How to select the right door closer: a technical guide

Fire doors are designed to save lives. When closed, they form a crucial barrier against smoke and fire and provide vital time for occupants to escape in an emergency situation. An open fire door on the other hand is rendered useless in the event of a fire, and for this reason, fire door closers are equally recognised for their life-saving capabilities.

The relationship between fire doors and fire door closers is synergetic in fact, with both considered key elements of a building’s passive fire protection system. When a fire door must close to completion during a fire incident, it will always rely on its mechanical closing device to do so effectively. Door closers are an essential operational component and must be capable of closing the door leaf from any angle of opening and strong enough to overcome the resistance of any latch seal, ensuring the door is held firmly in place by its frame.

Whilst all fire door closers serve this same function, decision makers are reminded that an incorrectly specified door closer can compromise the integrity of an entire fire door assembly. With different project requirements and hardware options available, specifiers and decision makers alike must be confident in their door closer selection. Where occupant safety is on the line, what should specification teams look out for?

Kirk Smith of Allegion UK explains: “Fire door closers are paramount to the success of fire door safety and specification should be a structured process to ensure appropriate closers are chosen at each touchpoint. There are various types of door closers available on the market, but whether concealed or surface-mounted, all controlled door closer models use spring hydraulics to close and engage fire doors onto their latch, allowing buildings to compartmentalise areas and provide occupants with vital escape routes. To perform this task, fire door closers call upon a number of elements including: the door closer mechanism, mounting hardware, arms and links.

“There are often a number of considerations to make when choosing between door closer products. In any instance, specifiers must first establish whether their door is a fire door or a non-fire door, for example. To ensure a closer is fit for purpose and meets fire safety compliance, all door closers installed on fire-rated doors must be tested to EN 1634 and UKCA and CE marked. Mechanical variants must also conform to EN 1154 and electromagnetic hold-open devices to EN 1155, which test and classify hardware over its category of use, number of test cycles, power size, fire behaviour, safety and corrosion resistance. A Declaration of Performance (DoP) must also be reviewed to ensure a door closer is certified when fitted with backcheck or delayed action.

“From an operational viewpoint, it’s important that a chosen door closer meets the needs of a building and its users too. Buildings with high footfall will often benefit from an electromagnetic hold-open device, which keep certain fire doors open until a fire alarm is activated, in which the system will automatically release and close doors to completion. The size of a door can sometimes be a key factor when selecting a door closer too. Unusually tall or heavy doors may often require a door closer with a higher power size, in accordance with EN 1154 – it’s key to remember that fire doors require a minimum Power Size EN 3 to conform to this standard. Should a specification team be unsure about the size of the door, it is often best practice to choose a door closer unit that can be adjusted during the installation stage.”

Regardless of where a fire door may be positioned, its size or how it may be used, operation must always be controlled, as this will prevent future damage to the door and its frame – which can be a crucial step towards retaining fire safety performance.

Smith continues: “Surface mounted closers are the most durable and common type of door closer, with units mounted to the surface of the door or frame with a quick and simple installation process. Comparably, concealed door closers are fitted within the door leaf and frame and whilst providing the functionality of a surface mounted closer are hidden from view as a way of enhancing aesthetics. When reviewing the mounting requirements, it’s important to consider door closers can be installed in different ways, often depending on the application. The four most common ways to fit a door closer are:

“Specifiers must also evaluate whether backcheck control is necessary. Door closers with adjustable backcheck can better control the speed of the door, slowing it down prior to making contact with a door stop or before reaching the fully open position. This function prevents or minimises damage to the door, hardware and adjacent walls, which would otherwise be caused by the door being forcefully open or caught by a gust of wind.

“Equally, specifiers must consider whether a door closer requires delayed action. A delayed action closer offers a period of delay from when the door is opened to closed, which is usually set to be a maximum of 25 seconds (recommended for fire doors). This functionality makes delayed action closers ideal for environments that require easy passage, such as doors used by children, the elderly or wheelchair users, for example. With this in mind, decision makers should always check the Declaration of Performance (DoPs) and certification on fire door closers, ensuring they will remain certified and perform in use – keeping fire doors closed when it matters most.”