You’ve likely seen fire doors in hotels, restaurants and other businesses but do you know what they do? How they work? And how much of an impact they actually have on damage during fires?
In this blog, we’re going to be answering some of the most frequently asked questions on where they’re required, how much they cost and lots more.
If you’re unsure whether fire doors are the right choice for your property, read on and we’ll help you make an informed choice, protect your property and achieve peace of mind.
What are Fire Doors?
Fire doors are doors that have been engineered to prevent the spread of fire by withstanding heat, smoke and flames. They extend the timeframe for people to safely exit a building in the event of a fire and are built with a specialist fire-resistance that must be certified and guaranteed by rigorous testing. This ensures that each door meets the safety requirements necessary to prevent the spread of fire.
What are Fire Doors Made Of?
Fire doors are made of different timbers, such as solid timber and engineered wood and fire resistant composites. In some cases metals such as steel are also involved in the construction of fire doors.
Some fire doors also feature panels of fire resistant glass, for enhanced visibility to help during fires or for enhanced aesthetic appeal.
How Do Fire Doors Work?
Fire doors have a number of elements which work together to effectively prevent the spread of fire for a period of 30 or 60 minutes.
Materials:
The materials used in the construction of fire doors are chosen to withstand immense heat, smoke and flames without severe damage, preventing the spread of fire in its tracks.
Intumescent Strips
These are strips which are either adhered around the door frame or the edge of the door itself which expand, when triggered by excessive heat, to fully seal the gaps between the door and the frame. These strips act as a barrier for smoke, heat and flames preventing this from spreading around the door.
Self Closing Mechanism
Fire doors must self close meaning they cannot be left open accidentally, and cannot legally be wedged open. This is to prevent the doors from remaining open in case of a fire, ensuring they are able to prevent the spread of any fires in emergencies.
How Long Do Fire Doors Last?
Fire doors are manufactured to prevent the spread of fire for either 30 minutes (FD30) or 60 minutes (FD60), when installed correctly and used in accordance with the guidelines.
Fire doors themselves don't expire, however they can become less effective over time. It’s important to have your fire doors routinely inspected by a registered professional to ensure these will remain effective in a fire. As a rule of thumb, any fire doors older than 20 years should be closely inspected to ensure these adhere to any new standards introduced.
What Are Fire Doors Used For?
Fire doors are used in commercial buildings such as hotels, restaurants, shopping centres, supermarkets, as well as other public buildings such as schools, universities, hospitals and nursing homes. Fire doors are also frequently used within rented accommodation, particularly for HMOs, apartments, and student accommodation.
What Are the Laws on Fire Doors?
The law in the UK states that all non-domestic buildings or properties must use fire doors within them. This includes any public buildings such as libraries, schools, hospitals as well as any business premises, HMOs or apartment blocks. There are also certain regulations for domestic properties which we will cover below.
Do I Need Fire Doors in My House?
If you are renting a property, it is a requirement that there is a fire door in place leading from the kitchen to any other space and from any integral garage into the main residence. If you live in or own a HMO, you will also require fire doors separating all living spaces and common spaces.
If your home is a rented property with more than two storeys, you will also require fire doors on all bedrooms or habitable spaces leading into any stairwells; as well as fire doors to any kitchens and integral garages as mentioned before. This multistorey rule applies to privately owned homes that have had multistorey extensions or loft conversions.
Any privately owned or rented properties that have connected business premises also require a fire door separating these two areas for example a pub with accommodation above or an extension being used as a business premises.
Installing Fire Doors
Installing fire doors is a complex process which can impact their efficiency if not done correctly. The unique combination of the door itself and the accompanying hardware, fire seals, and mechanisms must all be installed correctly for them to work together to prevent the spread of fire.
Who Can Install Fire Doors?
Fire doors should only be fitted by trained and certified fire door specialists. Specialist installation is crucial to the efficiency of fire doors and when incorrectly installed, fire doors can fail in emergency situations.
How Much are Fire Doors?
The cost of fire doors varies depending on the materials used, their FD Rating (FD30 or FD60), the types of fire door hardware needed and the style of the door. These can range from £200 to £600, including professional fitting all the way up to £1000 for commercial grade fire doors with custom requirements.
H3: Are Fire Doors Worth It?
Yes, fire doors are worth it. In the UK, for the past five years there have been over 200 fire related fatalities every year, most of which occur in residential dwellings. On average, the cost of fire damage to residential buildings is around £21,500 going up to £75,000 for businesses; paling in comparison to the price of installing fire doors.
Protecting your property, your family and your possessions is invaluable and fire doors can help you severely reduce the impact of fires, helping reduce the damage to your property and helping give people a higher chance of survival.
Choosing Fire Doors
At Doordeals, we understand the importance of safeguarding your homes and your businesses, not to mention the people important to you. We proudly stock a huge range of both FD30 and FD60 rated fire doors. Our collection features both domestic and commercial fire doors and we also carry a selection of fire door hardware helping you maximise the impact of your fire doors. Our fire door sets make it simple to find everything you need for a safe, effective installation giving you peace of mind and convenience at a brilliant price.