A fire door is a system, not a slab of timber. The leaf, the frame, the seals, the hinges, the closer, the glazing and the gaps between them all have to be right for the door to hold back fire and smoke for the time it was tested to. Most failures we see are not dramatic. They are a missing screw, a painted-over seal, a closer that no longer pulls the door shut, or a gap at the bottom that has crept up over the years.
What the law asks of you
In England, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 makes the responsible person for a building accountable for keeping fire doors in working order. For residential buildings, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 added specific duties. In a block of flats where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground level, the responsible person must check communal fire doors at least every three months and use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at least every twelve months, keeping a record. These duties have applied since 23 January 2023. In any building with two or more sets of domestic premises, residents must be given information on fire doors, including that they should keep them shut, not tamper with closers, and report faults.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own fire safety law. The principle is the same everywhere: someone named is responsible, and checks have to be regular and recorded.
A quick check you can do yourself
- Certification. Look for a label or coloured plug on the top edge of the door. No label does not mean the door is not a fire door, but it does mean you cannot prove it is.
- Gaps. The gap between the leaf and the frame at the top and sides should be consistent and small, usually around 3 mm. The threshold gap depends on the door and whether a smoke seal is fitted. Check the certification data for the door.
- Seals. The intumescent strip and, where fitted, the cold smoke seal should be continuous, unpainted and firmly in the groove.
- Closer. Open the door to about 75 mm and let it go. It should close fully and latch from that position without being pushed.
- Hinges. Usually three, all screws present and tight, no oil leaking from the closer, no visible damage.
- Glazing. Intact, with the correct beads and no cracks. Ordinary glass in a fire door is a failure.
- Damage. No holes, splits, delamination or hardware missing. No wedges, hooks or hold-opens that are not part of a proper system.
- Signage. Fire door keep shut, or keep locked, as appropriate, on both sides where required.
Record what you found, with photographs, and date it. A simple log is enough. If a door fails any of these points, take it out of service or get it repaired quickly, and note what you did.
Why the installer matters
A fire door only performs as tested if it is installed and maintained the way the test specimen was. Third-party certification schemes exist for exactly this reason. They audit installers and maintainers, check their work on site and keep a register the public can search. If you are appointing someone to install, inspect or repair fire doors, ask which scheme they are certified under and check the register.
YY holds the BM TRADA Q-Mark for fire door maintenance (certificate 532, approved person Ryan Owens). You can check it on the BM TRADA register and see the certificate on our accreditations page.
When to repair and when to replace
Many faults are repairable: seals, closers, hinges, signage and small adjustments to gaps. Damage to the leaf itself, large gaps that cannot be corrected, or a door with no evidence of its fire rating usually mean replacement with a certificated doorset. A certified maintainer will tell you which, and should be able to show you why.
Keep it going
Fire doors on busy routes take a beating. A regular inspection schedule, with the results recorded, is both the legal expectation and the cheapest way to keep doors working. If you manage several buildings, a single contractor doing doors, fire stopping and the alarm on the same visit keeps the paperwork in one place.