Fire Door Query

maybe_tomorrow_2

what gives it a 30 min burn time over a non-fire pine door of the same thickness?

JimmyTheWig

maybe_tomorrow wrote: »

what gives it a 30 min burn time over a non-fire pine door of the same thickness?

I don't know the answer, but I think it's a case of demonstrating the issue rather than actually conforming.
The inspector will _not_ set a fire on one side of the door, time 30 minutes and sign it off if he is still alive. He will check the rating of the door.

Presumably your doors don't have ratings, so won't pass the inspection.

jackyann

For odd reasons (not worth the telling) I ended up with advice from 2 different local authorities about fire doors in the same building, and was amazed at the difference in interpretation.

I have always found the building inspectors helpful, and, as Rodney says, their department will be ones signing off. So my advice is to go to see them and ask them to talk you through it. In my experience they don't want to make life difficult, just make sure of compliance, and their advice is sound & sensible.
We haven't got a special door frame for our fire door.

I would also talk to whoever did the supplies for your loft conversion. When I spoke to a local building supplier and told him I wanted 5 doors all the same, I got a 40% discount.

maybe_tomorrow_2

Thanks for that, useful to know. Also there is a guidance document called "WIS 1 - 32 Upgrading Timber doorsets for fire resistance". It gives some alternatives which as you say above are to be agreed with BC.

joinaman

Might be worth having a word with your building inspector to see if he will be flexible on the fire doors
We did a conversion a couple of years ago which had pine doors on, and after talking to the inspector, he allowed us to keep the doors, providing we fitted intumescent smoke seals and door closers.
We used the argument that none of the floors or ceilings were more than 20minutes rated so not much point in fitting 30 minutes fire doors
As any fireman will tell you, it's the smoke that's the killer, not the fire
After the work was signed off, the owner removed the closers but kept the smoke seals