There is no fixed schedule regarding how often you need to check a Fire Door. Some doors may require weekly checks, whereas less used doors could be yearly. That being said, external certified Fire Door companies, such as ourselves, often visit clients every 6-12 months.
For context, a communal set of commercial doors can see millions of cycles per year, whereas a utility cupboard could only see single digits.
Often the best approach is a mixture of internal and external checks. This is both cost effective, and ensures the Fire Doors stay safe, operable and compliant, throughout their lifecycle.
The internal teams can keep an eye on things periodically, and the external team can provide advice, training and certification when needed (6-12 months).
This article will cover
Internal & external checks – the most effective solution
A combined approach of frequent in-house inspections by trained personnel and periodic, certified inspections ensures optimal Fire Door Maintenance.
This proactive strategy fosters early problem identification, reducing repair costs and safeguarding building occupants.
Internal checks – maintenance teams
No one knows the usage of a site better than the owner and users of the site. External companies will only know what they are told.
Therefore, changing the schedule according to the sites usage, is critical.
Whilst we would like to think that everyone would flag issues regarding health and safety, often it takes a dedicated person to take responsibility for logging any issues.
If maintenance crews are already carrying out works throughout the site, a weekly, or bi-weekly check can keep on top of most areas.
Simple training can be provided for these checks. Any issues or questions that may arise can be escalated to an external provision, such as ourselves.
The vast majority of issues come from smaller problems. For instance, changes in seasons can see doors swelling, and thus dropping / rubbing or causing various hardware to stop working. This can then lead to ‘sporadic user behaviour’ (e.g. kicking doors), which can then lead to pricey door replacements.
Spotting issues early is beneficial for safety, operability, compliance and budget.
External checks – certified Fire Door companies
External certified teams, such as ourselves, can come in every 6-12 months, depending on usage, to certify the doors. This can be done on call, or in bulk.
If a Fire Door fails during this inspection, remedials or a replacement will be required.
The vast majority of issues can be rectified with simple repairs / adjustments, ideally fixing the issue sooner rather than later, to reduce the chances of a full door replacement.
Usage
A doors usage on a site can vary significantly depending on the season / time of year.
For instance, the usage of doors in schools, can see huge fluctuations of interaction, and therefore the building owner needs to consider this, to ensure the network of Fire Doors are effective and compliant at all times.
It therefore makes sense, to integrate more checks before and during busy times of the year.
Fire Doors are often situated on the emergency exit route. This route is not only useful for every day use, but in the instance of an emergency (fire or not), these routes provide safe passage for people in a state of panic.
Honesty & integrity from the start – surveying
Unfortunately, some Fire Door companies take advantage of the situation, or lack the experience to repair a door (specialist doors for example).
It is very common for us to see excessive door replacement quotations from other companies, simply due to a lack of expertise, laziness or profiteering.
In addition to this, sadly, all too often, we can only quote on works to be done, once we have carried out the inspection ourselves. All too often, companies are vague and inconsistent with their findings regarding the initial inspection / quotation, therefore making it near impossible to create a reliable quote. Other companies will then quote to cover eventualities, making the original quote look reasonable.
Therefore, we always advise anyone, whether they use us or not, to highly vet the inspectors before the initial Fire Door Inspection takes place. The result of the inspection has major repercussions regarding any further works that may need to be completed.
Our approach is not to sting companies, but instead provide a trusted service, hoping that our clients will use us for many of our other certified Commercial Door Services.
We see 1000s of Fire Doors per year, and over 90% of our business is repeat business. We feel this is a testament of our overall value to our clients.
Why choose a 3rd party certified company for external inspections?
Companies such as Q-Mark work in tandem with government bodies regarding the latest British Standards. Q-Mark then certify companies, such as us, to carry out surveys, maintenance and replacements.
The rigorous scrutinisation of both Q-Mark and POYNTELL mean we are all working to a framework which is updated according to any shifts in the British Standards.
This framework ensures quality. This, needless to say, carries weight in terms of official documentation.
POYNTELL were the 3rd company in the UK to be certified under Q-Mark for Fire Door Inspection, Maintenance, Installation and Fire Stopping. It’s safe to say we have seen various evolutions in the standards.
For further reading, see our Q-Mark page and for more information on our certifications, such as ADIA (automatic doors), ISOs (international standards) and other door related standards, see our certifications page.
Factors that affect how frequently a Fire Door should be checked
Within a commercial environment the following needs to be taken into consideration.
How frequently is the door used?
Main doors can see millions of cycles, whereas a utility cupboard very little.
Adjust internal checks accordingly.
Who uses the doors, and will it see excessive wear?
A goods trolley over time could significantly damage the door leaf and hinges, amongst other things.
Could automation help reduce expenditure and keep the door working for longer?
Will environmental factors affect the performance of the doorset?
The vast majority of Fire Doors in the UK are wooden. This makes them susceptible to environmental changes.
Question which doors might be affected by this.
How would the site, and the people in the site be affected, if the door were to fail in the event of a fire?
If a fire were to take place, and it was known that the doors were damaged for a significant period of time, this would not fare well in the eyes of the law.
Whilst all Fire Doors are important, think which doors see the most usage. Think of the repercussions, in a state of emergency, of how each door would be impacted.
Simply put, more important and more used doors should see more checks.
Has there been any change in the usage of the site?
Rooms can change usage, and tenants can alter the usage of the room. These factors need to be periodically taken into consideration.
Have additional hazards been introduced e.g. electrics / cooking / vulnerable users.
Are there other standards associated to the door?
Are there any other special functions of the door that may need to be considered e.g. security / hygiene / acoustic properties.
See our Bespoke / Heritage Door Engineering and Locking page if you wish to learn more about this aspect.