The Complete Guide to Fire Doors: 5 Crucial Considerations

Raju Kumar
3 min readNov 22, 2023

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Your fire doors can be maintained in an easy-to-understand manner. Nonetheless, you should arrange to have them inspected. A well-maintained fire door will save lives and protect property by offering a sufficient escape route, preventing fire, and dispersing smoke in the case of a fire. Maintaining your fire-retardant door is something you owe to everyone who enters your building, as well as their families. This is both legally and morally required. You should know these five guidelines to maintain your fire doors properly.

The legal requirement for fire door maintenance

Following the Fire Safety Order, all fire-rated doors must be fitted and maintained correctly. If you disregard this legal requirement, your doors will be deemed unusable, and you will have violated the safety directive. This can result in legal action or the building’s closure.

Checks need to be conducted every six months.

An examination should be done every six months or a quarter in a freshly inhabited building for fire door maintenance. A busy structure with frequent fire door use should be checked weekly for damage. Document inspections and urge personnel to report issues.

Checking a fire door and frameset

Inspections must be thorough to comply with rules. Ensure the door frame door gap is right and the seals are intact. All around the door frame, leave 3–4mm. Checking the door gap with a pound coin is ideal. The transfer grille should also be transparent, and the signage should be correct. Check that the smoke seals are in good shape and securely fit the door length and groove. Replace damaged or misfitted seals with the same size and intumescent material. Replace smoke seals in a continuous length.

Resolving Found Errors

You should fix your fire doors as soon as possible if your inspection indicates they require repair. Verify that the door is compatible with any changed parts and that the appropriate tools were used for the repairs. Check your fire retardant door certificate data sheet or contact the manufacturer with any questions about any components. Before checking for problems, close your fire door and place the door seals in the frame.

Do this to confirm:

  • Fully open the door and ensure it closes without dragging it to the ground.
  • Spread the door open to a width of about 5 to 10 degrees, then make sure the seal or latch closes correctly.
  • The door should close slowly and smoothly to prevent slamming shut, taking five seconds to close from a 90-degree angle.
  • The hinges should be securely fastened into the door frame, with no evident wear or stains near the hinge knuckle.
  • Purchasing a digital force gauge that allows you to determine each fire door’s opening and closing forces could be a smart option if you have several of them.

Fire doors made by the top fire door manufacturers must comply with the necessary certification and testing marks. The top of the door or slightly below the door set hinge is where this label should be placed. Painting over or otherwise tampering with the label invalidates its certification. Make quick contact with the manufacturer if the label is damaged.

Choosing the correct fire door, following codes, and using skilled installers are crucial to fire door performance.

Maintaining fire doors is a legal and moral obligation to ensure safety. Regular inspections, proper door gaps, intact seals, and correct signage are essential for compliance. Choosing certified fire doors and skilled installers is crucial for optimal performance.

Vijay Systems specializes in the design and installation of fire doors and partitions, ensuring the safety and protection of buildings. Their expertise and commitment to quality make them a trusted choice for fire safety solutions.

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Raju Kumar
Raju Kumar

Written by Raju Kumar

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I am a Skilled blog content writer (9+ years) with industry knowledge (cloud training, etc.). I craft engaging content to help businesses and readers.

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