Using specialized doors for fire exits in buildings is becoming an increasingly essential thing. As more and more awareness spreads, civil bodies are making it mandatory for all types of construction projects to include fire escape doors in their buildings. However, it is also essential to keep these doors functional for the duration of their lifetime. While manufacturers do provide information about each type of fire exit door they make, you should know how to check one anyway. Use the following points to figure out if the metal doors installed in your building for the fire exit are fully functional or not.
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Door Certification
This is the easiest thing to do as you can find information about the door’s quality using this information. This lets you know how well made your metal doors are and if they can withstand any fire damage at all. In fact, this system is so well implemented by now that you can tell if a door is suitable or not simply by looking for this label. For the sake of keeping a record, you can take pictures of each fire exit door and file them as well so you can provide this information readily to authorities if needed.
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Door Installation Gaps
A key feature of fire escape doors is that they are sealed enough to isolate you from fire and smoke. Gaps can be present on each side of the door, and you must ensure that they do not exceed the safety limit. For the top and sides, this is typically 4mm, but the bottom can have a gap of up to 8mm. These regulations may differ in different areas and states. The purpose of keeping the gap so small is to prevent smoke and fire from escaping its point of origin and reaching your designated safe areas.
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Door Seals
A major component in the installation of metal doors in fire exits is the seal used around them. A special seal is applied around the door that is intumescent in nature. This means when it comes in contact with heat, it automatically expands to cover all sides of the door completely. This system creates a completely airtight door that does not let through any fire or smoke. Check the presence and quality of this seal around your fire exit door regularly to make sure they are not damaged in any way.
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Door Movement
The door installed on your property for fire escape needs to operate smoothly and properly. A common problem that can occur as doors get old is that they become loose and wear out. This causes them to either get stuck when opening and closing or they completely stop closing properly. The easiest way to check if your door is closing smoothly is to open it halfway and let it go back into its place. It should close completely by itself.
Conclusion
Each of the above factors is critical in making any fire exit completely functional. Perform these checks regularly to ensure that your property is safe to live in, whether it is a small home or a large building.
