Video Of Fire Rated Doors Success And Failure
In the past on this blog we’ve discussed the advantages of using fire rated doors and how they can protect not just your possessions, but the people you love as well. However, we feel a responsibility to you, the readers, to show what happens in the event a fire rated door is not installed 100% correctly. Please review the video below for the results of a 1-hour side-by-side test of two fire rated doors.
The door on the right has been properly installed, while the door on the left has been installed incorrectly.
You can actually see at about the 45-minute mark when the improperly installed fire rated door begins to allow flame in, between the edge of the door and the wall. At the end of one hour, one set of fire rated doors … the properly installed set…. Clearly has done a better job at providing protection.
The video even shows a reverse side shot of the doors at the end, which shows both doors were clearly treated to an equal amount of flame, even though one clearly provided better protection than the other.
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Protect Your Custom Wood Doors On Halloween
We’re nearly halfway through October, and while that’s obviously the best month for sports fans, everyone with little children in their neighborhood knows what that means: Halloween is right around the corner, and with it is a whole bunch of screaming, crying, yelling, running, wild children slamming their chocolate-covered fingers on your custom wood doors.
And what can you do about it? You can disappear for a few days, go on vacation and come back when the holiday is over. But the kids are still going to bang on your custom wood doors, probably more so because they think you’re in there and just not answering your door. Yeah, you could turn the lights off, but that’s not going to stop them from trying. They’re little KIDS, and you’re offering free candy! You’ll be lucky if they don’t try to break the door down.
If you want my advice, you should just do what I do every year: Hide in the bushes, wait for the children to get close to your front step, and spray the brats with the garden hose. Will this get you in trouble with the local authorities? Sure, sometimes. But more often than not, you’ll be surprised how many police officers are just as frustrated as you with the nonsense that occurs on the last day of October.
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Pros And Cons Of Pre Hung Doors
Here is a quick look at some of the pros and cons of having pre hug doors for the exterior of your building:
In our opinion, this is the most appreciated pro of getting pre hung doors: At the end of the day, there is no bigger “pro” than ease and convenience. With pre hung doors you don’t even have to be an expert and you’ll undoubtedly be able to get the door installed within an hour, tops. So long as your door is level and fits properly, you’ll be guaranteed a comfortable, proper swing with zero jamming. Not to mention, The Door Stop offers a plethora of different designs, materials, and colors, so you’ll be sure to find the one that fits your exterior best.
However, nothing in life comes perfect, and even something as easy and convenient as pre hung doors has its share of cons. The one we’ve found most people are forced to deal with is the door jamb. Since it’s made of wood, the construction of the door frame is required to allow water to drain during rain and storms, otherwise the door jamb will eventually rot and become useless. In time, this will cause a series of problems when attempting to open and close your door.
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Rules and Regulations For Your Fire Rated Doors
We’ve previously discussed on this blog how installing fire rated doors can mean the difference between life and death. Heavy doors made of materials such as metal and gypsum and specifically designed to contain fire and smoke, we’ve stated on numerous occasions how important effective fire rated doors are to a safe home.
The rules and regulations used when creating proper fire rated doors are set by the National Fire Protection Association, or the NFPA. On top of putting all fire rated doors into different categorizes, providing a life safety code, and offering advice on how to properly minimize failures and improve reliability in your fire rated doors, the NFPA educates and mandates the following thoughts on protecting and maintaining your fire rated doors:
- Annually inspect and test all horizontal or vertical sliding and rolling fire doors for operation and full closure.
- Reset the release mechanism according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- When conducting the annual test for operation and full closure on rolling steel fire doors, perform two drop tests. The first test checks for operation and full closure, and the second test verifies the automatic-closing device has been reset.
- Do not paint fusible links or other heat-actuated devices and release devices.
- Prevent paint from accumulating on movable parts.
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How To Handle Your Custom Wood Doors
If you’ve decided to install custom wood doors into your new home, one of your top priorities will surely be quality. That’s why The Door Stop LLC has an entire section on their website that provides details on the ways the company ensures premium storing, handling, finishing, and installation of all the doors that they distribute.
These simple guildines (the full list can be found by CLICKING HERE) are enacted by the staff of The Door Stop, and should be followed to the letter by anyone who is taking part in the door-installation process.
Some of the things they discuss:
Inspecting Doors: All doors are required to be inspected intensely before installation.
Storing Doors: No doors, whether they be custom wood or hollow metal doors, should be delivered or installed until the building is enclosed and wet work is complete.
Handling Doors: It’s important that clean canvas gloves should be worn at all times, as bare hands leave soil stains and finger prints
Fitting Fire-Rated Doors: Any and all fire rated doors should be installed by The Door Stop experts or some other sort of certified machinists. And do not remove the label, as it identifies the door as being fire rated.
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Pre Hung Doors Save Time And Money
If you’re thinking of installing pre hung doors, it’s probably because of all the advantages there are. The most obvious is the ease and convenience. Building, re-building, or renovating any room is a serious job, (especially when you require extra labor) and any steps you can take to make the entire process easier should be taken. One of those biggest steps is arranging to receive pre hung doors.
