check out https://www.safelincs.co.uk/fire-and-smoke-seals/?fga=true&msclkid=60a6f9fa633217f6ccbca2172942109c&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=SL Text%3A fire door seals&utm_term=fire door %2Bthreshold seal&utm_content=Threshold seal#AFASDBSM/330.

[Guest alex griffiges]

On 10/10/2011 at 21:41, Tom Sutton said:

Hi Charlie

 

Harry answered your question for me and having the frame makes it much more compliant.

hello tom i recently had a visit from the council licensing  to inspect the property for a licence .I rent out a two bedroomed mid traced house to a female couple.she inspected the place and said that i need a electrical fire alarm fitted ( 3 battery smoke alarms and a carbon monoxide fitted) 2 fire doors fitted to bedrooms and escape windows fitted to the bedrooms ....is there any advice from anybody????

[AnthonyB]

I've answered your duplicate post in the Fire Risk Assessment section - something isn't right somewhere!