Technical library
Fire doors
Doorsets, tags, hardware, clearances, seals and the evidence behind them.
Fire doors articles
Can a fire door be repaired?
Sometimes. A repair is only a good answer when the defect is understood and the repair method is supported for the actual doorset and the component involved.
Scott CunninghamCan you install a digital lock or access control on a fire door?
Sometimes, but it depends on the exact doorset, the hardware, how it is fixed, how cables are routed, and how the door is required to close and latch. There is no useful universal yes or no.
Scott CunninghamCan you modify a fire door?
Potentially, but not by assumption. Drilling, cutting, glazing, adding hardware or changing a component can affect the evidence that supports the doorset.
Scott CunninghamDo fire doors need seals?
It depends on the doorset and the project requirement. Different seals do different jobs, and a missing or damaged seal cannot be assessed properly without knowing what the doorset was designed to use.
Scott CunninghamHow do you identify a suspect asbestos fire door?
Age, construction and records can raise suspicion, but appearance alone cannot establish that a door is asbestos-free or asbestos-containing. Do not disturb a suspect leaf to find out.
Scott CunninghamWhat do gaps around a fire door mean?
Clearances matter, but the correct limit is not a number to guess from a photograph. The acceptable condition depends on the applicable doorset evidence, the location around the leaf, and the project requirements.
Scott CunninghamWhat does a fire door tag tell you?
A tag can help identify a fire doorset and connect it to records, but a tag on its own does not prove the current installation is acceptable. The door may have been altered after it was tagged.
Scott CunninghamWhat does AS 1905.1 mean for fire doors?
AS 1530.4 is the fire test. AS 1905.1 is the standard that governs the doorset itself — how a fire-resistant doorset is constructed, identified and installed into the surrounding construction. Once the building is in service, routine inspection and maintenance of fire and smoke doors is AS 1851. The door is not the leaf. It is the leaf, the frame, the hardware, the seals, any glazing and the fixing into the wall, tested together and relied on together.
Scott CunninghamWhat is a fire door and what is a doorset?
A fire door is not only the door leaf. The performance of the opening depends on the complete doorset and on how it is installed in the surrounding construction.
Scott CunninghamWhat records should exist for a fire door?
Good records let the next person identify the asset, understand what was installed or repaired, and see the evidence behind that work. The exact handover package depends on the project and the contract.
Scott CunninghamWhat should a fire door inspection report contain?
A useful report identifies the asset, records what was observed, distinguishes fact from assumption, shows supporting photographs, and gives a next action another person can act on.
Scott CunninghamWhat should you check when a fire door will not close or latch?
Start with what is physically stopping the door. A door that does not reach the closed and latched position needs the cause identified — not the closer simply wound up until it slams.
Scott CunninghamWhen should a fire door be replaced?
Replacement becomes the cleaner option when the existing doorset is too damaged, too altered, or too poorly documented for a supported repair to make technical or commercial sense.
Scott Cunningham
Still not sure what you are looking at?
Send the tag, the schedule reference and photographs of the actual condition. We will tell you what they show and what else is needed.