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If the points below do not answer your query please do not hesitate to contact us or send your question to info@holdfire.com
General questions
Q: Must I have closers on bedroom doors in a care/nursing home?
A: In almost all cases, yes. Any bedroom door leading out to a common means of escape risks compromising the escape route in the event of fire. See page 37 of HM Government Guide for Fire Safety in Residential Care for a diagram showing typical layouts of buildings and self closing doors.
If you are considering using self contained, battery powered devices as an alternative to wired systems such as Holdfire, note that the Guidance stipulates that;
"self-contained devices that are not connected directly to a fire alarm system may be acceptable where a site specific risk assessment can show that they are appropriate. Such devices are unlikely to be suitable for use on doors protecting single stairways or other critical means of escape" (Page 126)
If you require further guidance, be aware that many fire "consultancies" are offering indifferent advice to care home managers on the impact of the Regulatory changes and trying to sell risk assessments.
For your peace of mind, Holdfire is pleased to recommend Fireclipse Associates as a reputable company with highly qualified consultants that can provide advice or complete fire risk assessments on your behalf.
Q: is any type of door closer acceptable?
A: No, door closers must comply to BS EN 1154 with the 2002 amendment that makes provision for DDA access requirem ents specified in Document M of the Building Regulations. Furthermore, any fire door closer must be of a minimum power size 3. Many types of door closer are not compliant with this requirement including the Perkotm shown opposite. If your closers are not compliant or need replacement, you should consider the Carefree system.
Q: Do I need a particular noise level to activate either of the Holdfire systems?
A: No. Both Carefree and the Door Holder systems are properly connected into the fire alarm system to create a highly reliable, failsafe infrastructure that meets the most demanding requirements of BS 7273, Category A . This is not possible with sound activated devices.
Q: You claim that Holdfire systems work out cheaper over 10 years than self contained, battery powered devices; why is this?
Both the Holdfire Door Holder and Carefree systems have an anticipated life well in excess of 10 years. In fact the Carefree units
are actually guaranteed for 10 years. Furthermore there are no ongoing maintenance costs with either system. In comparison to an self contained, battery powered device, if you consider how many units you would need per door over 10 years and add the cost of batteries, even the top of the range Carefree system works out cheaper per door
after only 6 years and the Door Holder about 60% of the cost.
Q: Hold open devices can sometimes cause doors to twist and permanently warp. Is this true of Holdfire systems?
A: No. Carefree removes all the closing forces from the door so there is no twisting effect. For the Door Holder system, the unique arrangement of having the holding point so close to the door frame (typically 300mm from the hinge end) means that the holding point more vertically aligned with the closer arm or spring. The result is little or no twisting force on the door.
Q: Can Holdfire systems work with any fire alarm system?
A: Almost all fire alarm systems have provisions for switching external devices such as door systems. Resolving any interface issues determining the best method of connection is part of our installation process.
Q: Can my local electricians fit the system?
A: Yes, but the fitting of these systems is quite specialist and it is unlikely your electricians will have the necessary experience or be familiar with BS 7273 the new requirement for door release mechanisms. Be aware that that many will attempt to cut costs by connecting to sounder/bell circuits and/or use inappropriate cables. Such installations will not meet the required British Standards or perform correctly when they are most needed.
Q: You claim the installation is usually concealed, what about the wiring?
A: The system runs on a very low current and voltage allowing Holdfire to develop and use its own miniature wiring system for installations. We pride ourselves on never leaving any visible surface wiring. In a retrofit installation for example, we will often conceal our tiny wires behind architraves and behind or under skirting boards. It might make our installation service a little more expensive but endless runs of surface wiring and trunking can really spoil the look of a home.
Q: Can the doors be arranged to automatically close at a set time each night?
A: Yes, this is sometimes requested by Fire & Rescue services. If required, a time switch is simply fitted as part of the installation to release the doors at a preset time.
Q: What happens if the power fails?
A: Holdfire systems are designed to be completely failsafe. If the power fails, a cable breaks or a connection fails, the doors will close. This is to ensure that if a fire burns through and compromises your power or fire alarm system, the doors will still be released to contain the fire.
Q: Why do you recommend testing the system every week?
A: This is standard practice for fire alarm systems and is a good practice to adopt. Where doors are being held open against the force of an existing closer, it allows the door closers to "relax" and maintain the efficiency of the springs in the closing mechanisms
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Carefree Questions
Q: If the door is swing free, how is it manually closed?
This is the whole point of Carefree, which removes all the closing forces from the door. In normal operation the door is free to move like any door in your own house. To close it you simply push it closed; to move it out the way simply push it away. It is only when the fire alarm activates, the closer engages to close the door.
Q: When the alarms go off, won’t people get trapped/injured by the doors?
A: Carefree can be adjusted so that the door closes very slowly so that residents are not knocked over and have time to get safely out of the way.
Carefree Plus has a slow safe factory set swing speed
that cannot be changed
Q: When the door is released can it be opened again?
A: When the fire alarm activates, Carefree returns to being a normal door closer. So if the door is in the closed position under a fire condition, it can be opened like any other door fitted with a standard door closer.
Q: How is the system reset once the fire alarm is reset?
A: If installed correctly to BS 7273, Carefree will continue to operate as a normal door closer until the fire condition is cleared on the fire panel and the door has been opened to reset the mechanism.
Q: You say Carefree can operate in swing free or hold open mode, how is this achieved?
A: Swing free or hold open function is selected by changing the position of a screw on the top of the unit.
Note this is not possible with Carefree Plus or
Carefree Duo
Q: If the door is in hold open mode, how is it manually closed?
