Can you wedge a fire door open?
Get a priceNo. A wedged door cannot close, and a door that cannot close does nothing when there is a fire.
We still find wedges. Rubber ones, mostly, but also a fire extinguisher on its side and once in a while a folded bit of cardboard.
What you can use instead
You can hold a door open and still have it close in a fire. There are two ways.
A hold-open device wired to the alarm. A magnet keeps the door back. When the alarm sounds the magnet lets go and the closer shuts the door.
A free-swing closer. The door moves about freely until the alarm sounds, then the closer takes over. Care homes use these where residents find a normal closer too stiff.
Both need fitting properly and testing. A magnet screwed to the wall with no wire back to the alarm panel just does what a wedge does.
Heavy doors
People prop them because they are hard work to push. Say so to whoever manages the building. A closer can often be eased off so it takes less force to push, without losing the power to latch the door.
What goes in our report
If we see a wedge we write down which door it was, what was holding it and what we would put in its place. The photo goes next to the note.
A wedge tells you somebody wants that door open. Fix that, and the wedge goes.
Send the postcode and a rough number of doors. We will come back with a price the same day.
Get a price