Fire door inspection

12 Things to Avoid to Pass Your Fire Door Inspection

Keeping a facility up to code and safe for occupants is a crucial role for a building owner or facility manager. When it comes time for a facility’s fire door inspection, a building owner/facility manager wants to ensure they pass inspection. At LaForce, we offer comprehensive fire door inspections, where our team can review a facility’s fire doors, smoke doors, and/or egress doors. Our fire door experts are knowledgeable, helpful, and are FDAI/IQP certified through DHI. Below are some common problems our fire door experts witness during inspections.

Top 12 Problems During a Fire Door Inspection:

  1. The fire door label is missing or painted over.
  2. Incorrect clearances on the top, hinge and lock edges of the door. This means there is a gap between the door and frame which exceeds 1/8” for wood doors or 3/16” for steel doors.
  3. The use of mechanical products that keep a fire door open, such as kick down door holders, wedges, hooks, or overhead holders. Only fire rated (labeled) hold opens that are tied electronically into a building’s fire detection system should be used.
  4. The supplementary hardware interferes with the intended function of the door. For example, adding products that could prevent a door from closing and latching.
  5. The fire door is blocked and stays in the open position. A fire door should not be propped open, and should remain closed when not in use.
  6. Boxes, furniture, and equipment are blocking the fire door. This type of material would add a “fuel load” at the door during a fire, which would cause the door to fail. Openings that are no longer needed should be removed and replaced with a wall that meets the fire rating of the adjacent walls.
  7. Hardware is broken, defective, or missing.
  8. The use of non-fire rated panic hardware. If panic hardware is used, it must be the type specially designed for use on fire rated openings and it must have a visible label that identifies it as both Fire Exit Hardware and Panic Hardware.
  9. The fasteners are missing or are not the correct type for the hardware they are holding in place.
  10. Bottom flush bolts that do not project ½” into the floor strike.
  11. Signage attached to doors that exceeds 5% of the door surface and/or is attached with nails or screws. All signage should be attached using adhesives. Learn what and how you can attach things to a fire door.
  12. Unused fastener holes not filled by proper methods. Unused fastener holes need to be filled with steel screws or a special fire door caulk designed and approved specifically for use on fire doors.

These tips as well as FDAI guidelines will allow for a facility owner to keep occupants safe during a fire. Once the LaForce fire door inspection is complete, our team will develop a customized report for the facility and will reinspect any openings that were found to be non-compliant.

Interested in learning more about fire door inspections? Check out LaForce’s fire door inspection video or brochure to learn more. Or fill out our easy-to-use contact form to learn more and schedule your fire door inspection today!