Requirement for Fire Doors in Private Dwellings

[Suttonfire]

My understanding, as per Lacors is that in a single family dwelling of up to 2 storeys there is no requirement to provide a protected escape route.

The current Building Regs indicates FD20 doors should be used for doors to a protected stairwell in a single dwelling, but does not appear to state a minimum storey height.

I have a client who believes that all doors to kitchens within private dwellings should be 30 minute fire doors. Have i missed some guidance which recommends this?

[nearlythere]

My understanding, as per Lacors is that in a single family dwelling of up to 2 storeys there is no requirement to provide a protected escape route.

The current Building Regs indicates FD20 doors should be used for doors to a protected stairwell in a single dwelling, but does not appear to state a minimum storey height.

I have a client who believes that all doors to kitchens within private dwellings should be 30 minute fire doors. Have i missed some guidance which recommends this?

The current Building Regs indicates FD20 doors should be used for doors to a protected stairwell in a single dwelling, but does not appear to state a minimum storey height.

Without looking is the requirement of over two storeys a protected stairway and therefore stating the fire doors enclosing it may be 20 min? Under 3 storeys the stairway doesn't need protected so therefore no fire doors.   

[Fishy]

My understanding, as per Lacors is that in a single family dwelling of up to 2 storeys there is no requirement to provide a protected escape route.

The current Building Regs indicates FD20 doors should be used for doors to a protected stairwell in a single dwelling, but does not appear to state a minimum storey height.

I have a client who believes that all doors to kitchens within private dwellings should be 30 minute fire doors. Have i missed some guidance which recommends this?

The current Building Regs indicates FD20 doors should be used for doors to a protected stairwell in a single dwelling, but does not appear to state a minimum storey height.

Without looking is the requirement of over two storeys a protected stairway and therefore stating the fire doors enclosing it may be 20 min? Under 3 storeys the stairway doesn't need protected so therefore no fire doors.   

In a house with no storey over 4.5 m, and with windows that can be used for escape from all upper floors, yes - the only internal fire doors you'd need would be between the house and a garage (assuming we're not discussing Scotland - I'm not so familiar with the guidance there).

[Suttonfire]

Thanks, what about within a flat (private dwelling) which is at a height of above 4.5 metres from ground within a block. A can not see any guidance which states that it would need to have any internal fire doors (acknowledge that the entrance door to the flat would be self closing fire door).

[Fishy]

Thanks, what about within a flat (private dwelling) which is at a height of above 4.5 metres from ground within a block. A can not see any guidance which states that it would need to have any internal fire doors (acknowledge that the entrance door to the flat would be self closing fire door).

Didn't know this was a flat - rather different story and if you look at section 9 (Internal planning of flats and maisonettes) in BS 9991 some internal configurations would see internal fire doors recommended (and not just to the kitchen).  It's still a long way from "...all kitchen doors must be fire resisting..." (which isn't true), but it does mean that you can't legitimately assume that they don't need to be F/R.

Assuming that this is new build, of course - you wouldn't necessarily expect existing to conform to BS 9991.

[Phoenix]

Look at Diagrams 2, 3, 4, etc in ADB.  It is not the case that all kitchens in dwellings need fire doors but, in fairness, the guidance tends not to be explicit on this.

Also...agree with everything everybody else has said.

[William 29]

I don't think FD20's actually exist, ADB needs updating, so you would just fit FD30's if required.

[AnthonyB]

FD20 doors used to be in production until 1995 when the cost difference was such that it was uneconomical to make them (a bit like all self contained EL fittings being 3 hours even though the standards have never been updated and still refer to situations where 1 hour fittings were acceptable despite not being made for decades)

http://www.bwf.org.uk/fileadmin/documents/assets/fd_2020_20explanation.pdf

[Fishy]

The FD20 doorset used to be simply an FD30 without the intumescent strips... or sometimes with an intumescent strip along the head of the frame only.  It was for situations where having 'a piece of wood in the hole' was important, but we didn't want people sticking the old hardwood faced 'egg crate' hollow core doors in.

Some years ago the BWF decided that their scheme members weren't going to offer FD 20s as separate products any more, but technically there's no reason why FD 20 / E 20 doorsets shouldn't be specified and non-BWF scheme members could supply them (as could suppliers in mainland Europe).  As others have said - very similar to the 3-hour emergency light fittings universally used where an hour would do.

[lyledunn]

FD20 doors used to be in production until 1995 when the cost difference was such that it was uneconomical to make them (a bit like all self contained EL fittings being 3 hours even though the standards have never been updated and still refer to situations where 1 hour fittings were acceptable despite not being made for decades)

http://www.bwf.org.uk/fileadmin/documents/assets/fd_2020_20explanation.pdf

Anthony, you can still buy the twin lamp packs at 1 hour duration. Here, buildings with an entertainment licence must provide emergency lighting units at 3 hours. We recently had to replace newly fitted twin lamp units in a large function room for that very reason.