Frequently asked Questions

Fire Resistance: The fire resistance of your door is dictated by your buildings fire risk assessment. For example, FD30S - 30 min fire & smoke protection. It is your responsibility to inform us of what level you require when installing and maintaining a door as it will be dependent on your unique circumstances. 

Hardware: The hardware fitted will depend on the doors usage. Your fire risk assessment will help determine this ie the use of hold open devises, air transfer grills etc. You may also want to check with your insurer about locks and other security features. 

Finished Look: We are able to supply a large range of fire door sets. From bespoke sizing, oak veneered panelled door sets to flush painted door sets and everything in between. 

Specification Sign Off: When installing a door set we will ask you to sign off the specification before any work takes place. Remember to consult your fire risk assessment and any other interested parties. 

A final note: In the case of flat entrance doors, you may want to check the look of your with your building directors / the management company as some blocks demand a uniform finish across all doors. 

The FD number tells you what your door sets fire resistance period is.  FD30 means the door set has been designed and cirtified to stop the spread of fire for 30 minutes. FD60 is 60 minutes, FD90 is 90 minues and FD120 is 120 minutes. When an FD number is followed by a 'S' that indicates that the door is smoke controlled, in other words it's designed to stop the spread of smoke as well as fire. 

These doors have undergone extensive testing to ensure that they meet the required standard for their rating. They should be supplied with test evidence and be fitted with a certification sicker to the top edge. 

Doors can also be classified as Nominal or Notional. However, this means that they do not hold evidence that they meet the desired fire rating. For more information check out the FAQ section intitled ‘what are notional and nominal fire  doors’. 

The fire resistance of your door is dictated by your buildings fire risk assessment. It is your responsibility to inform us of what level you require when installing and maintaining a door as it will be dependent on your unique circumstances.  

Nominal Fire Doors: 

A nominal fire door is a timber-based door, that in the opion of the fire door inspector, can provide  a fire door resistance performance for a specified period of time. However, they are not the same as certified fire doors which have undergone fire door resistance performance tests to give an indication of fire performance and determine their fire door rating. The performance of the door is simply relied upon by the fire door inspector’s opinion.

Notional Fire Doors: 

A notional fire door is a fire door that satisfied the standards applicable to fire door resistance at the time of construction. These types of doors are therefore not the most up-to-date with the latest codes, regulations and tests, and may not have been fitted with intumescent strips and smoke seals, and may not even be constructed correctly.

Current Requirements 

Nowadays, fire doors undergo fire door resistance performance tests to give an indication of fire performance and determine their fire door rating. When doors are fitted they should have a cirtififcation sticker on the top edge and come with detailed cirtification paperwork - the cirtificte of approval. 

Nominal and notional fire doors have not undergone these performance tests and so do not carry any evidence of fire door resistance or a certificate of approval. They therefore carry a greater risk of fire resistance and should be noted in any fire risk assessment carried out on buildings with these types of doors.

The simple answer is NO! 

Fire doors are specialist equipment. They have been through rigorous testing to ensure that they are fit for purpose and that they function as required in the event of a fire.  It's simply not possible to add or remove 'bits' to make them fire compliant. 

Each door should be installed as directed by the door’s specific installation instructions. These are based on the fire test that particular door set has been subject to.

When maintaining a door, we can only use tested industry recognised Accepted Repair Techniques, and where available the original installation instructions. Maintenance returns doors to their original installed state, it does not upgrade. 

If the doorset was installed incorrectly or the materials used are not suitable then a replacement doorset should be fitted. Further proof, if any was needed, that employing a competent fire door installer is absolute must. 

This is another name for your fire door. It is made up of the following individual components;

* Door leaf

* Door frame & architrave 

* Fire stopping between the frame & architrave

* Seals 

* Fire rated hinges

Depending on the purpose of the door you may also find the following fire rated items: Overhead door closer, air transfer grill, drop down smoke seals, hold open devices, locks, handles, letter plates & viewing holes, kick plates, finger guards, signage and glazing 

When installing a doorset, we always use the best quality components which are British Standard Kite marked and CIRTIFIRE tested. We source from reliable suppliers, and are able to provide fire test evidence helping to ensure you have everything you need to maintain your door in the future and meet your responsibilities as the Responsible Person.

