Fire Doors

[Lindylootoo]

I have a door connecting my house to my garage - which acts as my utility room and has my central heating boiler. The house was built circa 1968 and the garage is only big enough for a smart car...........but I have no plans to use it for a car.
The connecting door, has two panels and wired glass in those panels. Someone has said it isn't a fire door and should be! The previous owner was apparently quite senior in the fire brigade, so I would think he would have put whatever was necessary at that time.
Are there any building regulations which require me to change that door?
Are there any reasonably priced fire doors which are mostly glazed?
If I wanted to sell or rent my house in the future, are there rules which would require me to change the current door?
Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

 

[^woody^]

I don't know the regs from the 60's, but I see a lot of houses from then with original fire doors.

If you rent, you will have to fit a fire door. If not, it's up to you - but your insurance could be invalidated or cover reduced if this is a normal door and a fire starts in the garage. If you sell, it depends what any buyers surveyor says.

A 2XG door with wired glass may do.

 

[tony1851]

A 2XG door with wired glass may do.

I doubt B/Regs would accept that as a fire door, as Georgian wired is not 30 mins. fire resistant.
It is usually only permissible in small vision panels in doors.

 

[^woody^]

A 2XG door with wired glass may do.

I doubt B/Regs would accept that as a fire door, as Georgian wired is not 30 mins. fire resistant.
It is usually only permissible in small vision panels in doors.

Modern GW is fire rated - 1-2 hours IIRC
These doors get passed as acceptable in communal fire risk assessments, as do large GW glazed panels.

However I forgot that the door and glass needs to be certified as a unit, so putting GW glass in a cheap 2xg door does not necessarily make it fire resistant.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

How do we know his door isn't a fire door?

 

[tony1851]

I think the GW glass maintains integrity and stops smoke and flame escaping, but it does not stop radiant heat transfer.
A product such as Pilki's Pyrostop is true fire-resisting glass, having the core which turns to foam under heat, and so reduces radiant
heat transfer.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

If you are worried though it would be best to talk to a fire safety expert or a building control officer

I think you may have missed the point of these forums .....

 

[tony1851]

Never mind him - he's the official forum grouch!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Whereas tony is our oldest contributor, having been born in 1851, he climbed chimney's as a lad but has now retired to the affluent Favelas of Manchester.