FD30S Fire Door

[BotyBurp]

Please can anyone help
I live in a ground floor flat & because other tenants have to walk past my flat I've been told that I have to upgrade or replace my front door to meet FD30S requirements.
The local council are not being very helpful & keep moving the goal posts.
I have bought a FD30S door (Pre Glazed) & I have also bought 3 Steel Hinges & some Intumescent Strip.
The only other thing I've bought is some Intumescent Seal to go behind the Yale key hole. Can anyone else please tell me if I need to buy anything else such as a special Letter Box or do I need a self closer of some kind?
Thanks in advance
Kris

 

[noseall]

do I need a self closer of some kind?
Thanks in advance
Kris

i think the whole firedoor issue rests upon you using a self closing device.

otherwise you may as well use a chocolate door.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You will need a fire resistant letterbox and intumescent sealer for around the frame aswell if you're replacing that too.

 

[gregers]

you say other tenants,are you a tenant as well?if so then shirley the landlord will need to arrange for this to be carried out under the hmo regulations?

 

[BotyBurp]

Unfortunately not, we bought the flat about 5 years ago off a guy who did buy it from the local authority so we do have to foot the bill, it's just that the council won't tell us anything other than it doesn't meet the required standard! and they are not allowed to recommend anyone to do the job. I just don't understand if it simply has to hold fire & smoke back for 30 minutes or do I have to go all the way & have self closers, push bar to open & all that kind of stuff!
Regards
Kris

 

[BotyBurp]

You will need a fire resistant letterbox and intumescent sealer too.

Thank You Freddymercurystwin, do you know if a carpenter can fit all the bits like the letter box, locks and things?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

That would depend on the carpenter I imagine but if he’s any good it shouldn’t be a problem. By the way a Yale lock and a self closer is not a good combination and not all that secure either. You probably also need a brush type seal around the door too to stop smoke (thats the S in FD30S) Make sure your closer & hinges are compliant too. You won’t need a push bar. Lots on the web eg http://www.firesafe.org.uk/html/fsequip/firedoor.htm

 

[^woody^]

Please can anyone help
I live in a ground floor flat & because other tenants have to walk past my flat I've been told that I have to upgrade or replace my front door to meet FD30S requirements.

That is nonsense. Exactly what have you been told?

Is this the housing dept? What is their authority for telling you to do this?

 

[BotyBurp]

Hiya Woody, this was the "fire safety officer" for Stroud District Council!
I understand what he is saying as an escape route from upstairs involves going past our front door it's just that they won't recommend anyone & so far they can't tell us exactly what has to be done.
We have managed to buy most bits just from advise on this forum & Google but as for the local authority they do seem to be a total waste of time & the chap who has implemented this has now gone sick & it appears that he's the only one who knows anything about it!

 

[BotyBurp]

Lots on the web eg http://www.firesafe.org.uk/html/fsequip/firedoor.htm[/QUOTE]
Brilliant link freddy, thank you

 

[^woody^]

The point is, they can't [normally] demand this.

If you have a lease on the property, then it is yours. You will no doubt have service charges to pay for communal upkeep, and will also pay a % of costs for maintenance to the block and grounds.

Your flat was built to standards which were in force at the time. You are under no obligation to upgrade the leased premises.

Whatever building or fire regulations may change, and whatever hair-brained ideas the council may come up with, this is not something which they can insist on.

Your front door would normally have been some sort of fire door when built. If it has been changed to a lower rated door, then yes it should be put back to the original standard - is that what has happened?

The only time you would have to improve/upgrade the property, or have to conform to the [landlord] council demands is if there was a specific term in the lease (which your solicitor should have warned against) or if the law changes.

So what is the basis for the councils insistence on this door being changed? Yes it is an escape route, but what does that have to do with you needing to change your front door?

 

[BotyBurp]

As far as I'm aware this is the original door, we certainlt haven't changed it in the 5 years since we bought the property!

The council told us that new legislation was brought out in "2005" (they like to keep up to date) & that we have to have a 30 minute fire door fitted.
I'm not sure if this is the original door as we didn't buy directly from the council we bought it off a previous owner all I do know is that this door has been on since we bought the place. It's good to see that the council has only taken 3 years to tell us about these changes!

I will be going round to see them next week & demand answers so I will let you know what they say, as I said we don't mind doing it even though they have only given us about 3 weeks to complete it but they ought to be able to give us some help/advice which they seem unable or even unwilling to do but thankfully Freedymercurystwin has given us a good link to read.
Kris

 

[gregers]

how did they come to the conclusion that the door that is already fitted is not a 30min fire door anyway???.because if it is then all you will need to do is fit a door closure and install the fire/smoke seal.iirc there is usually a metal sticker somewhere on the door or a round plastic insert?

 

[^woody^]

The council told us that new legislation was brought out in "2005" (they like to keep up to date) & that we have to have a 30 minute fire door fitted.

Let me know too. I regularly deal with about about 50 tower blocks and hundreds of low-rise blocks, and I've never heard of this "new" legislation. Unless they are talking about the Health and Safety Rating System and risk assessments which cam in in April 2006?

Any flat built since the 60's would have a 30 minute door in any case - as part of the building regulations

 

[geeceethefireman]

There are lots of reasons for having properly maintained fire doors at entrances within communal areas - just look at recent Camberwell fire.

In my view the council were quite right to push this and the occupier must cooperate with the Landlord arrangements under current fire safety legislation - which overrides housing or planning rules.

Even exisiting doors are subject to upgrade if their is insufficient resistance to fire or intumescent seals etc. Recent feedback suggests that door closers are not required as these will be overridden by occupants but the rest is definmitiely good pratice - even the fire safe lettertboxes - and especially iof theor is a known risk!!

Just thought I would answer this one while trawling the DIY basement.