It's designed to be fitted around a doorframe or to the top and sides of the door itself. In the event of a fire or extreme heat, the intumescent strip expands to close any gaps around the door. This helps prevent the spread of flames from one room to another.

Where do intumescent strips go?

Intumescent strips are generally fitted into the door frame but are sometimes into grooves in the door itself. If you don't have grooves in your fire door or frame, you can use a router to make a groove suitable for the intumescent strip.

How do you put intumescent strips on a fire door?

Most intumescent strips have a self-adhesive backing so peel off the paper on the back and push the strip into the groove firmly to secure it. Make sure the groove is free of dust, dirt or grease before inserting the strip into the groove. A fire door should be self-closing with the aid of a door closer.

How do you fit intumescent seal?

How To Fit An Intumescent Strip

1. Clean frame with damp cloth, removing dirt and grease.
2. Measure the height of the fire door, noting the position of the lock – and cut the smoke seal strip to fit accordingly.
3. Before using any adhesive, open and close the door with the seal in place.

Do all fire doors require intumescent strips?

It is generally accepted that to provide the required level of fire resistance, all fire doors should be reinforced with either intumescent strips, cold smoke seals or a combination of both.

Installing 60 Minute Surface Mounted Fire and Smoke Seals for Existing Fire Doors

29 related questions found

What size intumescent strip do I need?

Intumescent strip is manufactured in various widths and usually comes with a self-adhesive backing, which readily attaches to common frame and door materials. Typically, you would use 10mm or 15mm wide strips for a 30 minute fire door and 20mm wide strip for a 60 minute fire door.

How do intumescent strips work?

An intumescent strip is chemically designed to expand when exposed to extreme heat. Usually placed around door frames. Once a fire breaks out in a room, the heat causes the strip to expand and seal the gap around the frame to contain the fire.

Can you cut intumescent strips?

Intumescent strips can stop the spread of fire and smoke for up to an hour, but they should be regularly inspected to ensure there are no tears or damage. ... The intumescent strip will need to be cut to length, and most will have self-adhesive backing strip to stick easily into the groove.

Can you paint over intumescent strips?

If your fire doors are protected with a simple intumescent strip only (without a cold smoke seal) they can be over painted as long as it isn't damaged by the painter's preparation. Heavy sanding or the use of chemical strippers and heat guns during redecoration must be avoided.

What is an intumescent strip in a fire door?

Intumescent Strips, or fire door strips, are fitted to the door and, when exposed to extreme heat, expand to close any edges or gaps that may leave the fire door vulnerable to fire and smoke spread.

What are intumescent hinge pads?

Fitted behind the hinges on a fire-rated door, intumescent hinge pads are designed to expand when heated, maintaining the integrity of the door and providing extra protection should a fire break out. The number of intumescent hinge pads used is dependent upon the fire rating of the door.

Should fire doors have a gap at the bottom?

Gaps between fire doors and the door frame should never be more than 4mm or less than 2mm. It's recommended to aim for a 3mm gap to ensure adequate room for the intumescent strips to activate in the event of a fire, and for the smoke seal strips (if installed) to not get damaged by the opening and closing of the door.

Is it a legal requirement to have fire doors?

Building Regulations specify that in homes over two storeys high, every door of a habitable room leading to a stairwell must be a fire door (this does not apply to toilets or bathrooms). Fire doors are also required between the house and integral garage (if applicable).

What are cold smoke seals?

Stopping smoke: What is a cold smoke seal? A smoke seal is a brush that goes around a door, or a door frame, to prevent smoke from passing through the gaps. The smoke seal is an integral part of preventing toxic smoke from passing into the areas of the building which are not on fire.

What is an intumescent cutter?

Used to cut grooves in a door or frame for fitting intumescent strips, our intumescent strip router cutters are an essential tool in providing fire protection. ... They come in 10mm and 15mm sizes and are self-guided to ensure a consistent depth every time.

How long do intumescent strips last?

Safelincs sells rebated or surface-mounted intumescent fire door seals which resist fire for 30 or 60 minutes (suitable for FD30 or FD60 fire doors).

What is an intumescent material where is it used?

Intumescent materials are a core component of passive fire protection, and can be categorised as substances that swell when exposed to heat. This reaction is used to great effect in order to seal penetrations in otherwise fire resistant walls, floors and ceilings.

Are intumescent hinge pads required?

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFORMATION: It is a legal requirement for hardware fitted to fire resisting doors to be CE marked. ... You should fit these intumescent pads under any CE marked hinges to comply with the marking requirements.

Do you need 3 hinges on a fire door?

Fire Regulations require fire doors to be fitted with 3 hinges (which must be 4 inch fire certified hinges). For doors over 2200mm tall, then four hinges can be used to prevent warping.

What should you never do to a fire door?

A fire door not only acts as a deterrent to the spread of fire and smoke inside a building, but can also be a vital escape route. If access to the fire door is blocked, then this avenue to safety is severely compromised – so all passageways and corridors leading to a fire door should always be kept clear.

What is a door drop seal?

Drop down door seals work as the name suggests – they drop down automatically when a door closes, to form a secure seal. If a fire door has a gap of more than 10mm along the bottom, its integrity is compromised and it allows fire and smoke to pass through and spread.

What is smoke seal paint?

Smoke damage sealers are a special kind of coating that adhere to damaged surfaces, block stains and prevent the detrimental odors from lingering smoke after a fire, protecting a building from the after effects of the fire.