How to choose metal fire doors: advantages, selection criteria

If you think that you don't really need metal fire doors, look at the numbers: every year there are more than 120 thousand fires in the country, in which about 7 thousand people die. And many of these victims could have been avoided if fire safety measures were scrupulously observed and simple devices that could protect a person and his property were used. It is one of those - the very doors that will be discussed in this review from HouseChief.

Read in the article

1 Where fireproof metal doors are especially needed
2 What are the requirements for fire doors
3 What does the marking of fire doors mean?
4 What are these doors made of?
5 Advantages and disadvantages of fire prevention doors
6 How to choose a fire door
7 Basic principles of installing a fire door

Where fireproof metal doors are especially needed

Premises, the operation of which has a high risk of fire, clearly need such protection. These are, first of all, various laboratories, warehouses, and, without a doubt, residential and office space. Experts have compiled a whole list of such objects:

plinths, basements and other areas, on the territory of which household appliances are concentrated and there are people;
premises intended for storage of fire hazardous materials;
elevator shafts and stairwells;
transitions between connected buildings and vestibules.

The owners of office buildings will receive instructions from the Ministry of Emergency Situations about the need to install fire doors, but the owners themselves will have to take care of the safety of private property.

What are the requirements for fire doors

There are several regulations that prescribe fire protection. The most basic of them is the fire safety regulations approved by the Federal Law No. 123_FZ of 22.07.2008. But if we talk specifically about fire doors, then GOST R 57327-2016 should be mentioned. It contains a detailed classification of these objects, requirements for them, test methods, installation procedure and operating rules.

Without going into technical details, it should be noted that in this GOST the door is described as a structure with movable elements and locking mechanisms, and its main task is called preventing the spread of combustion and the penetration of combustion products into premises

There is one significant nuance that should be remembered by everyone who is looking for such doors: manufacturers follow the requirements of standardization in our country voluntarily, which means that if the door is made according to GOST, then it will have a quality certificate. If the buyer is really interested in this quality, then he must demand a certificate. If he did not demanded and did not receive a certificate, it means that he bought the product at his own peril and risk. And for such actions you often have to pay a rather high price.

What does the marking of fire doors mean?

Doors of this design are conventionally divided into 7 types, each of which has its own fire resistance class. It is designated by letters: "E" indicates the loss of integrity, "I" - about the loss of thermal insulation qualities and "S" - about the loss of the ability to retain smoke. All these parameters are supplemented with numbers that indicate the speed of the process in minutes. That is, the EIS 30 marking indicates that this obstacle will only last half an hour, or, for example, E 90 / I 60 / S 30 is means that the door will stand for 90 minutes before the flame, the heat will hold no more than an hour, and the smoke will begin to penetrate through it after half an hour.

In addition to these parameters, the doors differ in design and can be double or single, glazed, blind, with a threshold, with a different direction in opening.

There are a lot of options and it is easy for the buyer to choose exactly the one that suits him. The most important thing is to be clear about your requirements.

What are these doors made of?

Fire doors have the same design as conventional doors, but with some nuances:

Box it is mounted with platbands only from the outside, if it is angular, and from both sides, if it is normal.
Door leaf usually made of steel - stainless steel with a thickness of up to 1.5 mm, and between the sheets of steel, mineral wool is laid, which does not support combustion. At the same time, the width of the leaf varies from 5 to 10 cm, and the thicker the leaf, the longer the door will withstand in a fire. But the doors may not be metal, but made of fireproof glass. In this case, the space between the glasses is filled with a special gel, which, when heated, tightly clogs all the cracks, protecting the room from smoke.
Locks and fittings on such structures are also special. Their main task is, if necessary, to open access for people to extinguish a fire and evacuate, while preventing accidental opening during a critical situation. To open most of these locks, you just need to lower the handle down, and special closers will help you cope with the task, even if the person is weakened by carbon monoxide.

In addition, the door leaf can have one or two leaves. The second option is easier to tear off in case of fire.

Many structures are equipped with the Anti-Panic function, which does not allow the door to be opened from the outside simply by pressing, this requires a key, but from the inside they can be opened with a simple push

In addition to locks, all fire doors are equipped with special mechanisms to prevent jamming.

Advantages and disadvantages of fire prevention doors

Fire doors have a lot of advantages that are the fruits of engineering. These devices are strong and durable, reliably keep your home from outdoor fire and carbon monoxide, and perfectly isolate sounds.

Such doors retain heat well, do not accumulate static electricity and are so durable that intruders cannot cope with them.

Does this product have at least one drawback? If you really need to find fault, then, of course, you can find it. It lies in the cost of this product. It is much more expensive than the price of an ordinary door. And this is all because of the special protective mechanisms. The only question is, do you want to save money at the expense of the safety of yourself and your loved ones?

How to choose a fire door

The market offers a wide range of fire protection products. How not to make a mistake in your choice, especially since this mistake can cost you so much?

Start your search by defining product labeling. If it is absent, definitely refuse to buy, no matter what tempting price they offer you.

Such markings are usually located on a metal sign - a nameplate on which letters and numbers are embossed. Such signs persist even after a fire, helping specialists to establish all its circumstances.

In addition to the marking, here you will see the data of the manufacturer and the date of manufacture of the product.

The second important point is the completeness of the documentation. Be sure to ask the seller for a quality certificate and a product passport.

In addition to documents, check all the components of the structure: fittings, sealing elements and a thermal package between the sashes. Seals for such doors are placed in special grooves and are made of a material that, when heated, turns into foam, tightly plugging all the cracks to protect your home from smoke.

All fittings must be made of high quality materials, it is allowed to use non-combustible plastic in combination with metal parts

And in addition to all of the above, such doors are not at all devoid of a decent external design. It is not necessary, but if you buy such a thing for your home, then this is an important factor.

Basic principles of installing a fire door

The installation of a fire door is practically no different from the installation of a conventional metal structure.

You can hire specialists for this purpose or do it yourself - it all depends on your desire.

There are only a couple of things to consider:

use for fastening anchors with a diameter of at least 1 cm and place them at intervals of no more than 7 cm;
all gaps and joints are filled with fire-resistant polyurethane foam, and then covered with plaster;
make sure that the seal fits snugly against the canvas in all places.

If you follow all the recommendations that are in the mandatory installation instructions, then you can install such doors yourself. Learn more about such an installation in this small video:

Fire doors can protect your apartment even if the entire staircase is on fire. They will keep your property and possibly your life until help arrives. Buying such a door may seem expensive to you, but if you imagine the possible damage from a fire, then it is a mere trifle, believe me. When choosing such a product, be sure to carefully check all documentation for compliance with government standards. And it is better to entrust the installation of doors to professionals who will give you guarantees.

Have you installed such doors for yourself? If so, recommend reliable models to our readers in the comments!

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