5 Frequently Asked Questions About Fire-Rated Doors

Fire-rated doors are one of the most important installations in multifamily residential buildings and commercial property. They are a necessity and oftentimes mandatory to ensure the safety of occupants and property. In fact, the National Building Code has laid clear guidelines to ensure the installation of fire-rated doors in all multifamily residential apartments and commercial buildings. Keeping that in mind, in this post, we answer some of the frequently asked questions about fire-rated doors. Let’s take a look.

1. Why are fire-rated doors necessary?

Simply put, fire-rated doors are necessary because they help save lives and property. They help retard fire and smoke from spreading across a building, in the event of a breakout, thereby allowing time and passage for the building occupants to evacuate the building. Also, fire-rated doors help minimize damage to property by giving fire responders ample time to respond to the emergency.

Read More: Understanding Mikasa’s Fire-rated Doors

2. Where are fire-rated doors required the most?

Fire-rated doors are a must in buildings that are occupied by many people. For instance, fire-rated doors are installed in multifamily apartments, hospitals, schools, malls, offices, and factories. Similarly, fire-rated doors are required the most in buildings that house important/expensive equipment or documents, for example, buildings that house the income tax department, banks, and armed forces.

3. How do fire doors work?

Fire doors introduce compartmentation of the different spaces in a building. Apart from the fire-retardant quality of the wood used to make the door leaf and frame, fire-rated doors use intumescent strips to prevent fire and smoke from escaping from one room to another. These strips are installed around the door and the inside of the door frame. In the event of fire, the intumescent strips expand on being heated and on reaching a certain temperature. This leads to sealing of the gap between the door and the frame, which prevents fire and smoke from moving to adjacent rooms or areas.

Read More: 5 Distinguishing Features Unique To Fire-rated Doorsets

4. How do I choose the right fire door?

Fire doors are categorized based on their capacity to withstand fire and smoke. They offer a fire and smoke resistance of anywhere between 20 and 120 minutes. Mikasa doors, for instance, are available in four options FD30, FD60, FD90 and FD120 with resistance of 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes, respectively. You need to consider factors such as occupancy levels and building size when choosing a fire-rated door based on its resistance time. Similarly, you should consider other important factors such as appearance, materials used, and cost of the fire-rated doors.

5. Do fire doors close automatically?

It’s a prerequisite that fire-rated doors must be able to close automatically to prevent fire and smoke from escaping and spreading to other parts of a building. Mikasa’s fire-rated doors, for instance, are fitted with an automatic locking device that is mounted on the wall behind the door or on the ceiling, which acts to close the fire-rated door automatically when there is a fire emergency or a fire alarm goes off.

About Mikasa Doors

Mikasa Doors is the leading brand of fire rated doorsets in India. We adhere to all the relevant international quality standards such as BM Trada, BS 476 Part 22, and Q-Mark certifications for fire safety. To discuss your requirements or learn more about our fire-rated doorsets, call our toll-free number 1800 833 0004 or write to us at info@mikasadoors.com.  You can also fill out our contact form, and we’ll take it from there.