The importance of Upgrading Doors to Fire Rated Doors to reach British and European Standards
A common problem throughout the UK is the integrity and safety of fire escape doors within all types of buildings. In effect, fire doors act as both a barrier against fires as well as a means of escape in a burning building. By upgrading doors to a fire rated standard means fires become compartmentalised to the room where the fires are formed, preventing serious rapid fire spread throughout a building. In order to achieve this, intumescent products must be used to protect against fires.
Doors must be rigorously tested and pass a fire resistance test at an accredited test centre in accordance with British and European Standards in order to be accepted as safe by Building Control Officers. At Envirograf, we provide indicative fire testing for doors to ensure its integrity and safety are proven to withstand high temperatures. Doors must be approved in accordance with Document B of UK Building Regulations, including British Standard BS 9999:2017.
Fire doors not only protect against ravaging flames that tear through buildings but also prevent the spread of harmful smoke. Occupants of a building are more likely to succumb to smoke inhalation than to deadly fires, proving that fire-rated doors are essential to protect lives.
In the case of multi-occupational buildings, it’s an obligation of property owners to install fire-rated doors to prevent the spread of fire between rooms and floors.
Fire-rated doors allow between 30 to 60 minutes of fire protection when correctly upgraded. These are more widely known as FD30 or FD60 doors, with alternative versions available to protect against the spread of smoke. This allows valuable time to escape a burning building safely, whilst providing a window of time for fire rescue services to arrive and extinguish ravaging fires.
Envirograf products are able to provide effective passive fire protection to the hinges, panels, gaps and surface of the door. We manufacture a range of products such as intumescent seals, hinges, intumescent paint and more to upgrade doors to fire-rated standards. Our products also comply with current UK Building Regulations.
Certification is provided upon completion of upgrading doors to BS and EN fire standards. A label is placed onto the door as verification of completed upgrade works.
In the event of a fire, metal heats up and damages the door, causing the door to penetrate. Once the door becomes damaged, it loosens from the hinges and falls away, allowing serious fires to spread.
Product 71 – Intumescent hinges, locks and door closer protection provides an effective barrier against flames. The intumescent expands to protect metal and keeps temperatures minimal to avoid early door breakage.
Gaps present between the door and frame do not prevent fire or smoke from passing through the door. Gaps larger than 4mm will require upgrading. Our Product 69 – Intumescent Brush Seals provides a suitable upgrade for doors, with the intumescent expanding to seal the gap in the event of a fire. Alternatively, Product 73 – Rebated acoustic, draught, smoke and weather seals provide additional protection against elements that may damage doors.
We also manufacture Product 49 – Intumescent Letterbox Unit which provides protection against arson attempts.
Different types of doors will require intumescent products to provide effective passive fire protection. The risk side of a door will need to be cleaned from all grease, oils and other dirt before application of fire protection paint.
Our Product 103 – Intumescent Coating Kit comes with a primer, intumescent coat and top coating. Allow enough time for the primer to dry before applying the base and top coating.
Due to the fabric of doors within Historic and Listed buildings, old doors cannot be replaced as this would retract from historical value and significance of a building. Envirograf manufactures a range of fire-resistant products that preserve and protect historical doors, resulting in high performing doors and safer buildings.
Our Product 103 – Intumescent Coating Kit provides a protective layer to historical doors, without impairing its aesthetic or original fabrics.
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