Safety Assurance Fire door drop tests ensure that doors can withstand the impact of a fire situation, effectively containing smoke and flames, which is vital for occupant safety.
Regulatory Compliance Many building codes and fire safety regulations mandate testing to confirm that fire doors meet specific standards. This helps prevent legal and financial liabilities for building owners.
Performance Verification Drop tests assess the functionality of fire doors, ensuring they close properly and seal correctly to prevent the spread of fire and smoke.
Durability Evaluation These tests evaluate how well fire doors can withstand wear and tear over time, ensuring their longevity and reliability.
Preventing False Security Regular testing can identify potential issues that may go unnoticed, ensuring fire doors perform as intended during emergencies.
Overall, fire door drop tests are integral to maintaining a safe environment in buildings, especially in high-risk areas.
Certification Testing Process
Visual inspection
All Fusible Links and cables are properly ran and not covered, painted or otherwise compromised
Operational inspection
Nothing to impede the travel cycle of Door
Guides and Track are intact and not damaged
Inspect Drop out Arms are properly installed and connected to Fusible Links or FireFly™
Door to Drop as per Manufacturer Design
Certificate provided on site
FIRE DOOR DROP TEST GUIDELINES
VISUAL INSPECTION: Conduct a visual inspection for anything that may cause a hazard during testing or affect proper operation or resetting
Verify that
Mounting and assembly bolts are not missing or loose.
Welds and weld locations comply with installation method for fire door assemblies welded to steel jambs per manufacturer’s installation instructions
Fusible links are located per manufacturer’s instructions.
Guide assemblies have the required fire expansion clearance per manufacturer’s instructions.
Fusible links and sash chain/cable links are not painted or coated with dust or grease, cable is not kinked or pinched, chain is flexible and not twisted, and raceways are not obstructed.
Smoke detectors/release devices function properly.
Nothing that is not a part of the fire door assembly is attached to any part of the fire door assembly (suspended ceiling, light fixtures, ducting, conduits, framing and any other building materials)
Check for damaged or missing components:
Slats – bent; tears or holes; metal fatigue.
Endlocks – missing; broken; bent; loose.
Bottom Bar – bent angles; loose bolts.
Guide Assembly – bent angles or channels; loose bolts; curtain entry misalignment.
Hood (and Flame Baffle when required) or Fascia – bent; rubbing curtain; holes; loose fasteners; metal fatigue; missing intermediate supports (when required).
Automatic Closing Mechanism – missing, broken parts; drop or release arms tied, blocked or wedged
Operating Mechanism – worn, misaligned or poorly meshed gears; worn roller chains; misaligned or loose sprockets; loose bearings; broken parts; bent shafts.
OPERATIONAL CHECK
Open and close the door using normal operation. If you find the door is not properly balanced, or there is damage or missing parts that may create a hazard or prevent proper operation, have these conditions corrected before conducting a drop test
DROP TEST
A drop test is required to confirm that the fire door will close automatically during a fire emergency. Use manufacturer’s drop test instructions. Door must be fully open before drop test. The door must close fully so the bottom bar rests on the sill. The average closing speed must be between 6″ and 24″ per second. Test each automatic closing option for the fire door.
RESET THE DOOR
Reset the door per manufacturer’s instructions. Open and close the door by normal operation. Drop test the door a second time, and reset again
Ultimate acceptance of a fire door is the decision of the authority having jurisdiction, as defined in NFPA 80
NFPA 80
NFPA 80, the Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, was created to establish national standards for the installation and maintenance of assemblies designed to protect openings in walls, floors, and ceilings. These assemblies play a crucial role in preventing or slowing the spread of fire and smoke from their source to adjacent areas or to the building’s interior and exterior. Additionally, NFPA 80 offers guidance for Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), helping them determine if a product complies with the standard’s requirements. Manufacturers, facility managers, installers, inspectors, and AHJs regularly refer to this document, recognizing that opening protectives are essential for fire safety and crucial for protecting building occupants.
NFPA 80 Pass Through Fire Door 13 Point Inspection
SWINGING DOORS WITH BUILDERS HARDWARE OR FIRE DOOR HARDWARE INSPECTION POINTS
Labels are clearly visible and legible.
No open holes or breaks exist in surfaces of either the door or frame.
Glazing, vision light frames, and glazing beads are intact and securely fastened in place, if so equipped.
The door, frame, hinges, hardware and noncombustible threshold are secured, aligned, and in working order with no visible signs of damage.
No parts are missing or broken.
Door clearances do not exceed clearances listed in 4.8.4 and 6.3.1.7.
The self-closing device is operational; that is, the active door completely closes when operated from the full open position.
If a coordinator is installed, the inactive leaf closes before the active leaf.
Latching hardware operates and secures the door when it is in the closed position.
Auxiliary hardware items, which interfere or prohibit operation, are not installed on the door and frame.
No field modifications to the door assembly have been performed that void the label
Meeting edge protection, gasketing and edge seals, where required, are inspected to verify their presence and integrity.
Signage affixed to a door meets the requirements listed in 4.1.4
INSPECTION SERVICES INCLUDE DOCUMENTATION OF RESULTS AND FREE REPAIR ESTIMATE
