Fire-rated Wardrobe Doors

[Deleted2797112]

Hello again, looking for a bit more help with an odd one!

I'm trying to buy a small sheltered housing flat for my elderly mother. The two that we're favouring at the moment (same builder and development @1988) have the same folding metal doors to the wardrobe which are ugly as sin and my mother hates them. She asked the agent why they are metal and apparently the venting for the bathroom extractor fan runs through the wardrobe to an external wall under a boxed in area on the floor of the wardrobe. The bathroom is internal - no window and the fan switches on when you switch the light on. So presumably the fire doors protect against the fan pushing fire/smoke into the sleeping area?

My question is could the doors be replaced with something more aesthetically pleasing that would have the same or better fire protection qualities. Nothing fancy required - just something flat MDF-like that could be painted or with a plain melamine/veneer type finish?

Many thanks for any advice you can offer!

 

[foxhole]

You would be better to contact the l/lords as some internal alterations may be prohibited or require permission in a communal block.

 

[Deleted2797112]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I already contacted the factors who manage the flats and the only restriction is that you have to use their contractors if you want to re-site the emergency pull cord/alarm buttons, which we don't thankfully.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I don't really understand the set-up tbh in any case folding metal doors to a wardrobe are very unlikely to be fire rated. Sounds like the agent feeding you a load of crap tbh.

 

[^woody^]

I can't see how these metal doors can be fire doors

Apart from the fact that they are metal, and on a wardrobe which makes it unlikely in itself, the main thing is that there is no requirement for there to be fire doors in a situation like this

 

[Alarm]

Agreed sounds like BULL.
The venting is boxed in, that in itself is going to have fire protection.

Ask for the residents rule books / hand books as it is sheltered housing.
In my experience the residents can do anything they want as long as it does not affect the fire/nurse call systems or change the locks from the master key systems that may be in place. Also any external cupboards/bin sheds with FB (Fire Brigade) locks on them.

I contract to both public and private sector housing authourites and this is the first I have heard of fire rated wardrobe doors.
Even when forced air heating was used. And the ducting was underneath cupboards and wardrobes.

 

[Deleted2797112]

Many thanks for the replies. Seems like the agent doesn't know what they're talking about or we're being spun a line. Needs more investigation I think. There are a few similar properties on the market but I can only find one image of the doors:

View media item 38114
The picture only shows two of the door sections. There are another two off to the right and the centre two sections fold back onto the end sections. They are some kind of metal with a raised pattern.