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Fire Safety!

Because this door is likely to be fire resistant you are advised to use the services of a qualified person as the existing fittings on the door are likely to have been certificated to various British Standards (and may well have been tested with the doorset during the fire test) and certain additional fittings on the door may affect its fire resistance performance.

A qualified person in this context might be a holder of the  Loss Prevention Certification Board’s standard  LPS 1271 Issue 1.1 (Installation of fire and security doorsets) , a manufacturer of fire doors, a member of a relevant trade association or a member of the Master Locksmith Association.  (See  Fire  Doors in a domestic setting in this chapter for further information)

Some or all of the following standards will be relevant for your fire door.

BS 476 Part 22: 1987  Fire tests on building materials and structures. Methods for determination of the fire resistance of non-load bearing elements of construction

BS EN 1634-1: 2008 Fire resistance and smoke control tests for door, shutter and, openable window assemblies and elements of building hardware. Fire resistance tests for doors, shutters and openable windows. 

BS EN 1634-2:2008     Fire resistance and smoke control tests for door, shutter and openable window assemblies and elements of building hardware. Fire resistance characterisation test for elements of building hardware

BS EN 1634-3:2004     Fire resistance and smoke control tests for door and shutter assemblies, openable windows and elements of building hardware. Smoke control test for door and shutter assemblies

BS EN 1154: 1997 Building hardware. Controlled door closing devices. Requirements and test methods  or  BS EN 1155:1997   Building hardware. Electrically powered hold-open devices for swing doors. Requirements and test method.

Treat this door as if it was an external door, because if you forget to lock the vehicle access door a burglar will be able to force open this door without being seen from the street.  This door should be fire resistant to the requirements of the Building Regulations and will be fitted with a door closer. (See  Fire doors in a domestic setting   and  Preventing crime in the garden, outbuildings and garage, Security for the garage

Minimum security requirements

The following bullet points indicate the minimum security requirements for a timber door that should satisfy your insurance company’s requirements, but you  must  check with them first.  Because this door is fire resistant you are advised to use the services of a Master Locksmith as certain additional fittings on the door may affect its fire resistance.

  • The door should be a minimum 44mm thick with a solid core and fire resistant for the period of time required by the building regulations. 
  • It should be fitted with a door closing device
  • It should be hung on three hinges
  • The frame should be secured to the brick or block with screws or frame fixers at maximum centres required by building regulations and or the manufacturer of the doorset.  You may not be able to identify the fixing points on an old door frame
  • The door should be fitted with the following lock: A mortice sashlock certificated to BS 3621 positioned near to the centre of the door and a pair of key operated mortice security bolts fitted at right angles to the grain of the wood either bolting into the side frame or into the top  and bottom frames, but make sure that everyone in the house can operate them
  • A pair of hinge bolts should be fitted if the door opens outwards
  • A door viewer for looking into the garage

Additional security measures

The following additional security measures can be added if you live in an area with crime risks higher than the average

  • If the door opens inwards reinforcing bars can be fitted on the inner face of the hinge and locking frames
  • Reinforcing plates can be fitted on either side of the mortice sashlock
  • If you intend to replace the doorset, the best option would be to replace it with a fire door that is  also  certificated to PAS 24:2012 Enhanced security performance requirements for doorsets and windows in the UK. External doorsets and windows intended to offer a level of security suitable for dwellings and other buildings exposed to comparable risk. (Previously PAS 24: 2007+A1: 2009 Enhanced  security performance requirements for door assemblies.  You should get one with a multi point lock that has handles on both sides to operate the latch bolt and a keyhole on the inside to deadlock the multi point locks.