How can I stop Perko Door Closers from closing?

As I understand it the regs were changed due to two main reasons, the first was that many owners simply remove or disable the closers anyway, the second is to reduce the hospital admissions of children with injuries to fingers etc caused by the closers, as brutal as it may sound there is a compromise between the thousands of hospital admissions they undoubtedly cause and the deaths that may be prevented.

RobertSE6 said:

Hi there - first post so hopefully not too stupid a question !

Can anyone please tell me if there is a way to stop Perko door closers from working - i.e. from closing the door.

This may sound daft but we have just had our loft converted and our buildings control refused to accept it unless we had perko door closers on every single door in the entire house and a smoke alarm in every room.

The door closers are driving us nuts and I would rather not have to remove them - 16 of the little beggars! I was told there is a clip you can get or somehting?

Failing that - can they just be unscrewed or are they under tension and will fly out

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Hi,

I had exactly the same problem. I'm not sure what make my closures are though, so I don't know if this will help you.

Some dimwit busy-body decided each door in a bedsit required a door closure.

Which means if I want to go to the kitchen, I have to pull open the (very stiff) fire door to my room, hear it slam and wake up 6 of my neighbours, then walk to the kitchen and pull open another (very stiff) fire door. Then repeat the process in reverse order.

Well for me, it was a simple process, I just took a crow bar and seperated the top part from the bottom part. It seems it can clip into place, and out of place when you need it.

So if the landlord visits, I can just clip in back into place beforehand.

The great thing is, the closure isn't ruined this way.

I honestly think busy-bodies are messing around in peoples lives far too much and making us worse off. Fair enough, we need to keep safe, but this is just ridiculous. What if someone is disabled? Or old? Or injured?

Max

MaxRockatansky said:

What if someone is disabled? Or old? Or injured?

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They and the rest of your neighbours burn to death or die from smoke inhalation because your kitchen was on fire, and the fire door was left flapping open because you selfishly disabled the closer.

MaxRockatansky said:

hear it slam and wake up 6 of my neighbours,

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get someone to show you how to close a door behind you.

This post is 7 years old!

Andy

Hi
Now before anyone mentions it I know this post is 9+ years old, but while looking for other information on the subject of Perkos online I came across this post.

At the time of the original post the BCO who enforced the requirements for both an Alarm system and Door closers in a family home was, maybe, doing what he thought he had to or could equally have been over proscriptive in applying Part B of the Building regulations. After all what the BCO was trying to do was create a protected escape route, but unless he stipulated that the hall, stairs and landing were kept clear of any obstructions, furniture etc. that would not be possible in a family home. In a HMO I could understand it as you are 6-7 time more at risk in one then your own home especially was an alarm.

Whatever the situation, today if the same situation arose I would recommend that Building Control should be asked to apply BS9999:2008. This document is less proscriptive than Part B and applies a Risk based determination on most aspects of fire safety. In the original posters case it might have determined that because of the full cover given by the Alarm system he could have dispensed with the closers on the ground and first floors and only required them for the doors up to the new roof conversion.

Indeed if a risk assessment was carried out under BS9999 it may be possible to argue for the removal of the closers based upon the level of additional measure in place i.e. the alarm system provided.