Why does the ironmongery on a fire door matter so much?
Because the hardware is what makes the leaf perform. The hinges keep it aligned in its frame, the closer shuts it, the latch holds it shut against fire pressure, and the seals close the gaps. The doorset was fire tested with hardware of a specific standard in specific positions, so hardware failures are performance failures: a door that does not latch will be pushed open by the pressure of a fire, and a door on two working hinges will drop out of its gap tolerances within weeks.
How many hinges does a fire door need?
Three as a minimum on standard doors, with heavier or taller leaves taking four, exactly as the doorset's certification specifies. They must carry fire test evidence, generally CE or UKCA marked to BS EN 1935 with the appropriate grade, be fitted with the full screw count, and be free of paint. Missing screws and painted hinges are two of the most common inspection failures and among the quickest for us to put right on a hardware round.
My fire doors slam loudly. Can that be fixed without new closers?
Usually. Most slamming is an out-of-adjustment closer: the sweep and latch speeds are set too fast, or the backcheck is doing nothing. Adjusting the valves cures the majority, and where the closer is worn out or was never rated for the door, we fit a tested replacement sized for the leaf. What we will not do is weaken a closer until the door no longer latches; the fix for noise is adjustment, not disconnection.
Are door wedges really that serious?
Yes, and it is not a technicality. A wedged fire door is a hole in the compartment line, and in a corridor fire it lets smoke into the escape route immediately. In blocks of flats, doors in common parts are checked quarterly under the 2022 Regulations, and wedged doors are exactly what those checks are meant to find. Where a door genuinely needs to stand open for daily use, the legal answer is a hold-open device that releases on the alarm, and we fit them.
Can you upgrade the ironmongery without replacing the doors?
In most buildings, yes, and it is the most cost-effective compliance work there is. If the leaf and frame are sound and certificated, new closers, hinges, seals, latches and signage bring the assembly back to standard for a fraction of the cost of doorsets. The honest caveat: hardware cannot rescue a leaf with no certification evidence, an oversized aperture or serious damage. A survey first tells you which doors are upgrade candidates and which are not.
What signage do fire doors legally need?
Doors held shut by a closer take a Fire Door Keep Shut sign on both faces at around eye level. Locked doors such as risers and cupboards take Fire Door Keep Locked. Doors on hold-open devices take Automatic Fire Door Keep Clear. The signs are specified in BS 5499 and expected by inspecting officers, and missing signage is one of the simplest defects to clear across a whole building in a single visit.
