Fire doors are a key defence mechanism against the spread of fires. They are commonly found in public buildings such as schools, hotels and offices and residential flats. A properly installed fire door will contain a fire for at least 30 minutes allowing invaluable time for those in the building to escape from the premises and out of danger.
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The video below shows a demonstration testing out the defence of a properly installed fire door versus one that doesn’t have the appropriate fire-rated security installed.
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8 Remarkable Moments During the Test
3 minutes - On the properly secured fire door, the intumescent seals in the glazed areas of the door begin to expand. The letterplate seal and intumescent seals also expand to protect the door.
4 minutes - The unprotected door doesn’t have intumescent seals and allows smoke to seep through the cracks around the door.
4 mins 30 secs - Fire breaks through the cracks around the unprotected door.
9 minutes - The architrave begins to fall away, and the fire begins to attack the frame and the door.
9mins 30 secs - Fire breaks through the fixed panel and begins to burn the wall.
17 minutes - The letterplate melts and falls out of the door.
27 minutes - The hinges become detached on the door without intumescent seals and it falls towards the fire.
30 minutes - The fire secure door fitted with intumescent strips is still standing and the fire hasn’t broken through.
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To be prepared for the event of a fire; it is always best to regularly maintain and check your fire doors. Make sure the products installed on the door are fire certified, ensure that gaps around the door are less than 4mm, check intumescent seals for damage, hinges are in working order and make sure that the door closes properly. If you have doubts, we recommend replacing anything that looks damaged or worn.
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Tell us about your experience when installing and checking that fire doors are properly installed.
