A Helpful Checklist For Pre Hung Commercial Doorsets
All commercial buildings – offices, retail, and hospitality outlets amongst these – are required to have approved fire doors throughout the property. This is especially important in buildings such as hospitals, schools, nurseries, and any environment in which potentially vulnerable people may be present. These commercial doorsets must all be of a certain standard and installed and maintained as such to ensure they are fit for purpose in providing the necessary protection in the event of a fire outbreak – here is a checklist of all the different aspects and components of pre hung fire doors for commercial buildings of which you should be aware:
Intumescent Seals
These are one of the additional features of commercial doorsets that identify them as fire doors as opposed to ordinary doorsets, and one of the most important fire safety components. These seals are fitted or incorporated into a fire door to surround the frame of the door – when exposed to excess heat, these intumescent seals expand and form a barrier around the door blocking any possible gaps between the door itself and the frame. These seals prevent the spread of all the dangerous aspects of a fire outbreak – heat, flame, and the potentially fatal smoke – and contains the fire in the initial outbreak area. These seals must ALWAYS be in perfect condition to be effective – if regular maintenance checks reveal any damage or wear and tear, they must be repaired or replaced immediately.
Locks
Likewise, with locks and latches on pre hung fire doors, these must also be fitted with intumescent protection to maintain the integrity and effective use of the door – you should check for ill-fitting or damaged locks and, if any breach is found, repair or replace immediately.
Hinges
Pre hung fire doors must be fitted with a minimum of three sets of hinges held securely with appropriately sized screws and regularly inspected for any damage or wear.
Hold Open Devices
Many commercial doorsets will be fitted with hold open devices -these are designed to hold a door in the open position under everyday conditions, but released the moment a fire alarm is sounded or triggered. Regularly check the links between the device and the fire alarm or sound trigger to ensure that they are performing as they should.
Door Closers
As opposed to the doors fitted with hold open devices, some fire doors for commercial buildings may be fitted with door closers to ensure that they remain shut in everyday conditions. As with the other door components mentioned, regular checks are required on these door closers to ensure they never remain open after passage through them, and that the seals are always in perfect order – any damage or wear must be reported and dealt with immediately.
Door Furniture
All other door components, such as handles and latches, must be compliant with fire safety standards and maintained to the highest order. Any glazed panels must be fitted with appropriate fire tested glass and all beading and other fixtures must be appropriately approved.
Signage
All commercial fire doors must display the relevant signage identifying them as fire doors and, where appropriate, as emergency exits or escape route passages. Those doors that need to be closed when not in use should display signage informing people of that, and the same appropriate instructional signage should be present on those doors that should be kept open in everyday situations.
Enfield Doors
For all aspects of door safety, it is always worth speaking with experienced fire door manufacturers and providers. Enfield Doors are long-established and highly respected fire door specialists in London – they can advise you on all aspects of door safety from the fitting of finger safe doors to the protective values of Fd30 fire doors, which provide up to 30 minutes of protection from the harmful effects of a fire outbreak, through Fd60 fire doors and other higher-rated protection fire doors offering the same containment and protective fire safety for different time periods.
