In a standard fire door, the door leaf must be free to move within the frame, and in order for this is to be possible, there must be a small gap around the perimeter. ... Intumescent strips are found in the door itself. When they are activated through heat, the materials swell to create a seal.

Do all fire doors have intumescent strips?

During the development of the BWF-CERTIFIRE Fire Door and Doorset Scheme the BWF Manufacturers decided that, to ensure the integrity of the fire door assembly, all scheme fire door assemblies should be fitted with intumescent seals.

Do FD30 doors need intumescent strips?

The minimum rating of a fire door is now predominantly FD30, with intumescent seals being necessary to achieve this rating. This change came about in recognition that very tight edge gaps were necessary to achieve a FD20 fire rating when doors were subjected to fire resistance testing without intumescent strips.

Do all fire doors have smoke seals?

Do I need to fit seals on my fire door? ALL fire doors MUST be fitted with the appropriate seals. They are designed to expand under heat, and fill the gaps between the door leaf and frame, thereby preventing the passage of smoke and fire to other parts or compartments of the building.

How do you put intumescent strips on a fire door?

Most intumescent strips have a self-adhesive backing so peel off the paper on the back and push the strip into the groove firmly to secure it. Make sure the groove is free of dust, dirt or grease before inserting the strip into the groove. A fire door should be self-closing with the aid of a door closer.

How to check your fire doors are safe and compliant?

Where do intumescent strips go?

Intumescent strips are generally fitted into the door frame but are sometimes into grooves in the door itself. If you don't have grooves in your fire door or frame, you can use a router to make a groove suitable for the intumescent strip.

What is the difference between smoke seals and intumescent strips?

A smoke seal is placed in the same places as an intumescent strip, but it is always visible. While the intumescent strip blocks off the fire itself, the smoke seal is designed to only block smoke-protecting you from smoke inhalation. Smoke seals and intumescent strips can indeed work well together.

What is an intumescent strip in a fire door?

Intumescent Strips, or fire door strips, are fitted to the door and, when exposed to extreme heat, expand to close any edges or gaps that may leave the fire door vulnerable to fire and smoke spread.

Is it a legal requirement to have a fire door?

Are fire doors a legal requirement? Fire doors are a legal requirement in all non-domestic properties, such as businesses, commercial premises, and public buildings. They are also required in residential flats and houses of multiple occupancy.

What should the gap be at the bottom of a fire door?

Gaps between fire doors and the door frame should never be more than 4mm or less than 2mm. It's recommended to aim for a 3mm gap to ensure adequate room for the intumescent strips to activate in the event of a fire, and for the smoke seal strips (if installed) to not get damaged by the opening and closing of the door.

What's the difference between FD30 and FD30S?

FD30 is the most common specification for Fire Doors leading to escape routes. ... An FD30 fire door is fire resistant up to a minimum of 30 minutes, whereas an FD30S fire door is fire AND smoke resistant up to a minimum of 30 minutes. The additional S in the rating shows that the door is also smoke resistant.

Can you paint over intumescent strip?

You can only over paint an intumescent strip which is designed for fire protection. You must not over paint a smoke seal. Also, be careful to ensure that the strip isn't damaged by the painter's preparations.

Do fire doors need self closers?

According to ADB volume 2, a self closing device is required on a fire door if: subdividing escape routes to separate two or more storey exits. ... doors opening onto external escape stairs.

Are intumescent hinge pads required?

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFORMATION: It is a legal requirement for hardware fitted to fire resisting doors to be CE marked. ... You should fit these intumescent pads under any CE marked hinges to comply with the marking requirements.

What size intumescent strip do I need?

Intumescent strip is manufactured in various widths and usually comes with a self-adhesive backing, which readily attaches to common frame and door materials. Typically, you would use 10mm or 15mm wide strips for a 30 minute fire door and 20mm wide strip for a 60 minute fire door.

Can fire rated doors be undercut?

1.15. 2 of the 2012 Life Safety Code says you must maintain the fire rated door assemblies in accordance with NFPA 80. Any clearance under the bottom of the door (while it is in the closed position) that exceeds ¾ inch will be considered non-compliant.

How do you know if a door is a fire door?

Certification. The most reliable way to identify a fire door is to look for its certification label. All JELD-WEN fire doors will have a certification label on the top edge of the door leaf.

Can anybody fit a fire door?

For fire doors to be an effective method of protection, they have to be not only carefully made but also fitted correctly. ... However, there is no formal requirement for people who install fire doors to have any particular qualification or accreditation, so anybody – in theory – can take on the task.

Do you need 3 hinges on a fire door?

Fire Regulations require fire doors to be fitted with 3 hinges (which must be 4 inch fire certified hinges). For doors over 2200mm tall, then four hinges can be used to prevent warping.

What is intumescent made of?

It is based on waterproofed sodium silicate. Another high-expansion intumescent popular for use in plastic pipe firestop devices is graphite. Graphite tends to be less affected by atmospheric conditions than many water-bearing intumescents.

What means intumescent?

An intumescent is a substance that swells as a result of heat exposure, thus increasing in volume and decreasing in density. Intumescent materials used in fire protection will increase their volume significantly under the influence of heat (approximately at 200°C).

Is an intumescent strip a smoke seal?

Intumescent strips are similar to smoke seals, but they're designed to protect from fire itself as opposed to smoke. This is generally why both are necessary for full compliance with regulations. Intumescent strips have a different composition, as they're designed to expand in response to high temperatures.

How do you fit intumescent strips and smoke seals?

1. Clean frame with damp cloth, removing dirt and grease.
2. Measure the height of the fire door, noting the position of the lock – and cut the smoke seal strip to fit accordingly.
3. Before using any adhesive, open and close the door with the seal in place.

How tight should a fire door be?

The frame – as with any door it should be as tight a fit to the surrounding brickwork as possible but in the case of a Fire door it is imperative that neither flame or smoke should be able to pass behind the frame therefore backing the frame with an inert material such as Rockwool or similar glass fibre material will ...