Does a fire door need a closer?
Get a priceYes, nearly always. A fire door only works if it is shut, and nobody can be relied on to shut it. So it has to close itself.
The usual exception is a door that is kept locked, such as a cupboard or a service riser. If it is always locked shut, it does not need a closer. The moment someone leaves it unlocked it is a door that can be left open.
What the closer has to do
Open the door wide and let go. It has to swing back, pull into the frame and latch, with no help. If it stops an inch short, the door is not doing its job.
Then open it a hand's width and let go again. Some closers manage from wide open and fail from a small angle, because the latch needs a last push.
Common faults
- The arm is loose on the door or the frame and the screws have lost their grip
- The closer is leaking oil, so it has no power left
- The speed has been turned right down because the door was banging
- The closer was removed because someone did not like it
Any one of these goes in an inspection report. Most can be fixed in a visit.
On a pair of doors
A pair of doors usually needs a closer on each leaf, and the leaves have to close in the right order. The photo shows a pair with one closer fitted on each.
If one leaf is slow, the other will shut first and the two will not meet.
Send the postcode and a rough number of doors. We will come back with a price the same day.
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