Pre-installation
What should be checked before a fire door is ordered?
Confirm the door location, required performance, supporting wall, opening size, handing, use, accessibility, smoke control, glazing, hardware and interfaces. Existing openings may be out of square or unsuitable for the proposed tested configuration.
A complete doorset supplied together can reduce compatibility uncertainty, but it still needs correct installation. Where components are assembled from separate sources, the specification must demonstrate compatibility.
- Approved design or fire-strategy requirement
- Measured opening and supporting construction
- Door rating and smoke-control requirement
- Leaf, frame, seals, hardware and apertures
- Access control, hold-open and accessibility interfaces
Installation controls
Which details most often undermine installation?
Common risks include unapproved trimming, excessive gaps, unsuitable foam, missing packers, incorrect fixings, damaged seals, badly prepared hardware recesses and an unrecorded frame-to-wall interface. The installation instructions and field of application should control the work.
Photograph concealed details before architraves and finishes hide them. Each door should have a unique identifier linked to the product and installer records.
Opening
Wall and aperture fall within the permitted arrangement.
Frame
Correct material, fixings, packers and alignment.
Interface
Suitable tested or assessed fire-stopping detail.
Commissioning
Gaps, closure, latch, hardware, seals and evidence checked.
Evidence
What should installation handover contain?
Retain the door schedule, location, product identification, certificates, installation instructions, installer details, photographs, permitted variations and commissioning record. These records support later inspection and compatible repair.
Third-party installer certification can provide additional assurance within its scope. The client should still confirm that every door and defect is accounted for and that the actual installed condition matches the records.