More than 3,000 people die from fire-related causes every year in the United States. Fire-resistant doors can prevent injuries and deaths from fires, but 6 commonly held beliefs make people hesitate to use them. Read this post to learn the truth about fire-resistant doors.
What is A Fire-Resistant Door?
Fire-resistant doors make it harder for both smoke and fire to spread throughout a building. They also offer some protection against blasts. This gives occupants more time to safely escape the building.
They can be made with wood, glass, and fiberglass, but metal makes up the strongest fire-resistant doors. It isn’t just the door itself that limits the spread of fire. Every single part of the door is fire resistant, the hardware, the glass, the door’s glaze, and the frame. They have to be closed to function.
These doors have a fire rating that tells you how long they can hold back smoke and fire. These ratings range from 20 minutes to 180 minutes. Installed correctly, they will not catch fire before their rated time.
They are usually installed in commercial buildings because of the large number of occupants that need to escape and the distances they may need to cross to get out.
Myths About Fire-Resistant Doors
They are Fireproof
No, they will eventually burn. It just takes a long time, long enough to help people evacuate a burning building.
You Can Use Any Lock
Just because a lock is metal doesn’t mean it won’t melt. The lock and hardware must be rated the same as the rest of the door to receive the expected protection.
You Can Fireproof Any Door
People believe that because you can purchase something called fireproof paint that they can add that to any door and make it a fireproof door. That is not fireproof paint’s purpose, and it will not prevent the spread of smoke and fire. Fire-resistant doors are specifically designed for their purpose and to legal standards. They are the only thing guaranteed to do this.
Gaps Don’t Matter
A certain amount of gap is calculated into the fire rating. For instance, a door with a 90-minute rating can have a gap in the bottom up to three-quarters of an inch. Any more than that, and the rating is shot.
The less space there is, the better protection you have, but they don’t have to be airtight.
Fire-resistant Doors Are Ugly
Some of them can be. Particularly older ones. New ones are designed with much more variety so they can suit your building’s aesthetics.
Fire-resistant Doors Have to Be Metal
No, as mentioned above, fire-resistant doors can be made of a variety of materials which helps you find a door you’ll be happy to have in your business. The downside is that metal offers the most protection. You may need to consider the size of your building and how long it may take occupants to safely exit the building to determine whether doors of other materials will be safe enough. If they are, go for it.
Call Cypress Door and Glass Today
Our experts can help you find the right fire-resistant doors to provide the protection you need without sacrificing your design, and we’ll make sure your fire-resistant doors are installed to fit their rating. Contact us to begin.