Authors:
Michael Nicasio – Principal Engineer, Fire Containment and Fenestration, Built Environment
Kevin Hyland – Principal Engineer, Fire Resistance and Containment, Built Environment
Matthew Schumann – Industry Manager Building Materials, Built Environment; Distinguished Member of Technical Staff, William Henry Merrill Society
The proper installation of fire doors is essential to help ensure functionality of the door as a means of egress and to provide compartmentalization as an opening protective in the event of a fire. Key installation details include appropriate hardware, door-to-frame clearances and anchoring methods of the door frame to the surrounding partition. Fire doors are often versatile and can be installed in many types of partitions, including masonry brick and block and various wood and steel stud gypsum wall types. The manufacturer’s installation instructions and NFPA 80 offer important information concerning the proper installation of a fire door assembly. For further information on fire doors, please reference our Doors, Windows and Related Hardware Application Guide.
Gypsum area separation firewalls
One type of wall that can present challenges for fire door installation is gypsum area separation firewalls or party walls. These walls are non-load-bearing and used to provide a fire-resistance barrier between adjacent dwellings in multifamily homes, separating individual units. A gypsum area separation firewall consists of two basic sections: a separation wall section (also referred to as a “common wall”) and a protected wall section (or “flanking wall”) on one or both sides of the separation wall section. The separation wall section is braced by the protected wall section(s) with aluminum breakaway clips, and the wall sections are separated by an air gap. The aluminum clips act as a fusible element in the event of a fire, permitting one side to collapse away from the separation wall and allowing the separation wall to contain the spread of fire to adjacent units. More detailed information on area separation fire walls can be found on the under the “Gypsum Area Separation Wall Design” heading.
Since multiunit dwellings do not typically have doors joining units, the topic of door installations for these wall types has not been common. However, it is understood that area separation walls are expanding in application, such as separating building intersections to maximize building area or for acoustic performance or energy efficiency. If there is a need to permit egress through these intersections with the building code required fire separation, installing a fire door may interfere with the function of the gypsum area separation firewall and the fire door assembly. Since one of the features of a gypsum area separation firewall is to allow the shedding of a protected layer, the installation of a fire door may present a means of bracing or fastening the total depth of the area separation wall, thus not allowing the separation of the protected wall.
Additionally, fire door assembly installations incorporate rigid connections to properly support the door and frame assembly. These connections can include masonry wall ties, expansion anchors and other mechanical fastener types deemed appropriate for the partition material type. Should there be an installation where a frame wraps around protected layers of the area separation wall, the fire door assembly connections may be compromised if there is an installation that relies on the connection of components within the protected wall, as the protected wall may not be fully present after a period of fire exposure. There is a need for further information concerning any appropriate use of a fire door assembly in gypsum area separation firewalls, given that there may be applications in building design where including doors in these wall types offers convenience.
At the time of publishing this article, there are no known UL Certified fire door or fire door frame installation details that describe the use of a fire door assembly within a gypsum area separation firewall. It is critical to note that features such as a door assembly may impede the performance of a gypsum area separation firewall by not allowing protected walls to separate from the separation wall. Fire door manufacturer installation instructions should always be consulted for proper installation along with industry installation standards from the Steel Door Institute (SDI) and Hollow Metal Manufacturers Association (HMMA).
For further information on UL Certified swinging fire doors, please visit Swinging-type Fire Doors, Positive-pressure Tested and Swinging Type Fire Doors, both available in the UL Product iQ® database. Product iQ is complimentary but requires a one-time registration.