What are Fire Doors and How Do They Work?

Fire doors help prevent a fire from spreading giving the occupants additional time to get out of the building in the event of a fire. They confine the fire to a specific area for up to 60 minutes. They are a requirement for some buildings.

Shut

Fire doors only work if they’re kept shut. It provides a smoke and fire resistant barrier for approximately 30 minutes for FD30 doors and 60 minutes for FD60 doors. With some buildings, fire doors are mandatory. Where they aren’t mandatory, it is recommended fire doors are fitted to kitchens and every room with an in-use fireplace. When kept shut, the fire door will help prevent a fire from spreading, giving occupants extra time to get out of the building safely. Although a fire door can’t hold back a fire indefinitely, a fire door will delay the spread. They need to be regularly maintained and inspected. You can easily do that with good fire inspector software.

Installation

Fire doors are thicker and heavier than normal doors. There’s also a few additional steps to take to ensure the fire door is installed correctly. A poorly installed fire door is nothing more than a heavy regular door with a false sense of security. Fire doors are something a trained and qualified professional should handle. The fire door has an intumescent strip running along where the frame and door meet to stop smoke from spreading. Smoke spreads quicker than fire. House fire deaths are usually attributed to smoke inhalation. The smoke can knock someone unconscious in minutes.

Matching There is no reason to compromise the energy flow of your home to make it safe. All doors in the home should match in their styles. Fire doors aren’t excluded from this despite their extra thickness. All doors in the home should be upgraded at the same time. Go through your home and list how many of each type of door you require and select a style that has them all. Glazed options are even available as fire doors to help natural light pass to dark kitchens.

Thickness

A normal door is usually 35mm. A fire door is 45mm. When you swing a fire door in the frame, you might notice it is heavier than a normal door, even a solid wood door. This is due to its fireproof core that helps delay the spread of the fire.

Intumescent Strips
The intumescent strips are what prevents the deadly smoke from spreading. They expand when they get hot, which seals the gap between the door and the frame. They only work if they’re installed correctly. Even if you are hanging all the other doors yourself and feel confident, leave the fire doors to professionals. It could save your life.

You don’t need to compromise on either safety or style in the home, nor do you need to spend your entire decorating budget having fire doors fitted to every doorway. Most doorways won’t want a fire door. How many cupboards do you have in your home? These will want matching hollow doors.

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