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‘Hold open devices such as the Dorgard Fire Door Holder
are a great way of legally holding open fire doors in high
traffic areas such as corridors instead of using a wedge’
provide vital fire
protection for the critical weak
points of the lock.
When choosing a latch it’s
important to go for strong,
quality brands as they need to hold
the door firmly in place without
rattling. They also need to have the
correct intumescent sleeve fitted to
it to retain the doors integrity.
Both locks and latches should
be CE marked and further product
certification by a third party is
recommended.
‘When choosing a latch
it’s important to go for the
strong, quality brands’
Door closers
Another important feature to
consider when ensuring a fire door
is fit for purpose is its door closer.
Automatic closing devices operate
to ensure that doors close properly
to prevent the spread of fire. They
should be fitted to all fire doors and
be capable of closing the door from
any angle of opening. This can be
tested by opening the door to five
degrees and making sure it closes
and engages with the latch. Fire
door closers need to work unaided
– if you have to help it along then
it’s not working properly and this
needs to be put right.
Another factor to bear in
mind is that most door closers
are graded with a power size.
This needs to be a minimum of
size 3 for a fire door; any
lower than this and it is
not considered suitable
and needs to be changed
immediately. As closers
for fire doors have a
critical safety function,
they must be able to
overcome any resistance from
locks, latches or sealing systems
that are present on the door. They
should also be CE marked to BS
EN 1154 including annex A.
Hold open devices
Hold open devices such as the
Dorgard Fire Door Holder are a
great way of legally holding open
fire doors in high traffic areas
such as corridors instead of using
a wedge or other device, which
is against fire regulations. These
devices, used together with a door
closer, will activate after hearing a
fire alarm allowing the door to close
automatically.
These devices need to be
maintained and tested on a regular
basis. The unit must be located in
the vicinity of the active alarm or
bell in order to operate correctly.
As fire doors are a fundamental
part of fire protection it’s essential
to consider every detail when
installing, maintaining and
checking them in order that they
provide the maximum protection
against the spread of fires. All
components need to be checked
on a regular basis and repaired or
replaced if they are found to be
damaged or broken.
‘A good
example of
a quality
lock is the
Altro Euro
Profile
Sashlock
which
boasts a
60 minute
fire rating,
meaning
it will
withstand
the effects
of a f