A snagging survey is a highly effective way to ensure that a new home is safe and free of major snags.

 

Fire doors play a crucial role in fire safety and can help in protecting lives during a fire emergency. Despite this role, fire doors can be proven ineffective when installed incorrectly, and could even pose further danger. When having a snagging survey performed, it allows for any risks and issues with the fire door’s structure and installation to be spotted. In this article, we will uncover the role of fire doors in fire safety inside buildings, and how snagging surveys can help with this.

 

Importance of Fire Doors

 

Fire doors are a crucial aspect in the fire safety of buildings and helping these buildings meet fire safety regulations. They allow for the spread of fire and smoke to be slowed down, segmenting the building and providing a safe escape route. A properly functional fire door can save lives by providing important routes and time for evacuation. Fire doors can also help a fire stay at its origin, preventing as much fire damage as possible.

 

Although fire doors may appear as normal doors, they contain different components and behave differently. They are self-latching, meaning that they lock behind you once closed. This is important to preventing the fire as it allows for someone to follow the escape route without having to lock the door manually. The doorframe also contains a smoke seal to resist smoke and fire passing through.

 

Fire doors are also important to the legal compliance of buildings with fire safety. All buildings have fire safety codes they must adhere to in order to keep the building and its occupants as safe as possible in the result of a fire. A snagging survey can help new homebuyers know if their fire doors comply with these regulations.

 

Fire Door Performance Assessments

 

When assessing the performance of fire doors, a snagging survey is effective as it can help you spot any potential risks. There are many different components of fire doors to assess for any snags and safety risks. Here is a list of steps during a fire door performance assessment in a snagging survey:

 

• Door Construction – This involves seeing how the door is constructed, especially the leaf. Analysing things like the thickness and integrity of the door leaf can help with assessing its overall performance.

 

• Frame Structure – The door frame must be well constructed and sturdy. It should also ensure that the seal should be tight, absent of anything that could allow fire or smoke to pass through.

 

• Hardware Components – All hardware components, such as latches and hinges, will be inspected to ensure they are tightly secured and capable of maintaining the door’s functionality.

 

• Intumescent Seals – The intumescent seals of the fire door will be assessed during the snagging survey. This is to ensure they are undamaged, properly installed, and can expand when necessary to prevent the spread of a fire.

 

• Latching Mechanisms – The latching mechanisms of the fire door are crucial to the fire safety of the building. A snagging survey can ensure that these mechanisms are working as intended and can function during a fire.

 

There are many other aspects of a fire door that should be inspected during a snagging survey, but these are a few crucial parts of the safety assessment.

 

Common Fire Door Deficiencies

 

When undergoing a snagging survey, there are many different deficiencies in fire doors that are uncovered. Without the snagging survey being taken, these deficiencies could have never been spotted and could have potentially been a risk to life. For example, fire doors could have inadequate clearance from the leaf of the door to the frame or the floor. This can pose a risk by allowing too much smoke to pass through these clearances which defeats the purpose of the fire door.

 

Another common issue found in fire doors is having a faulty self-latching system. It is imperative for the safety of those evacuating the building that the fire door latches behind them and prevents the spread of the fire.

 

Another issue that leads to faulty fire doors is the lack of maintenance and upkeep. Just like everything inside a home, fire doors will not last forever and will require maintenance or replacements in the future. A snagging survey can help a homebuyer know if their fire doors have been maintained or help a homeowner know when maintenance is necessary.

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, fire door performance assessments are a very important part of a snagging survey and are crucial to the fire safety of a building. Fire doors are beneficial for preventing the spread of a fire while also providing a safe evacuation route. Many different aspects of the fire door are assessed during the snagging survey to ensure it has the best performance possible in the result of a fire. There are many different deficiencies that could occur in fire doors, which is why snagging surveys are crucial to fire safety.

 

Home Snagging UK

 

At Home Snagging UK, we ensure that your property is finished to your requirements. We also take great pride in our precision and care for every detail, making sure that any snags are corrected. Our professional snaggers have received training in a variety of topics, such as maintaining a consistent finish and preventing defects. We are also now fire door accredited with ROPSA. Learn more about our snagging packages here. Or, follow us on Instagram to stay up to date.