5 Steps to Check the Safety of Your Fire Door

Buildings typically get some damage as their structural materials age. They can also obtain some damage once exposed to weather elements like heat, wind, and moisture. Even the accumulation of dust, dirt and other debris from the surroundings can generate damage to buildings and their outdoor features.

But one element that can swiftly destroy buildings and even neighbouring properties is fire. Fortunately, tons of active and passive fire protection devices and materials can be integrated into properties to protect them from fire hazards. One of these materials is fire doors.

Fire doors are special types of doors that boast a fire-resistance rating. They are part of the passive fire protection system, which makes them capable of slowing down the spread of fire and smoke between compartments of a building. If you currently maximise fire doors, you must conduct the following steps to see if they are still safe or not.

1. Assess the Certification

Fire doors can only be sold publicly and installed in properties if they have been certified by regulatory bodies. Without appropriate certification, your property may not be able to contain the spread of fire and smoke. You can check the certification of your supposed fire doors by looking at the label or the plug on top of them. You can also use a mirror or your phone’s front camera so you can check the said labels or plugs from the other side of these doors.

2. Check the Surrounding Gaps

Fire, smoke, and other elements can conveniently spread from one place to another once they have found some openings in a room or space. For fire doors, their gaps should be less than 4mm when closed. You can check if their gaps are intact by trying to fit in a coin. If your coin can freely fit into the gaps, you may want to have the doors serviced right away. Spotting a light under the door also means that it has large gaps.

3. Evaluate the Seals

Fire doors are often packed with intumescent seals are them. Even the frame contains these seals. What makes these seals great for fire safety is they can expand and close any gaps once they have been exposed to heat. Evaluating the condition of the seals as early as now can help you know if they are still in great condition. Once you have spotted some damages, you must have them replaced right away.

4. Check the Hinges

The hinges of your fire doors should also be checked and assessed to see if they are fixed firmly. Your fire doors can only function optimally if all their hinges are installed properly. The existence of missing or broken screws and hinges will only make your fire doors vulnerable to damage. Worse, these doors might not function whenever necessary, which can lead to more property damages and a higher number of casualties.

5. Test the Closing Mechanism

One more step that you must do to check the safety of your fire doors is to test their closing mechanisms. Fire doors must be able to close by themselves whenever they are opened. Once closed, they must firmly close onto the latch without getting stuck along the way. If your fire doors do not close properly, you must have them serviced right away.

To know more about fire doors assessment and our fire consultancy services, you can contact us at Key Compliance.