In
Australia, fire door maintenance is an imperative and a requirement of the
building code so that people will be safe when there’s a fire. The door rating
depends on what the BCA requires, such as 30 minutes, 45 minutes or 60 minutes
of resistance. These doors are installed to serve as protection from the threat
of spreading fire from one area to another. It is used for compartmentalisation
which is essential when trying to limit the coverage of fire until rescue can
be obtained.
Securing
these doors in their functional state is necessary that is why maintaining each
part and function should be carried out by a certified fire door inspector.
This inspection can be done annually. Fire doors are an important safety
feature of a building. Fire doors are important elements of fire protection placed
at the escape routes. The person responsible should perform the regular check
on these doors and monitor their condition in order to ensure effective
operation.
Regular
programmed maintenance by people experienced in this type of work such as a certifiedfire door inspector should be done to the door and all its parts. Installing
these doors may also be vital in homes that are several stories high and cover
a large floor area. It is done for the safety of the inhabitants and to prevent
irreversible damage like the loss of life of people who are inside a structure.
An
inspection will guarantee that a door is working as it should. These are the
parts that need to be inspected as part of the fire door maintenance:
Door Leaf – Door leaf may consist of double leaves or single leaf. You
may also find siding fire resistant doors. It is the duty of the inspector to
verify the door leaf is made by authemtic manufacturers. There will be a label
that can be read even when painted on. Also, the door leaf should have the
appropriate distance from the floor and must have seals like intumescent seals
or smoke seals.
Door Openers – Door openers must function well so that they are
self-latching or self-closing. Should the door openers are stuck, they should
be repaired since these should remain functioning all the time.
Door Frames – when a door frame is used with a fire door, it must also
be made of fire-resistant framing material. This can warrant the correct
function of the entire door set.
Door Locks – Fire doors must not contain any deadbolt or locks. A door
of this type should be passable at anytime, whether it is an ordinary day but
most essentially, it should be free from locks when there’s a fire.
Door Hardware – The Building Code of Australia requires any hardware to
be fire resistant when used with the fire door. This will ensure that the door
will stand according to its resistance because no hardware has melted first.
Door Clearance From Top And Bottom – Enough space must be given at the
bottom edge as well as at the top edge
of the door to prevent smoke from seeping through. Even cold smoke is a hazard,
so the installation of smoke seals may be needed. However, all fire doors must
contain intumescent seals that will expand during exposure to extreme heat and
make the door tight so fire and smoke cannot pass through it.
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