fire rated doors - gasketing & wired glass - when required

[syarn]

3 story; IIB; NFPA13R; 68000sf apartment building (R2); IBC 2006;

the apartment doors off the rated corridor are rated.

does the rated frame of these doors have to have a "gasket" (almost like weatherstripping on the stop of the frame) if you will to "seal" the door?

where is that in the code?

also a library and and arts & crafts rooms off the corridor - if the doors into these space have vision panels does the glass have to be wired?

where in the code?

 

[north star]

* * * *

syarn,

See Section 715 in the 2006 IBC to both of your questions.

* * * *

 

[KZQuixote]

Hi Syarn and north star,

I suppose that 715.4.3.1 says that fire door assemblies shall also meet the requirements for smoke and draft control. 715.4.5.3 addresses labeling requirements.

All the fire doors I ever installed had weather stripping of some sort.

Often times the hardware supplier would send out that self stick gasketing which I learned to refuse to install not because it would not suffice to stop smoke, I didn't care about that, figuring that it had been tested and was beyond my responsibility, but rather because it always crept out of position and generated a call back within the first year.

Bill

 

[Paul Sweet]

The glass has to be impact-resistant (IBC 2406) as well as rated. The exception which used to allow plain wired glass meeting ANSI Z97.1 was deleted from the 2006 IBC.

 

[Examiner]

If the doors are installed per the NFPA section regarding allowable gap clearances then gaskets are not required. You do not need gaskets for smoke unless it is a door in a smoke barrier. I do not recall the number of the NFPA but rated doors have to comply with that section for installation.

They do make a wire glass now that complies with hazardous locations. It is cheaper than the "Fire Lite" glazing.

 

[Examiner]

Did a short internet search and found the number and some other data.

NFPA 80 outlines the requirements for fire rated

6.3.1.7* Clearances.

6.3.1.7.1 The clearances between the top and vertical edges of the door and the frame, and the meeting edges of doors swinging in pairs, shall be 1/8 in. ± 1/16 in. for steel doors and shall not exceed 1/8 in. for wood doors.

6.3.1.7.2 Clearances shall be measured from the pull face of the door(s).

The above is from http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=214328&page=26 See FFP1(Mechanical) response

Q. What are the allowable clearances between door and frame and door and floor for a rated door per NFPA 80?

A. Measuring from the pull side of the door and frame and the meeting edge of pairs per NFPA 80: Wood doors shall not exceed 1/8"

Bottom Clearance between Doors Maximum Gap on Swinging

Bottom of door and raised non-combustible sills 3/8"

Bottom of door and floor where no sill exists 3/4"

Bottom of door and rigid floor tile 5/8"

Bottom of door and floor coverings 1/2"

The above is from http://www.c-sgroup.com/acrovyn-doors/faq

 

[JBI]

The door and frame are an assembly, the rating is for the assembly. The manufacturer should be able to address any concerns regarding smoke control.

Agree that the wire glass exception is now gone. Was not aware someone had a fire and impact rated wire glass.

Fire resistance rated glazing that bears the proper rating would mean effectively no limit on vision panel size - in doors or walls. Haven't priced any of it, so no comment on cost.

 

[Francis Vineyard]

Remember you can view this; NFPA 80 for free at nfpa.org

 

[Examiner]

http://www.fireglass.com/

http://www.syracuseglass.com/html/firerated_glass.html

Some sites with the wire glass used as saftey glazing as well and there are others.

 

[Markl_AHC]

Did a short internet search and found the number and some other data.NFPA 80 outlines the requirements for fire rated

6.3.1.7* Clearances.

6.3.1.7.1 The clearances between the top and vertical edges of the door and the frame, and the meeting edges of doors swinging in pairs, shall be 1/8 in. ± 1/16 in. for steel doors and shall not exceed 1/8 in. for wood doors.

6.3.1.7.2 Clearances shall be measured from the pull face of the door(s).

The above is from http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=214328&page=26 See FFP1(Mechanical) response

Q. What are the allowable clearances between door and frame and door and floor for a rated door per NFPA 80?

A. Measuring from the pull side of the door and frame and the meeting edge of pairs per NFPA 80: Wood doors shall not exceed 1/8"

Bottom Clearance between Doors Maximum Gap on Swinging

Bottom of door and raised non-combustible sills 3/8"

Bottom of door and floor where no sill exists 3/4"

Bottom of door and rigid floor tile 5/8"

Bottom of door and floor coverings 1/2"

The above is from http://www.c-sgroup.com/acrovyn-doors/faq

The information found on the c-sgroup site regarding bottom of the door clearances does not follow NFPA 80-2007, which is the referenced document in the 2009 I-codes. It is taken from NFPA 80-1999. Here is the language from NFPA 80-2007 regarding bottom of door clearance:

4.8.4 Clearance.

4.8.4.1 The clearance under the bottom of a door shall be a

maximum of 3⁄4 inch (19 mm).

4.8.4.2 Where the bottom of the door is more than 38 in.

(965 mm) above the finished floor, the maximum clearance

shall not exceed 3⁄8 in. (9.5 mm) or as specified by the manufacturer’s

label service procedure.

 

[Markl_AHC]

If the doors are installed per the NFPA section regarding allowable gap clearances then gaskets are not required. You do not need gaskets for smoke unless it is a door in a smoke barrier. I do not recall the number of the NFPA but rated doors have to comply with that section for installation.They do make a wire glass now that complies with hazardous locations. It is cheaper than the "Fire Lite" glazing.

NFPA 105 is the reference document for installation of smoke seals and does mention the '...tight fitting...' door, which is what you are thinking of. Just to expand on that a little, the allowable clearances are required on fire doors whether gaskets are used or not. Gaskets are not designed or listed for use as 'gap fillers' to solve excessive clearance problems; they are for sealing doors against the passage of smoke, in the case of fire doors. I know...they are allowed all the time to try and remedy excessive clearances, but that use is technically incorrect - as is slapping on some additional intumescent. Putting astragals on a pair of doors with a latch and flush bolts will not help the active door stay latched in a fire where there is excessive clearance between doors.

There are a bunch of products that comply with impact now, many of which do so at a lower cost. That makes it even more imperative to read the marking on the glazing to make sure it complies with both the minute rating required and impact. I have seen many times where Firelite was used in hazardous locations, but did not have the impact labeling. Firelite NT or Plus carries the correct impact. If in a non-hazardous location regular Firelite would be fine.