Should fire doors have intumescent strips?
It is generally accepted that to provide the required level of fire resistance, all fire doors should be reinforced with either intumescent strips, cold smoke seals or a combination of both. According to the British Standard 476 fire safety standards, most doors need to be S-type (smoke sealed) doors.
Do FD30 doors need intumescent strips?
The minimum rating of a fire door is now predominantly FD30, with intumescent seals being necessary to achieve this rating. This change came about in recognition that very tight edge gaps were necessary to achieve a FD20 fire rating when doors were subjected to fire resistance testing without intumescent strips.
Do intumescent strips go on door or frame?
Should I put the intumescent strip in the door or frame? Intumescent strips are generally fitted into the door frame but are sometimes into grooves in the door itself. If you don’t have grooves in your fire door or frame, you can use a router to make a groove suitable for the intumescent strip.
What size intumescent strip do I need?
Intumescent strip is manufactured in various widths and usually comes with a self-adhesive backing, which readily attaches to common frame and door materials. Typically, you would use 10mm or 15mm wide strips for a 30 minute fire door and 20mm wide strip for a 60 minute fire door.
Are intumescent hinge pads a legal requirement?
In many cases (but not all), the fire test assessment for the door states that for standard sized FD30 doors, intumescent hinge pads are not required.
Do you need a seal on the bottom of a fire door?
Do I need to fit seals on my fire door? ALL fire doors MUST be fitted with the appropriate seals. They are designed to expand under heat, and fill the gaps between the door leaf and frame, thereby preventing the passage of smoke and fire to other parts or compartments of the building.
Can intumescent strips be surface mounted?
This can be stopped by fitting intumescent fire door seals. Surface mounted fire door seals are easy to install; simply stick the strips with their self-adhesive backing to the frame or to the fire door itself. They can be used to upgrade older fire doors which had been installed without fire door seals.
Can you paint over intumescent fire strips?
If your fire doors are protected with a simple intumescent strip only (without a cold smoke seal) they can be over painted as long as it isn’t damaged by the painter’s preparation. Heavy sanding or the use of chemical strippers and heat guns during redecoration must be avoided.
Do I need a FD30 or FD30S?
An FD30 fire door is fire resistant up to a minimum of 30 minutes, whereas an FD30S fire door is fire AND smoke resistant up to a minimum of 30 minutes. The additional S in the rating shows that the door is also smoke resistant.
How do you cut intumescent strips?
As with the Fire & Smoke Intumescent Strips, they come with adhesive backing for a simple and easy installation.
- Measure the frame at the top and both sides.
- Cut the product to fit using a knife or scissors, mitring the top corners.
- Remove both pieces of protective backing one food at a time.
Can you cut intumescent strips?
The intumescent strip will need to be cut to length, and most will have self-adhesive backing strip to stick easily into the groove.
How can you tell if a door is FD30?
All JELD-WEN fire doors will have a certification label on the top edge of the door leaf. This label will state the manufactures name and telephone number, the Certifre certification number and it will also state the fire rating of the door for example FD30 (30-minute fire resistance).
What does the S mean in FD30S?
The FD stands for Fire Door, the 30 denotes that the door withstood the blaze for a minimum of 30 minutes whilst the S means that all of our doors have been fitted with a smoke seal. With the FD30S performance standard, it also offers an impressive sound reduction to 34db.
How do you route an intumescent strip?
How To Fit An Intumescent Strip
- Clean frame with damp cloth, removing dirt and grease.
- Measure the height of the fire door, noting the position of the lock – and cut the smoke seal strip to fit accordingly.
- Before using any adhesive, open and close the door with the seal in place.
What are intumescent door strips?
Intumescent door strips are usually designed to provide up to 30 or 60 minutes fire resistance and help to contain the fire in one area and prevent it spreading. Use in conjunction with intumescent seals to offer the most fire protection in your fire doors.
What are intumescent fire and smoke strips?
Intumescent fire and smoke strip, or intumescent strip are used to maintain the integrity of a fire door set during and fire. They are fitted to either the edge of the door or to the frame.
How do intumescent fire doors work?
Intumescent strips are found in the door itself, when they are activated through heat, the materials swell to create a seal, in instance of a fire door, it creates a seal to fill the gap in between the door and the door frame. This prevents the fire from spreading, and helps contain it in that particular room/ compartment.
What is the difference between intumescent strips and seals?
Intumescent strips and seals also differ in function. An intumescent strip is primarily designed to contain fire. It expands when heated to ensure that the fire does not impinge upon emergency exit areas.