Fire Door Repairs in Manchester

This is the single most common fire door defect we find. A closer that does not pull the door fully into the frame means the latch will not engage, and in a fire the door could swing open and let smoke and flames pass through. Sometimes the closer just needs adjusting. If the hydraulic valve has been set too slow, the door might stop short of the latch. But if the closer is leaking oil, has a bent arm or simply lacks the power to close a heavy fire door, it needs replacing. We fit the correct size and strength of closer for the door weight and width.

We often find fire doors where the intumescent strips have been painted over during decoration, or smoke seals have been pulled off accidentally. In older buildings, the strips may never have been fitted properly in the first place. Missing or compromised strips are a serious compliance issue. We route new channels into the door edge or frame and press in fresh intumescent and smoke seal strips. For doors with a combined strip already routed, we fit a matching replacement to maintain the original fire rating.

Fire doors should have a maximum gap of 3mm around the top and sides when closed. If the gap is larger than that, smoke can pass freely around the door and the intumescent strips may not expand enough to bridge the gap. Oversized gaps are often caused by incorrect hanging, worn hinges, or building movement over time. We adjust the hinges to bring the door tighter to the frame, or plane the frame rebate to reduce the gap. In some cases, the frame itself needs packing out or replacing.

Fire doors are heavier than standard doors because they have a solid core designed to resist fire. They need at least three fire-rated hinges to bear that weight safely. We regularly find fire doors hanging on just two hinges, or on hinges that are not CE-marked for fire use. We fit the correct number of fire-rated butt hinges and make sure the door swings freely and closes properly. Getting the hinges right also prevents the door from dropping, which would affect the gap clearances.

People cut holes in fire doors for cat flaps, letterboxes and extra locks without realising the damage it does to the fire rating. Any penetration through the leaf of a fire door must be filled with the correct fire-rated component. We remove non-compliant fittings and either install a properly certified alternative or fill the hole with intumescent filler and fire-rated board to restore the door's integrity. We also deal with fire doors that have been shaved down to fit over new carpet, which reduces the door thickness and compromises the fire rating.