How Fire Door Specialists Keep Fire Rated Doors Safe

Fires can be devastating to property and life. Therefore, it is important that buildings can protect people from the sudden spread of fire. Home fires are even more deadly today than ever before. With the proliferation of electronic devices and the use of more synthetic materials in building structures, our homes are more susceptible to fire. This is what fire door specialists emphasized. Homes have been using carpets, fiber cushions, curtains and have padded sofas that differ from those used in the houses of yesteryear such as cotton or feathers. Therefore, when a fire starts, the burning is faster and hotter than ever.

This makes the spread of fire a problem and installing a fire resistant door in strategic places would go some way to ensuring that there is a way to escape the area once a fire breaks out.

Doors that are capable of withstanding burning for a certain period are essential. This will have different ratings, but for smaller areas the rating can be as low as 20-30 minutes. The larger the area to be protected, the higher the rating. There are fire ratings that are as high as 120 minutes. That would give people enough time to search for the exit. For residential areas that are occupied by many people, such as condominiums, there should be a regular inspection by fire door specialists for any fire rated door. In addition, each floor must have an installation of these doors because people must be able to seek safety whenever they are threatened by a fire inside the structure.

Have you noticed that many houses are made of engineered wood? They are materials that are present in many residential structures. Due to the nature of processed wood, the primary challenge of being engulfed by fire quickly is high compared to non-combustible materials. It is not impossible to experience a catastrophic fire when parts of these structures are made of wood. However, not all types of wood would burn fast as it would also depend on the size of the materials. It’s understandable that thinner frames burn faster than thick frames.

Inspection of these doors can take some time. These too are inspected in less than a year because they can experience failure and would not be reliable in a fire if not properly maintained. The inspection must be signed by a certified inspector and kept for reference so that subsequent inspections have a basis on which particular areas to check carefully as the failure may recur.

It is also a rule enforced by fire and life safety codes that these doors must have working door leaves, hardware and locking mechanisms. If not installed correctly and damaged, the replacement of these parts should also be similar fireproof components that are supplied by certified sellers of these parts. There should be no delay in making repairs so that defects can be corrected immediately, even if daily operation is interfered with.