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Replacement of Fire Doors

Client: Advanced Computer Systems
Value: £7.9k

This client occupies a three storey building, each floor has landings and fire doors into those landings on each floor from each flight of stairs. As a result of a fire risk assessment, it was noted that there were too many gaps around the doors to meet current regulations, and the gaps needed to be reduced.

Fire Door Challenge

At first glance, replacing the doors would appear to be a simple job. However, on investigation we found that the glazed screens were produced many years ago, and each doorset was measured to a different size, so it was highly likely that each of the screens on each floor was made on site, individually. Each of the door sets had different problems with them. The current doors relied on a floor spring that was built into the floor which had since failed, and extra door closers were added with not the correct power to swing the doors properly. Each of the door sets also had different gaps, so it would not be possible to completely manufacture the doors with big windows in them, as when fitted each door pair would be needed to be ‘chopped in’ which would make the windows on the door not line up with the windows either side on the glazed screens. We had to take into account the fact that each screen was different.

The solution was not to try and match vision panels in the doors with the glass in the side screen, but to use a completely different vision panel design.

Existing Fire Doors

As you can see from the above photographs the existing doors had vision panels at approximately the same height as the glass panels on either side. Over the years the doors and frames had dropped, and as the doors had to be planned to fit, it would not be possible to line them up again.

Other Challenges

The old floor springs to close the doors had long since expired and the problem with them is that they could not just be replaced as the parts were no longer available. The whole mechanism had to be taken out and we replaced the hole with stainless steel plates.

Finished Fire Doors

All three floors on each of the landings had to have new doors which now comply with the smalls gaps that are required with fire doors. If you would like to discuss any issues with fire doors, we are happy to help. Please call our office on 01380 73 88 44, or email us using our contact form on this website.