Fire doors must remain closed to prevent the spread of fire, however closed doors mean people must touch them to enter or exit a room. With door handles is one of the most frequently touched items in the workplace, what are some of the options for reducing this bacteria hotspot whilst maintaining the crucial role that doors play in controlling the spread of a potential fire? The most popular choices for making doors touch-free are outlined below. Having doors open will also keep your building well ventilated, which can make germs less likely to spread. Get in touch at info@merlinarc.com or 0161 927 9292 if you need further information or a site visit to review your specific environment.
Hold-Open Magnets used in conjunction with a Mechanical Overhead Door Closer
Hold-Open Magnets can be typically supplied as wall or floor mounted units that sit behind the opened door, holding the door open during the working day. These are used in conjunction with a Mechanical Overhead Door Closer. The magnets are tied into the fire alarm so that when it sounds, the magnets are released, and the door subsequently closes to provide an integral barrier to the spread of the fire. The magnets have an override button so that they can be released for cleaning purposes.
Electro-Magnetic Hold-Open Overhead Door Closers
E-Mag Door Closers are a similar solution to the Hold-Open Magnets above, but instead of having a separate magnet, the capacity for holding the door in the open position is inbuilt into the door closer. The advantage of these units is that the Door Closer is specifically designed to be in the hold-open position, and they are typically more aesthetically pleasing as there is no need for the installation of a separate magnetic unit on the wall behind the door. Also, this option would be chosen where there is no wall directly behind the door for magnets to be fitted to.
Door Automation
Various Automatic Door solutions are available as supply only or supply & fit packages. A vast range of easy to use Access Control Systems includes proximity readers for use with cards, fobs or smartphones removing the need for any contact to be made with the door to allow it to open whilst maintaining security requirements. Activation Sensors are another popular solution where the door automatically opens when an approaching person is detected.
Door Holders
The DoorSense Door Holder is a standalone unit that can be fixed to a fire door quickly to provide a reliable way to keep it open. These are used alongside Mechanical Overhead Door Closers and will automatically release if the fire alarm sounds, allowing the door to close so the integrity of the fire door is retained.
