I have an opportunity to do a Q&A with a company offering field relabeling/recertification of fire door assemblies, and I want to make sure that I don’t miss any questions you may have. I’ve collected a few, but I’d love to hear what you’d like to know!
Sample questions:
- If a fire door assembly is modified in the field prior to the relabeling process, how is the modification evaluated to determine whether the door or frame can be relabeled?
- When relabeling a fire door, do you inspect the glazing? If the glazing is not code-compliant, does that affect the relabeling of the door?
- Before modifying an existing fire door assembly, how can an installer be sure that the door or frame can be relabeled afterward?
- If a fire door does not have an existing label, how does an inspector determine what level of fire resistance is met by the door (45, 60, 90 minutes, etc.)?
- When relabeling a fire door assembly, how are more recent changes to the codes or standards addressed? Does the opening have to meet current requirements?
- What education or experience is required for people who are relabeling fire door assemblies in the field?
Feel free to add more in the reply box!
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As a wood door supplier, we frequently get asked to replace one leaf of a fire rated pair. We have always refused. Are we correct in doing so?
What modifications can be done in the field, that does not void fire labeling on door or frame?
Over 1,000 hospital corridor doors were specified and ordered without lablels for a new hospital building many years ago. This was noted during installation and the AHJ was called. The State consulted with others including the manufacturer and the door factory. Factory represented that the doors were manufactured identically to the labeled doors, the only difference was the doors did not get reviewed by the UL rep at the factory. The solution was about a dozen doors were selected at random and sent back to the factory for destructive testing. They all passed
As I recall, the door manufacturer sent a person skilled in label service who came out and affixed the labels.
After that experience we hospital maintenance folks tried very hard to get all doors installed correctly in every aspect and if we were requested to modify a previously installed door, we either replaced it with an appropriate factory door or had the modification completed by a factory authorized “label service”. I always found it fascinating that many frivlous requests just vanished when the change cost money to do properly.
Since the labeling used to mean that a fire door or component assembly had been rigorously tested under test fire conditions which cannot be duplicated in the field.
I found it necessary be sure changes were safe and that we had some record.
So, I believe there are few people who could answer those questions concerning modifications other than the manufacturer, a label service representative or maybe UL or equivalent. I am just “old fashioned”
Wow! 1,000 doors?!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Jerry!
– Lori
Jerry, you are so right! Funny that if the mistake is tied for any reason to the GC, the shear expense has a way of making it “go away”! Whereas if it is the supplier is responsible, costs be damned, it must be done with certified documentation.
what sort of requirements above door safety inspector are needed to relabel doors and frames in the field?
How suppose the inspector to know about the filling inside the door?
Have not seen it done
Do they have there own labels, they make up?
If so what does one look like
What is the average cost
Can a field labeling company approve a fire door to have fire exit hardware installed? I’ve had some doors field labeled and haven’t seen any field labels with approval for fire exit hardware.
Can the latch-bolt hole in the strike plate be modified so that the door will close and latch due to various door & frame installation issues, especially with welded frames.
Having experienced with the rigors (and expense) of having a “proper” fire door inspection from a reputable service like lntertek, How are there services that can claim to be able to field modify a wood door for an electric raceway? As difficult the task is, there is not an assured way to execute that the raceway is not too close to the surface to allow a burn through compromise. Seems like the wild, wild west with the claims some “third party” services claim to be able to perform legally.
What criteria are used to review existing, installed door frames?
What are examples that would make a opening “fail” relabeling?
If a frame does not have a label, how is it determined if it meets the requirements for a fire-rated door assembly?
I have found doors that have been field labeled and upon further inspection, I found the original fire label. The problem comes when they don’t match, specifically when the original label is rated less than the field applied label. Is it OK to use the field applied label and discount/discard the original label? How can the field label company give a door a higher rating than the original manufacturer?