What the law says: Current Building Regulations, via Fire safety: Approved Document B, require fire doors to be tested and certified to BS 476 Part 22 or BS EN 1634 Part 1 (the European equivalent).

There are strict rules around the gaps between the door leaf and frame of a fire door. Excessive gaps can result in fire and smoke escaping which undermines the doors fire stopping abilities. 

The sides and top of the door should be between 2-4mm. 3mm is the optimum size - the thickness of a £1 coin. The gap at the bottom should be between 8-10mm to allow free movement of the door when in use. However, in the case of smoke-controlled door, the bottom gap is significantly reduced to 3mm. 

Through use, door gaps can change. We can use a set of industry Accepted Repair Techniques to adjust gaps. If a door has been poorly installed, with gaps exceeding the tolerated amount, we may have to replace the door leaf, or entire door set. 

When having a fire door installed, make sure you check the gaps before signing off the job as any errors may lead to costly repairs or replacemnets. We’re proud of our installation team; all our jobs come with an Installation and Maintenance Manual  and include measurements and photos of the installed door gaps. 

These methods of repair that have been fully fire tested and approved for use in the maintenace and repair of fire doors. 

We use the BM TRADA Q Mark system. 

Our BM TRADA Q Mark Fire Door Condition Reports help remove compliance uncertainty, empowering you to make the right decisions for your building. 

We undertake a 22-point survey of your door and provide a detailed report on the condition of your doors and any actions required to bring them back to compliance. (We are unable to upgrade a doorset to improve their fire resistance.)

The condition survey dose NOT determine the fire resistance of a door. 

Our survey uses BM TRADA Q Mark approach & methodology. 

Everyday use of fire doors can and does compromise their fire stopping abilities. 

Common maintenance actions include: 

* Refixing seals

* Adjusting or replacing door closers

* Replacing worn hinges

* Repairing damage to the door leaf or frame

* Adjusting door gaps

We use BM TRADA Q Mark Accepted Repair Techniques to undertake repairs. These have been fully fire tested to ensure compliance. 

We are not able to change the configuration of the door, upgrade it or determine its fire stopping abilities. The aim of the maintenance program is to maintain door so that it is returned to its originally installed state. 

Sometimes, we are not able to repair a door. In these situations we will provide a full report of our findings and a fully costed quote for replacement. 

What the law says: 

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Approved Document B demands that fire doors must be "subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair".

In January 2023, the rules where further tightened as part of The Fire Safety Act 2021. This includes quarterly inspections of fire doors in residential buildings over 11m, and timely inspections of blocks under 11m to make sure that all fire doors, including flat entrance doors, are capable of providing adequate protection.

As set out by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, building operators in England and Wales should appoint a ‘Responsible Person’ to manage all fire safety precautions including fire doors. 

This person might be the employer, the managing agent or owner or another appointed person. Their legal responsibilities include a duty to reduce the risk of fire spreading within the premises. Fire doors play an important part in reducing this risk in many buildings.

For more information, please visist Gov.uk. 

Q-Mark is the product certification scheme for building and construction products operated by BM TRADA.

We are a member of BM TRADA Q Mark Fire Door Maintenance & Installation schemes. 

BM TRADA is one of the UK’s leading certification bodies with over 35 years’ experience and accredited by UKAS since 1991. Regarded as the most rigorous certification process available, you can be sure that work undertaken is of the highest standard & fully compliant with current fire door regulations. Our work is certified through this scheme and comes complete with supporting Q Mark paperwork ensuring performance, quality, reliability & traceability.

BM Trada Q-Mark Registered.  Maintainer: 1149 Installer: 1925