How to check fire door gaps

We offer Lorient gap testers to provide a practical way to help check the size of fire door gaps. If the door gap is too big, smoke and fire could travel through, so it’s important to check that the fire door is fit for purpose. In general, the gap should not exceed 3 mm. 

When a fire breaks out, a fire door can save your life, but it won’t if it isn’t properly installed, maintained and regularly inspected. Gap testers do not replace the need for full fire door inspections by a competent person – they assist this process. To ensure fire doors continue to perform as they should in the event of a fire, we believe checks should be carried out regularly – at least once every six months – and newly occupied buildings may require more frequent checks in the first year of use. Doors where traffic is high, like in communal areas, are likely to be more susceptible to damage and should be checked more frequently than other doors in the building, for example, once per week or month depending on usage. 

Watch our video guide below to check the size of your door gaps using one of our gap testers.