It’s no surprise why fire doors have become a huge part in the fire and life safety industry. Fire doors have a well-thought out design with hundreds of moving parts, which allows them to help contain fire and smoke into one location of a building. But with so much that goes into making fire doors work, the inspections can be detailed and complicated. And because of the NFPA requirements for fire door inspections, each part of the fire doors are being looked at more thoroughly than ever.
According to LSS inspection data, about 90% of fire doors inspected are not in compliance with NFPA 80. That’s a lot of door failures, and one of the most common deficiencies is the fire door clearance around the perimeter of the door in the closed position. Often gaps between two doors, or between the door and the frame, will be larger than what is allowed by NFPA 80. Poor fire door clearance may seem like a small issue to take care of, but even small issues could cause a lot of harm and damage if not taken care of properly. It’s important for the clearance around the perimeter of the fire door to be within the appropriate limits to help prevent the spread of fire and smoke.
Fire Door Clearance Amounts According to NFPA 80:
Wood Doors:
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Clearance under the bottom of the door maximum is 3/4”
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Clearance between door and frame is 1/8”
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Clearance for meeting edges for a pair of doors is 1/8”
Steel Doors:
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Clearance under the bottom of the door maximum is 3/4”
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Clearance between door and frame is 1/8”, +/- 1/16”
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Clearance for meeting edges for a pair of doors is 1/8”, +/- 1/16”
Around the edges of a fire door, a fire rated seal is used to help adjust any gaps around the perimeter that may be more than NFPA approves. The gaps are typically sealed with an intumescent strip that expands when exposed to heat, neoprene weather-stripping, and gaskets to help prevent the passage of smoke.
Fire doors are complex devices and require a lot of attention and maintenance in order to work properly. Preventing the spread of fire and smoke is one of the many reasons why fire doors are installed. And if the gaps around the fire door isn’t sealed properly, both fire and smoke will be able to pass through and cause more property damage and could put lives in danger.
