Fire doors in home and do they slam?

[Neolara]

We're doing a complete house refurbishment. Our architect has stipulated fire doors even though we don't need them for building regs. Our builder has just bought the doors and commented that they are very, very heavy and we should be careful of open windows leading to doors slamming and potentially doing serious damage to fingers that get in the way..

If you have a fire doors that aren't self closing, do you feel they are safe? Or have you fitted something to stop them slamming? And if so, what?

[DitchCamille]

Our next door neighbours dd had her finger chopped off in a fire door. Everyone in the street removed the chains after that, to stop them slamming.

[TenThousandSpoons]

My bedroom fire doors never slam. The only one that does is the kitchen door which is between my front door and back door - if both of those are open and wind blows through it slams shut but never just because windows are open and my other downstairs one doesn't slam.

[BuzzKillington]

The requirement to fit closers on domestic fire doors went out years ago. The only door you need a closer on is the internal garage door.

Fire doors are heavy - not likely to be caught by a draught.

[Wolfiefan]

We have fire doors. We extended into the loft and it was a condition. No closers.
Do watch fingers though. They haven't slammed in the wind but DD shut her finger in one and hurt herself.

[Ollivander84]

Mine slam. I have to watch because people open the main door (it's a flat) and let it slam and the bathroom cabinet flies open
Generally they're propped open with door stops which defeats the point but...

[WidowTwonky]

We took the chains off our doors, I worried too much about fingers being trapped

[isittheholidaysyet]

In a previous house...they were lethal.

Everyone on the estate either had them permanently propped open or removed the chains.

[PigletJohn]

Not usually, but they can if you have windows open and the wind gets behind them.

My newest fire door has the furry pile strip in a groove on the frame, which blocks draughts and also smoke, it has the effect of buffering the door as it swings shut.

You are no longer obliged to have automatic closers on the doors in houses*. If you Google "Perko" you can find the instructions to adjust or disconnect the chain. You will need a carpet tack and a claw hammer.

Fire doors are very substantial and heavy and feel solid. I like them a lot. As well as blocking fire, they also block noise. You need special hinges.

*As far as I know. The rules change from time to time.

[CurlyMango]

They do Alamo and are heavy. We got door stops for each door. You know he ones, hedging/square/dog shapes cloth things. They do work just fine.

[PurpleChai]

I nearly lost the tips of three fingers in our old house (new build) three years ago due to rubbish fire doors. No wind, just simply slammed shut while I stupidly had my hand near the hinge. I second getting door stops or seeing if you can get chains removed once they're in.

[acornsandnuts]

We also had a lift conversation and all doors upstairs replaced with fire doors.

Ours are the ones with the fury strip and haven't slammed once with the exception of a stroppy 14 year old having I hate you moment

[Kokusai]

Yes. We had fire doors with chains in the flat and they did slam. You had to be careful.

We had dooors stops so doors were always wedged open unless we activly needed them shut.

If I had owned I would have taken the chains off.

[Neolara]

Thanks. Looks like the builder's concerns are well founded.. What are the chains that people are recommending be removed?

[PigletJohn]

Google Perko.

[TenThousandSpoons]

Ours don't have any chains so don't think you need to have them. (Loft conversion was just over two years ago.)

[PigletJohn]

This the Perko R2.

Observe the chain.

I should think it is the most common closer on domestic fire doors. It is very neat and inconspicuous. The tube is one inch in diameter and about five inches long, it slides into a hole drilled in the hinge edge of the door. It contains a spring which pulls on the chain, pulling the door towards the plate fixed to the hinge side of the door frame. It can be adjusted using a claw hammer and a carpet tack (a tool is provided with every closer, but homeowners always lose them)

The company makes a range of other (more expensive) closers, some with controlled speed. They are more common in office and commercial buildings.

[venys]

Our fire doors (8 months old) are pretty much like regular doors. Just note that the furry intumescent and smoke strip is quite noisy when opening and closing the doors. Not good for young light sleepers. Best to just get ordinary intumescent strips in that situation.