Door between garage and utility room

[DC1977]

Hi

Apparently we need to have a fire door between our garage which is attached to our house and our utility room which is on the route into the house, and which I want to be as secure as possible. Cant I use an external front door between the garage and utility? Or any other ideas for what complies with building regs and is a good strong solid secure door?

Thanks

 

[motorbiking]

A fire door is as secure as any "front door" its the locks and hinges and location of any multi-point hooks that make it strong. Note, from memory you also have to have a step/threshold of 10cm min height, to protect from combustable fluid seeping under the door.

 

[Tricky-Dicky]

I have a door between the house and garage. The building regs in the 1980's was that the door had to be a fire door (not too sure if 30 mins or 60 mins), a step down into the garage, and a door closer.

Overhead Closers | Door Closers | Screwfix.com

For security a quality British Standard lock was fitted together with hinge bolts.
Smith & Locke Zinc-Plated Hinge Bolts 2 Pack | Bolts | Screwfix.com

 

[^woody^]

Any external door must be certified as a fire door. Panels, joints, material mean that it may not perform as one. If the building inspector accepts an external door as "nominal' fire door, it certainly won't meet your house insurance criteria unless you declare it as a non fire door and the insurer accepts it.

It's not just the door either, the requirement is a fire doorset, which means the frame too needs to be certified

 

[ronniecabers]

As Woody says , it has to be a complete doorset , and that will include a door closer as Tricky Dicky mentions.

Minimum requirenment will be a 30min fire rated door and frame. It is all to do with the fact it is connected to the garage and the potential of the contents of the garage ( occasionally actually a car! ) going up in flames and thus not spreading to the main house or at least facilitating a slower spread to give you time to exit the property.

A standard front/back door / door set will NOT be sufficient

 

[Notch7]

I wonder if garages are actually a common source of house fires?

 

[^woody^]

I wonder if garages are actually a common source of house fires?

Or leaks of liquid to require the step/threshold?

Based on the same logic and risk, every single kitchen and front room should have a fire door.

 

[bernardgreen]

Re the upstand between garage and the rest of the building

https://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/pdf/rpts/partb/effectiveness_of_100mm_upstand_1.pdf

Executive Summary
The current version of Approved Document B (AD B) that supports the fire safety aspects of the Building Regulations includes a provision for the inclusion of a 100mm up-stand between integral garages and dwellings. This provision is intended to reduce the risk of petroleum vapour from entering the dwelling. Experience has suggested that this provision may have caused some access difficulties for disabled people seeking to enter the dwelling from the integral garage. A similar provision in the Scottish Technical Standards has been deleted from the current requirements in Scotland. In support of the review of Part B of the Building Regulations DCLG Buildings Division commissioned this study to determine the effectiveness of the garage upstand in preventing the ingress of petroleum vapour into the dwelling and the risks to the occupants that might arise should this provision be removed (or replaced with an alternative proposal e.g. sloping floor) from the soon to be revised AD B.

 

[motorbiking]

It would appear that more broken hips occur than petrol fires prevented by the step.

 

[screamer]

mid 90s we build a big house, the garage floor was the same level as the concrete raft, just 2x2 and flooring on top of it for the house.

We thought the same as everyone else where that you needed a step down into your garage.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You don't need a step if the floor slopes away from the door, at least that's what would suffice now and obviously no use if the floor is flat.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Most garages are full of crap, not cars.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

For sure but plenty have the lawnmower in there too.

 

[mattylad]

IF I had a garage I'd store gallons and gallons of petrol and other flammable liquids in mine....