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Dead bolt on single fire rated door

C

cda

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Oct 19, 2009
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Apartment building


So in a rated corridor, there is a fire rated door to hvac closet. This door you open and all that is in it one unit hvac unit. You can walk into the closet, door is there just to service the hvac.

So said Door only has a single leaf.


Dead bolt ok ?? Does it meet the latch requirement. ???

Does it meet # 2 below,,, even though it is not a pair of doors??

Or is there another section of the code that would allow the dead bolt??


1010.1.9.5Bolt locks.
Manually operated flush bolts or surface bolts are not permitted.

Exceptions:

  1. 1.On doors not required for egress in individual dwelling unitsor sleeping units.

  2. 2.Where a pair of doors serves a storage or equipment room, manually operated edge- or surface-mounted bolts are permitted on the inactive leaf.

  3. 3.Where a pair of doors serves an occupant load of less than 50 persons in a Group B, F or S occupancy, manually operated edge- or surface-mounted bolts are permitted on the inactive leaf. The inactive leaf shall not contain doorknobs, panic bars or similar operating hardware.

  4. 4.Where a pair of doors serves a Group B, F or S occupancy, manually operated edge- or surface-mounted bolts are permitted on the inactive leaf provided that such inactive leaf is not needed to meet egress capacity requirements and the building is equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1. The inactive leaf shall not contain doorknobs, panic bars or similar operating hardware.

  5. 5.Where a pair of doors serves patient care rooms in Group I-2 occupancies, self-latching edge- or surface-mounted bolts are permitted on the inactive leaf provided that the inactive leaf is not needed to meet egress capacity requirements and the inactive leaf shall not contain doorknobs, panic bars or similar operating hardware.
 
mtlogcabin said:
It is not a means of egress door because the space is not an occupied space or room
Click to expand...
As mtlogcabin said, the door is not a part of a means of egress pathway, therefore chapter 10 does not apply. IMO, as long as the listing for the door is maintained/followed, you would be ok.
 
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Anything thing in chapter 7 or NFPA 80


Thanks for getting me out of chapter 10

My problem is I tell people on a fire rated door

Self closing

And

Latching
 
If the door is required to be rated then it has to be latching and self- or automatic-closing per 716.5.9. I would think that a dead bolt is not "latching".
 
Dead bolts are not typically engaged until "after" the door is closed, as such given that it is fire rated it must first be closed by a closer, only then can it be bolted.
 
but it needs a latch in order to be a rated assembly, traditional deadbolt would not latch once closed by the closer
 
So what is an active latch???



716.2.6.2Latch required.
Unless otherwise specifically permitted, single side-hinged swinging fire doors and both leaves of pairs of side-hinged swinging fire doors shall be provided with an active latch bolt that will secure the door when it is closed.
 
I do not believe you will find the term "self latching" used within the code except for the door leading from a garage to a residence and for pool enclosures.
Perhaps NFPA 80 requires a self latching hardware on fire and smoke doors otherwise the dead bolt would be the only "latch" that would be required to secure the door.
 
A picture might be worth a thousand words but it is not a definition

Opening a latch
A latch or catch (called sneck in Northern England and Scotland) is a type of mechanical fastener that joins two (or more) objects or surfaces while allowing for their regular separation. A latch typically engages another piece of hardware on the other mounting surface. Depending upon the type and design of the latch, this engaged bit of hardware may be known as a keeper or strike.

A latch is not the same as the locking mechanism of a door or window, although often they are found together in the same product.

Latches range in complexity from flexible one-piece flat springs of metal or plastic, such as are used to keep blow molded plastic power tool cases closed, to multi-point cammed latches used to keep large doors closed.

Contents
Common types[edit]
Deadbolt latch[edit]
A single-throw bolt. The bolt can be engaged in its strike plate only after the door is closed. The locking mechanism typically prevents the bolt from being retracted by force.

