HEALTH, SAFETY & WELLBEING THE UGLYDOOR
Can properly certified doorsets meet complex specifications without requiring extensive, unnecessary testing, asks Chris Robinson, Managing Director of RW Joinery. Here, he takes look at a project that pushed boundaries to get to the bottom of this question.
Specifying fire doorsets can be challenging, especially when ensuring the necessary certifications are in place to confirm that you have the right product for the job.
Today, savvy clients and contractors demand proof of competence, typically through certifications like BM Trada, IFC, or BlueSky. Organisations like ADSMA are also gaining traction for their efforts to educate the industry, promote best practices, and advocate for better regulations.
While heightened awareness of fire door safety is encouraging, there is growing confusion and misinformation. This is particularly true for facilities managers tasked with ensuring that fire doors are compliant and effective.
Addressing knowledge gaps One common issue arises when clients request individual burn tests for every possible fire doorset variation—including different sizes, vision panel layouts, ironmongery combinations, and fire ratings. This is particularly prevalent in sectors like housing, where replacements leading to bespoke fire doors are the norm.
While the intention is to ensure maximum safety, this approach is often unnecessary and leads to confusion and extra costs. This misunderstanding is driven by changing legislation and misinformation from contractors. As the industry transitions from BS 476 Part 22 to the European EN 1634 standard by 2029, facilities managers must understand what is required to achieve compliance.
Like many manufacturers, we conduct annual burn tests to meet certification requirements and cater to bespoke client needs. However, to demonstrate the true capabilities of a single fire doorset, we chose to push the boundaries with what we refer to as the Ugly Door.
Introducing the Ugly Door The Ugly Door project aimed to address concerns from specifiers and facilities professionals while providing clear evidence that extensive individual tests for every combination are unnecessary. We developed a sixty- minute doorset incorporating numerous features often requested in bespoke projects:
• Glazed lower side panel • Mid-rail with letter plate • Glazed and solid upper side panels • Extra-wide and extra-high door • Extra-large vision panel • Inlaid beading on both faces • Offset letter plate • Spy holes at various heights • Concealed and face-fix door closers • Mortice lock access control • Threshold smoke seal • FD60 fire rating • Smoke leakage control • PAS24 (2016) certification • Severe duty mechanical rating
30 | TOMORROW’S FM
By combining these features into one doorset, we aimed to create the most demanding configuration possible. If this extreme model passed rigorous testing, it would demonstrate that simpler combinations would also meet safety standards.
The test process The Ugly Door underwent a full burn test with monitoring at five critical time points: 10, 20, 30, 60, and 70 minutes.
At the 10-minute mark, smoke leaked around the letter plates because the heat did not fully activate the intumescent seals—an expected and acceptable outcome. By 20 minutes, the seals had expanded, stopping the smoke. At 30 minutes, the glass began to crack but remained securely in place thanks to the intumescent interlayers. By the 60-minute mark, the door had passed its FD60 rating. While minor smoke penetration occurred around the lock, letter plates, and door corners, no smoke leaked beneath the door. Even the inlaid bolection beading—a design element intended to challenge the doorset’s performance—showed no degradation.
Remarkably, the Ugly Door held for 64 minutes before the first sign of failure, with testing continuing until 70 minutes. This 10% overrun indicates exceptional performance and reinforces the reliability of the tested features.
Key takeaways for FMs The test proved that excessive individual burn tests are unnecessary when a comprehensive, well-designed doorset can meet diverse requirements. This is a crucial insight for facilities managers responsible for fire door compliance.
The Ugly Door was never meant for real-world use. Instead, its purpose is to assure that properly certified doorsets can meet complex specifications without requiring extensive, unnecessary testing.
The most important lesson for facilities professionals is to work with knowledgeable manufacturers who provide clear, evidence-based guidance. Up-to-date fire knowledge and a collaborative approach with experienced partners will help you confidently navigate changing regulations and avoid unnecessary complexity in the certification process.
https://rwjoinery.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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