Firedoors and fire protection.

This can be quite a confusing subject but there is a world of difference for fire door requirements between a fire rated door and a fire escape door. Here is some information you may find useful for selecting the right choice for your needs.

Building regulations fire doors can be manufactured from wood or steel and can be a single door or a double door. Fire rated doors are used in both domestic and commercial premises. Fire rated doors must undergo stringent fire door regulations testing depending on the length of time the door has been rated for. This ranges usually from one hour to four hours depending on the location the door is to be installed and the stipulation from the building regulations.

Domestic fire rated doors are used predominately as a fire break between integral garages and loft conversions. They are designed to give the occupants enough time for the fire brigade to arrive to rescue them as there is no other escape route. This is especially true in domestic loft conversion. Fire rated doors also have to pay particular attention to the seals around the door and the frame the door fits into. Fire rated doors can even have glazing installed into them although this does reduce the rating to a maximum of one hour.

The internal make up of a fire rated door varies from fire resistant material in steel doors to the density and thickness of the wood in a wooden fire rated door. The paint used on fire doors can also play a large part in its overall resistance to fire.

To prevent the spread of fire between rooms the fire door must be closed this can either be done manually but this is reliant on the user to ensure the door is always closed. A better option is to use a fire rated door closer.

Emergency fire escape firedoors do not require any official testing as it is not designed to with standard fire for a predetermined length of time. Fire escape or emergency escape doors are designed to be opened quickly in an emergency and use panic hard ware to allow them to be opened without using a key. Fire escape doors tend to open outwards allowing the occupants free and easy access. From a manufacture point of view emergency escape doors can be made from wood, steel or a composite material and can use a variety of single point to multipoint locking systems. Emergency escape doors can be single or double opening and can also be painted or powder coated any colour.

If you require a fire rated security door with an emergency exit then all three can be combined by using an insurance rated security door that has Loss Prevention Council Approval. This means the door has been attacked and tested using various tools that a burglar may use. Certain criteria will apply as the level of security increases; this is especially true for emergency exit doors where internally no key is required to open the door.