A Buyers Guide to Fire Doors
A Buyers Guide to Fire Doors
Put simply, fire doors are designed to stop fires from spreading out of control within a property. This can, in turn, save lives and prevent damage. Choosing to install a fire door in your home can seem like a daunting prospect. It’s something you want to get right, so please continue reading our guide to fire doors to learn more.
How is a Fire Door Different from a Normal Door?
Fire doors are manufactured with a special solid core construction which is designed to stop the spread of fire. The fire service website states that fire doors are designed to ensure compartmentation of fires, which basically means stopping the fire spreading as much as possible.
There are different ratings of fire door core available, at different price points, which all offer different levels of protection against fire.
The minimum rating is FD30, which offers 30 minutes of fire resistance, whilst the higher-rated FD60 offers 60 minutes protection.
How Does a Fire Door Work?
Fire doors have special strips that expand rapidly when they are exposed to extreme heat, such as would be created in a fire. This expansion will seal the gap between the door and the frame and create a barrier against the fire. Some of these strips will also prevent smoke, but not all of them. In order for it to work correctly, it must be correctly fitted and kept closed at all times.
Do I Need a Fire Door?
It is generally recommended that fire doors are installed in rooms where fires are most likely to start. For instance, the kitchen or any room with a fireplace.
As a guide to fire doors, it is mandatory under Building Regulations that in renovations and new builds if there is a door to be added to a loft conversion it must be a fire door. Internal garage doors that lead into houses must be fire doors and any doors in houses of three stories or more that lead to the outside must be fire doors.
Fire doors are also mandatory for cupboards containing electrical or gas services. It is also worth remembering that you can have as many fire doors as you want in your house; if you want the extra peace of mind it is worth investing.
Fitting
In order for a fire door to work effectively, it must be fitted properly. We recommend that you deal with a specialist for this. There are many things that need to be taken into consideration when fitting a fire door.
Next Steps After Reading Our Guide to Fire Doors
Hopefully, this guide to fire doors means you feel more informed about what a fire door is, how it works, whether you need one, and how to get one fitted.
If you think that a fire door is right for your home, go ahead and design your fire door here.
We have multiple different colour options, window options, and hardware options to help you design a fire door that fits with your home.