Fire Door Query

maybe_tomorrow_2

Good afternoon,

In order to get my loft conversion signed off I have been told I require fire doors to all habitable rooms in my home, FD30's. The existing doors are pine and I am reluctant to replace them as it will be expensive.

Would I need to fit new frames to hold the fire doors or can they be fitted to existing frames?

Also can anyone advise on an alternative to having firedoors that a council might agree too? I have seen various posts about having hardwired smoke alarms in every room as an alternative?

Can I modify existing doors in some way instead?

Thanks

Rodney_Trotter

What does your local building inspector say about it?

maybe_tomorrow_2

building inspector stated - all habitable rooms to be upgraded to FD30 fire doors.

System

The fire rating is for a door including the frame, for 30 mins protection however you may get away with the frames in place (although it may be hard to prove, depends how picky the inspector is being)

30 minute fire doors– frames or linings can be made of softwood, with a minimum density of 450 kg/m3 (or to match the density and frame dimensions given in the manufacturers’ installation instructions)

You might also have to get fire doors where the intumescent strip rebated into the door rather than altering your existing frame.

Fire doors are rated and insisted on for a reason when you go above two stories, I would be very surprised if there was any way around not getting proper, rated, doors installed - unless you installed a sprinkler system.

Rodney_Trotter

maybe_tomorrow wrote: »

building inspector stated - all habitable rooms to be upgraded to FD30 fire doors.

As they'll be signing off your regs looks like you'll have to comply.

maybe_tomorrow_2

Ok, accepted I may need to get the doors, how how do i know whether these will fit on my existing frames?

Rodney_Trotter

maybe_tomorrow wrote: »

Ok, accepted I may need to get the doors, how how do i know whether these will fit on my existing frames?

Do you own a tape measure?

maybe_tomorrow_2

Also, on a wide range of fire doors currently sold your must buy and fit the self-adhesive intumescent strips separately to the new fire door/frame. So why not propose to just fit the strip to my existing doors? Assuming my existing pine door is the same thickness as a pine firedoor then what other differences between the doors are there?

Browntoa

Fire doors have a marker that the building inspector will look for so there's no getting round that by using the existing doors


https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=cr&ei=TAHMUrWXMOSGyQO6ooGoCw#q=fire+door+markings

maybe_tomorrow_2

I appreciate that but whats the physical difference between say a 45mm thick pine door and a 45mm thick pine firedoor? assuming a strip needs to be fitted separately.

Rodney_Trotter

maybe_tomorrow wrote: »

I appreciate that but whats the physical difference between say a 45mm thick pine door and a 45mm thick pine firedoor? assuming a strip needs to be fitted separately.

One will be rated to a 30 minute burn time, that will be the fire door.