Spring latches[edit]

Knob has crescent-shaped bar which pulls back latchbolt when turned. Version on upper right has a lock; version on upper left does not. Kwikset uses this shape. Other companies have square or D-shaped bars.
  • Latchbolt or Latch bolt An extremely common latch type, typically part of a lockset, it is a spring-loaded bolt with an angled edge.[1][2][3] When the door is pushed closed, the angled edge of the latchbolt engages with the lip of the strike plate; a spring allows the bolt to retract. Once the door is fully closed, the bolt automatically extends into the strike plate, holding the door closed. The latchbolt is disengaged (retracted) typically when the user turns the door handle, which via the lockset's mechanism, manually retracts the latchbolt, allowing the door to open.
  • Deadlocking latchbolt (deadlatch) is an elaboration on the latchbolt which includes a guardbolt to prevent “shimming” or “jimmying” of the latch bolt. When the door is closed, the latchbolt and guardbolt are retracted together, and the door closes normally, with the latchbolt entering the strike plate. The strike plate, however, holds the guardbolt in its depressed position: a mechanism within the lockset holds the latchbolt in the projected position. This arrangement prevents the latchbolt from being depressed through the use of a credit card or some other tool, which would lead to unauthorized entry.
  • Draw Latch is a two part latch where one side has an arm that can clasp to the other half, and as it closes the clasp pulls the two parts together. Frequently used on tool boxes, chests, crates and windows. Doesn't need to be fully closed to secure both halves.
  • Spring bolt lock (or night latch): A locking mechanism used with a latchbolt
Slam latch[edit]
A slam latch uses a spring and is activated by the shutting or slamming of a door. Like all latches, a slam latch is a mechanism to hold a door closed. The slam latch derives its name from its ability to slam doors and drawers shut without damaging the latch. A slam latch is rugged and ideal for industrial, agricultural and construction applications.

Cam lock[edit]

The base portion of a cam lock

Offset cam
A cam lock is a type of latch consisting of a base and a cam. The base is where the key or tool is used to rotate the cam, which is what does the latching. Cams can be straight or offset; offset cams are reversible. Commonly found on garage cabinets, file cabinets, tool chests, and other locations where privacy and security is needed. [4]
 
Deadbolt – Where deadbolts meet the egress and accessibility requirements of the applicable model codes, they can be installed on fire door assemblies as long as they are listed and labeled for that purpose. Deadbolts that are part of a mortise lock or interconnected lock, and which retract for egress with one operation of the lever handle, are typically acceptable. Separate deadbolts, which would require an additional releasing operation (along with using the lever to retract the latchbolt), are allowed for dwelling units and sleeping units, but are not allowed in most other applications.

https://idighardware.com/2017/09/fire-door-latching/
 
The door in the OP is not a means of egress. It services a HVAC mechanical closet which may indicate the space is just big enough for the piece of equipment. I have seen hundreds of these in south Florida apartments. They are accessed from the common corridors I can't remember one that had a keyed deadbolt for the latch but I do remember you had to get the key from the building super/manager to access the unit to service them. My point is the door was closed and latched unless the HVAC unit was being serviced 3 or 4 times a year for 30 minutes to an hour. A latch or a dead bolt serve the same purpose for a fire rated door that is not regularly used by the public or employees
 
Not that you will find it in the code, but let's apply common sense here.

This is not a means of egress route, will not be open except during servicing of the equipment, will meet or exceed the capabilities of a latch, etc.

Even if not in the code explicitly, AHJ should approve based upon basic understanding of what is being completed. A 1hr fire separation for a corridor serving as a route for emergency exiting has been maintained by the rated door. The door serves more as a protected opening than a doorway.
 
Right answer, with a closer the deadbolt would then be supplemental to the rated latch set or key operated latch set at all times. Consider that if in the room when it closes that exiting may not allow use of an interior key to release the deadbolt when it is engaged.
 
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