A: In line with the Holdfire design philosophy, there is no need to operate any buttons, switches or plungers; the door is simply released by giving it a firm pull.
Q: Will the system become active when the alarms are silenced?
A: BS 7373 requires that the doors do not become operational until the fire condition has been removed as opposed to the alarms merely being silenced. For this reason it is no longer acceptable to connect doors to bell/sounder circuits, they must be triggered from the fire alarm panel.
Q: My doors open very tight to the adjacent wall. What other equipment is needed to fit Carefree on the other side of the door?
A: The slimline profile of Carefree means that only 50mm clearance is required between the door and adjoining wall. Should the gap be too small, each Carefree unit comes with all the fitments required to mount the unit on the front or back, left or right side of the door.
Q: What maintenance is required?
A: Carefree is designed to be a highly reliable, low maintenance system.
Maintenance is simply to replace any part that fails. We can perform an annual inspection and test if required.
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Door Holder Questions
Q: Can I open/close the door when the system is turned on?
The Door Holder is specifically designed to allow you to do this. A gentle pull is all that is required to move the door off the plate to open it further or to close it. To hold the door once again,simply move it back over the plate.
Q: Can the door be held open at any angle?
A: The angle of hold open depends upon where the plate is fitted on the floor. In theory any angle is possible however door closers complying with BS 1154, are only required to effectively close the door from an angle of 65 degrees or greater. It is therefore recommended that the minimum hold open angle is not less than 65 degrees from the closed position.
Q: Can the door be held in more than one position?
A: Yes, this is easily achieved by fitting more than one plate to the floor
Q: Can the system work on solid/tiled floors?
A: Yes, the system works perfectly on all floor coverings.
Q: My floors flex downwards a little when you tread close to the door, can your system cope with this?
A:Yes, the systems is designed to allow floors to flex without releasing the door.
Q: Does fitting the holding plate or any other part of the installation process require the carpet to be cut?
A: No, the plate sits on top of the carpet/floor covering, however a small screw fixing does need to pass through the carpet into the floor. The hole required for the screw is only 4mm in diameter and is not usually noticeable in carpet should the plate be removed or repositioned
Q: Can the system cope with heavy doors?
A: Yes, the devices can hold closers rated up to Category 3 which incorporates all types of closer used on doors up to 910mm wide. Holdfire is unaffected by the weight of door and for the BS 1155 standard was tested against a door mass of 65Kg which is considerably heavier than a standard fire door.
Q: Why is the Door Holder not offered for supply only?
The installation process for the Door Holder is not particularly complicated but is easy to get wrong. We will supply units for self install but ask that our installation team works alongside the customer’s team for a minimum of 2 days to transfer the necessary experience.
Q: What maintenance is required?
A: The Door Holder is designed to be a highly reliable, low maintenance system. The only adjustment that might be required is to occasionally adjust the door plate if the door drops significantly on its hinges over time. Otherwise all maintenance is simply to replace any part that fails. We can perform an annual inspection and test if required.
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Standards & Approvals
Q: To what standards do the systems conform?
Both Carefree and the Door Holder have been fully tested to the European standard for hold-open devices, BS EN 1155* at Warrington Fire. Carefree is also Certifire approved. As a component assembled in a fire door, the Door Holder is also been fire tested to BS EN 1634-1:2000 at Chiltern Fire.
Subject to the capabilities of the fire alarm panel both systems meet the requirements for all Categories within BS 7273 Part 4 (British Standard for actuation of release mechanisms for doors).
When installed by Holdfire, installations conform to BS 5839 Part 1 and Part 6, (Code of practice for fire alarm systems), BS 7273 Part 4 and BS 7671, (IEE Wiring regulations).
The holding device is designed and tested to hold up to and including all Power Size 3 door closers, which incorporates all types of closers generally used for doors up to 950mm wide and 60Kg in weight. Typical closers would be Briton 2003 overhead closers and concealed closers such as Perkotm devices and Powermatictm
*with the variation for the Door Holder that the manual release moment is 10NM
Q: Does my installation need to be approved by the Fire Officer?
A: Both the Door Holder and Carefree are tested to the relevant British Standards. If installed correctly both are failsafe systems and welcomed by Fire & Rescue Services. There is no requirement to obtain specific approval for the system but we recommend that the local fire officer is consulted on your plans. In Scotland, proprietors may need to obtain a building warrant to fit any systems to fire doors. We always welcome the opportunity to present to fire officers and we would be delighted consult with the local Fire & Rescue Service on your behalf.
Q: Will connecting Holdfire to my Fire system invalidate my existing fire alarm maintenance contract?
A: No, Door Retainers Ltd provides an installtion certificate for Holdfire as a subsystem of the main fire system. This places the responsibility for the Holdfire system with Door Retainers and absolves your fire system maintainer from any responsibilities in respect of the Holdfire subsystem. We are delighted to liaise with the existing maintainer if required.
Q: Why does the Door Holder state a variation against BS EN 1155?
A: BS EN 1155 , the standard for door holding devices, specifies different hold-open power sizes but possibly as an oversight, only specifies one manual release moment, ( the force required to physically pull the device off the holding mechanism). The minimum force specified in the standard is 40 NM which is equivalent to trying to hold four 1Kg bags of sugar suspended from the end of a one metre long pole. Many able bodied people would struggle to generate such a force let alone older people. As such the Door Holder has been designed to have a release force of 10Nm which is manageable for most people but strong enough to avoid accidental release. This variation has no bearing on fire safety and application has been made to the BS EN 1155 Committee to address the oversight.
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