Fire Door Maintenance 101: Tips for Ensuring Optimal Performance

We are JST Construction, a company based in the North West of England that specialise in various sections of building work.

One of our specialist areas is fire safety and protection and this blog in particular is surrounding the subject of fire door maintenance.

We’ll include tips on what you can do to ensure optimal performance of your doors at all times as well as information on the topic in general. Fire doors are a critical component of any building’s passive fire protection system.

Their primary function is to compartmentalise and contain fires, allowing occupants to safely evacuate and preventing the spread of flames, smoke and toxic fumes.

These cleverly put together structures could potentially save someone’s life. You need to make sure they are maintained properly and effectively.

This way they will be able to retain high levels of performance in high stake situations. 

Looking to arrange a survey and receive a quotation for fire doors? Call us right away at 0151 355 9232 or use our online contact form. 

Fire Doors – Overview

Before delving into maintenance tips, let’s briefly review the basics of fire doors. Fire doors are specially designed and tested to withstand fire and heat for a specified duration. They are equipped with fire-resistant materials and are typically installed in fire-rated walls to form fire-resistant barriers.

Fire doors come with a fire rating, noted in minutes, indicating the duration for which they can resist fire and smoke.

Due to the fact that fire doors may be more complex than you first thought, you need to ensure they are looked at regularly. They must be put through lots of testing and inspection before being fit to remain in its place.

These tests must be done by a trained and qualified professional such as ourselves as problems and issues can be identified quickly and with certainty before a solution is offered. Some common things we often find upon initial inspection are; cracks in door panels, warping, missing components, slanted frames, broken handles, chips in corners and much more.

If you see any of these things then be sure to give your local fire door company a call as they’ll be able to sort it in no time.

The reason we are telling you is so you know what to look out for when you’re checking out your own doors which you should do anyway. 

Signs Of Fire Door Damage

Lots of fire doors have smoke seals or intumescent strips which are essentially there to stop the spread of smoke and fire when the fire door is shut.

If these seals and strips are not tightly secure to the perimeter of the door they may not function correctly.

For example an intumescent strip expands when exposed to heat which seals a gap between smoke, fire and human life on the other side of a door. If the strip isn’t in place or is damaged, it might not expand which could let a leak occur therefore presenting a danger to life.

Another visible issue is damage to the fire door in any way.

Damage could be a deep scratch, a dent, a broken handle, a chip or anything else that’s clearly aesthetically wrong. Any of these things would have an effect on the performance of the door.

Damages should be dealt with properly and promptly by calling a professional team in to fix it.

When doing your checks, another thing to look out for is stiff or squeaky movement in the door. There must be a smooth opening and closing movement for the door to be at optimal performance levels.

There are some other things to look out for too, which we’d absolutely love to explain should you get in touch with us.

Fire Door Maintenance – Our Top Tips

Here’s some top tips to implement in your fire door maintenance strategy. These will keep you in line with regulations and comply with an ethical duty of care to the occupants of your building.

• We advise you to create a maintenance log which details all the checks you did with timestamps.
• Keep records of inspections, tests, repairs, and any other relevant information.
• We also recommend that you put all your staff members through training and education programmes.
• Test the functionality of door closers regularly to ensure that fire doors close fully and latch securely.
• If you notice any signs of damage, such as cracks, splits, or warping, address the issues promptly.

Contact JST Construction

In summary, fire doors are a critical safety feature that can save lives and protect property during a fire emergency. By adhering to a comprehensive fire door maintenance programme, you’re not only being responsible but you’re also enhancing the chances massively of damage limitation should a fire break out.

With a proactive approach to fire door maintenance, you can have peace of mind knowing that your fire doors are ready to perform optimally when needed most.

For more valuable information on fire door maintenance or to inquire about our service, please get in touch with us here at JST Construction. You can give us a call using our direct number which is 0151 355 9232.