Any contractor will tell you pre hung interior doors are the very easiest and quickest when it comes to installation. If you intend to install them yourself, this is likely music to your ears.
However, if you are paying someone else to install them you likely don’t mind hearing this either… especially if you’re paying a contractor by the hour, or by the day, etc. Anybody paying laborers to renovate their home by time spent will be thrilled to know pre hung doors won’t cost them much time. See, not only are they easy-to-install, they’re saving you money, too!
However, before you install your pre hung doors, you have to consider a few things: how big will the door be, will you use flooring or carper, what style door design fits the room best.
But most importantly, you have to decide which way the door will swing. Don’t spend too much time contemplating this one, however: just base your decision on making sure the light switch doesn’t get blocked.
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Architectural Partnerships With The Door Stop
ATTENTION Any and all architects with big custom wood doors aspirations. Door Stop is the place to get the exact specific custom designed door you have envisioned.
At The Door Stop, they take pride in paying specific attention to your personal specifications and ideas, no matter how complex or intricate they may be. The Door Stop is there for all of their architectural clients, assisting them throughout the project and providing details on all the aspects and technical details necessary.
And trust them. After all, they know doors. No one knows what will work and what won’t work better than the experts at The Door Stop. This isn’t The Door Stop taking over your project. Think of them as “educational partners,” outside sources to consider and weigh the opinions of throughout your entire process.
And for any and all architects looking to make their designs more “green” (who wouldn’t? – the green market is growing at unprecedented amounts), The door Stop can help you to mazimize all of your green potential by offering LEED rating points. This is accomplished using the six categories recognized by the United states Green Building Council.
So if you’re an architect looking for an educational partner to help maximize the potential of your custom wood doors, check out The Door Stop… the right stop for all of your door needs.
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Fire Rated Doors Saved My Life
Long story short: About a year ago there was a tremendous fire in my building. It occurred in the middle of the night, and because of how rapidly the fire spread, I got trapped in my own room. And because that room was sealed by fire rated doors (and some heroic work by my local firemen, of course) I eventually escaped the event unharmed.
I apologize if I’m being nonchalant about this. It’s really the only way I know. But I’ll never forget the fire chief saying to me afterwards “that fire door sure did the trick, huh?”
The fire door? I had no idea what he meant. I never realized how vital fire rated doors can be in preventing the spread of fire in a building. Truthfully, all I remembered from fire safety as a child was “Stop, Drop, and Roll” and to check to see if a doorknob was hot.
But the truth is, a fire rated door prevented the fire and smoke from spreading into my apartment, and curtailed its ascent throughout the building.
Not that its comparable, mind you… possessions are replaceable, after all. But the fact that fire rated doors saved all of my stuff on top of my life, well, I’m certainly not going to forget it.
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Door Tips and Advice
Whether you’ve got hollow metal doors or custom wood doors, the entrance to your building or room is a prized possession. Not only does it protect from intruders, it also presents a great opportunity to make a fantastic initial impression on visitors. That’s why DoorStopNY.com has an entire page on their website dedicated to informing and advising you on the “important procedures required in storing, handling, finishing, and installing” your doors.
Amongst some of the information this sections covers:
Inspecting doors: The Door Stop does not and will not warrant any doors installed with a defect that was obvious prior to installation.
Storing Doors: It’s important not to install your doors until the building is finished and enclosed, wet work is finalized, and a HVAC system is in place to maintain livable humidity at occupancy levels. NEVER store doors in damp areas or freshly plastered buildings (make sure all storage areas for your doors aredry and well ventilated). In the event that storing your door is going to extend past a week, make sure the edges are sealed with a primer.
Handling Doors: NEVER carry a door with bare hands, as your fingers will leave prints and soil stains. Carry the door, do not drag it. However, in the event that dragging is completely necessary, only drag the bottom end and NEVER drag a door across another.
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About Fire Rated Doors
Last week we discussed doors being required by law to have certain specifications to protect the people inside the home from bear attacks. These are not the only doors specifically designed for your protection. Fire rated doors are heavy doors made of materials such as metal and gypsum that are specifically designed to not only contain fire but hold back smoke as well.
For a door to be considered fire rated, it must be able to withstand a fire without combusting for a specific time period, typically between 20 and 100 minutes. While some fire rated doors contain glass or a window, these sections need to be fire rated as well, or it would render the entire piece worthless (you’re only as strong as your weakest link).
Some people believe having a fire rated door is adequate protection from a fire, and that if an emergency occurs, staying in a room with a fire rated door will keep you safe. While you would undoubtedly be safer in a room with a fire rated door than a room without one, the safest thing to do during an emergency is still to exit in a safe and speedy manner.
Of course, fire rated doors are rendered ineffective when they are open. Without being closed shut, the door is unable to contain the fire or even hold back the smoke, which is the sole purpose of the door.
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