A defect report that fails a fire door doesn’t mean the door has to go. Most failed doors can be put right with an adjustment or a new part. Some can’t, and for those a repair would only hide the problem until the next inspection. This guide explains where that line is, and how the decision gets made.
The question behind the decision
A fire door is rated as a tested system: the leaf, frame, hardware, seals and the way it was installed, tested together. So the question isn’t whether a door can be patched up to open and close. It’s whether it can be brought back to the system it was tested as.
If it can, that’s a repair. If the door itself has changed in a way that can’t be undone, or nobody can show what it was tested as, it needs replacing.
Usually a repair
| Defect | What the repair involves |
|---|---|
| Doesn’t close or latch by itself | Adjusting the closer, or realigning the latch and striker plate |
| Closer disconnected, worn or leaking | Reconnecting and adjusting it, or fitting a closer that belongs to the door’s tested system |
| Wrong handle, lock or closer | Replacing it with hardware from the door’s tested system |
| Seals painted over or damaged | Fitting new seals approved for that door |
| Wedges, hooks or door stops | Removing them. An approved hold-open linked to the fire alarm if the door must stay open |
| Gaps out because hinges or the frame have moved | Adjusting the hinges or refixing the frame |
| New flooring under the door | Trimming the floor covering back to restore the gap |
| Missing frame tag | Often put right at inspection, where the frame can be identified |
Usually a replacement
| Defect | Why a repair won’t do |
|---|---|
| No tag on the door leaf | Without it, nobody can show what the door is or what it was tested to, and a tag can’t be added later |
| Door trimmed too far | The gaps can’t be closed again. A fire door can only be trimmed about 3 mm before it stops matching its tested system |
| Warped, bowed or twisted leaf | It usually won’t close and seal properly, and it can’t be straightened back to the tested condition |
| Facings coming away from the core, or split edges | The leaf has broken down in a way the test didn’t allow for |
| Large cut-outs, such as a letterbox, a pet door or an unapproved glass panel | The opening wasn’t part of the tested system |
| Fire or impact damage to the leaf | The door may no longer perform the way the tested one did |
What happens to the frame and the hardware
A new door doesn’t always mean a new frame. If the frame is sound and belongs to the tested system the new door needs, it’s kept. If it’s damaged, distorted or the wrong type, it’s replaced too, and that’s priced separately so you can see it.
Hardware is treated the same way. Hardware that’s compliant and in good condition can be reused on the new door. Anything that isn’t, or that doesn’t belong to the new doorset’s system, is replaced.
What replacement involves
A replacement fire door is made to order, to fit the opening. The door is measured, made to that size and the right fire rating, fitted, tagged, and handed over with a certificate. Manufacture is most of the time it takes, usually about two weeks. The fitting itself is short.
Some older fire doors contain asbestos. If yours do, removing the old door safely is a separate job, and you should be told before anything is touched.
How to get the right answer
The decision is made door by door, against each door’s tested system. A good contractor will tell you which doors on a defect report are a repair and which genuinely need replacing, and why, before you commit to anything. Be wary of a quote that replaces every door on the list without saying why each one can’t be repaired.