Expansion bar is Chemically designed to expand when exposed to extreme heat. Usually placed around the door frame. In the event of a fire in the room, the heat will cause the strips to expand and seal the gaps around the frame to contain the fire.

Is the expansion strip a smoke seal?

Expansion bar is similar to a cigarette seal, but they are designed to prevent the fire itself, not the smoke. This is often why both are required for full compliance with regulations. Intumescent bars have different compositions because they are designed to expand in response to high temperatures.

Do fire doors need expansion strips?

Building Codes Show Where You Have Fire Doors, these will require expansion bars. …if the gap is too wide, it may compromise the door’s ability to limit the spread of fire and smoke.

Where did the expansion bars go?

Expansion bar is Usually installed in the door frame, but sometimes in a groove in the door itself. If your fire door or frame does not have grooves, you can use a router to make grooves that will fit the expansion strips.

What is a fire belt?

Expansion strips or fire door strips are mounted on door And, when exposed to extreme heat, expand to close any edges or gaps that might make the fire door vulnerable to the spread of fire and smoke.

Expansion of intumescent material

32 related questions found

What is the purpose of the expansion strip?

Expansion bar is Chemically designed to expand when exposed to extreme heat. Usually placed around the door frame. In the event of a fire in the room, the heat will cause the strips to expand and seal the gaps around the frame to contain the fire.

What size expansion bar do I need?

Intumescent strips are manufactured in a variety of widths, often with a self-adhesive backing that easily attaches to common frame and door materials.Typically, you would use 10mm or 15mm wide strip for 30 minute fire doors and 20mm wide strips for 60 minute fire doors.

How do you install intumescent fire and smoke seals?

Expansion Bars and Smoke Seals

1. Clean the frame with a damp cloth to remove dirt and grease.
2. Measure the height of the fire door, note the position of the lock – and cut the smoke seal accordingly.
3. Open and close the door with the seal in place before applying any adhesive.

How to install expansion strips?

Cut the strip to the desired length to match the height of the door. Most expansion strips have a self-adhesive backing, so tear off the paper on the back and push the strip firmly into the groove to secure it. Before inserting the strip into the groove, make sure the groove is free of dust, dirt or grease.

Can I paint the intumescent strip?

There is no evidence that overpainting intumescent seals has any detrimental effect on the seal’s ability to perform effectively. … recommended for painting on expansion seals Limited to a maximum of five coats of conventional oil-based paint or varnish.

Are fire doors a legal requirement?

Why do you need to provide fire doors? They are specially designed to withstand a fire for up to 30 minutes.they are Legal requirements for apartments with open common areas shared with other tenants. This is to ensure that important escape routes are protected in the event of a fire.

How to seal the bottom of a fire door?

When it is hot, expansion seal Expands to many times its original size, seals gaps between door and frame and helps control fires.

Do fire doors need to close automatically?

The short answer is Do not, but how do we determine what needs and doesn’t need a self-closing device? According to ADB Volume 2, fire doors require automatic closing devices when: Subdividing escape routes to separate exits from two or more levels. … door leading to external escape stairs.

When should a fire door have a smoke seal?

Fire door seals or fire and smoke seals

Once the temperature near the strip exceeds 200°Cusually about 10-15 minutes after the fire starts, the seal expands and seals the gap between the door and the frame.

How much clearance should there be around the fire door?

The gap between the fire door and the door frame should not be Greater than 4mm or less than 2mm. It is recommended to aim for a 3mm gap to ensure there is enough room to activate the expansion strip in the event of a fire and to ensure that the smoke seal (if installed) will not be damaged by the opening and closing of the door.

What makes a door a fire door?

Fire doors have a fire rating, usually by A combination of glass, plaster, steel, wood and aluminium. They are designed to stay closed and any gaps between walls and doors must be filled with fire-resistant sealant.

How do expansion bars work?

So, how do intumescent seals work? Intumescent weatherstrips are strips of material installed around doorways that, when exposed to heat, Enlarge any gaps around closing doors to stop the fire from spreading for a period of time. These seals typically come with a 30 or 60 minute rating.

What is FD30 fire door?

FD30 fire door is Fireproof for at least 30 minutes, while FD30S fire doors are fire and smoke resistant for at least 30 minutes. The extra S in the rating indicates that the door is also smoke-proof.

How does an inflated letterbox work?

These letterbox systems use inflation technology to protect your property. … an inflated letterbox system works by Contains a high performance expansion liner within the letterbox frame, which expands and seals the letterbox hole in the event of a fire. This will maintain the integrity of the fire door.

Where would you use an expansion seal?

Owners and developers place expansion belts around the door frame of their building. Through a chemical reaction, when exposed to extreme heat, the strip expands and fills any gaps in the door frame.

What shouldn’t you do with fire doors?

Never open fire doors

Aside from the obvious consequences of potential loss of life or injury and damage from fire spreading throughout the building, it is actually illegal to prop open fire doors. Therefore, all fire doors must be equipped with an automatic closing system.

Can you cut the expansion strips?

Expansion strips can stop the spread of fire and smoke for up to an hour, but should be checked regularly to make sure there are no tears or damage. …expansion bar Need to be cut to lengthand most will have self-adhesive backing strips that stick easily into the grooves.

Do you need to install 3 hinges on fire doors?

PLEASE NOTE: Fire door hinges are important to achieve fire door integrity and should be installed with an intumescent backing. in most cases, 3 hinges are enough to install a fire door.

What is an intumescent material and where is it used?

Intumescent material is the core Components of passive fire protection, and can be classified as a substance that expands when exposed to heat. This reaction works very well for sealing penetration in other firewall walls, floors and ceilings.