Fire Door Inspection & Repair

Our NFPA 80 inspection covers the door, frame, hardware, glazing, and clearances. We verify the fire rating label, measure perimeter gaps (max 1/8 inch) and the bottom gap (max 3/4 inch), test all hardware, confirm the self-closing device fully closes and latches the door, check fusible links where present, and document findings with photographs and pass/fail reporting for every assembly.

NFPA 80 requires annual inspection of every fire door assembly at minimum. New installations must be inspected before being placed in service. For high-traffic commercial buildings, quarterly visual checks between annual inspections help catch issues before they become compliance problems.

A drop test verifies that a fire door with an automatic closing mechanism (fusible link or electromagnetic hold-open) will fully close and latch under its own weight when the hold-open releases. The door is released with no manual assist and must close completely. Doors that hang up, stop short, or fail to latch cannot be relied on in a fire event and require adjustment or repair.

The issues we correct most often are misalignment, damaged or worn smoke seals and intumescent strips, worn hardware, perimeter or bottom gaps outside the allowable tolerance, and self-closer or coordinator malfunctions. Unauthorized field modifications — added kick-down holders, drilled penetrations, removed astragals — also void a door's rating and have to be corrected.

Rolling steel fire doors are UL-labeled at 20, 45, 60, or 90 minutes depending on the code requirement at the opening and the risk profile of the adjacent spaces. Our site survey identifies the required rating for every opening, and we specify and install doors that meet or exceed it.

Yes. Insurance policies typically require functional fire doors for claims to remain valid after a fire event. Maintaining complete inspection records, drop-test documentation, and certification paperwork also supports better outcomes during insurance audits — some carriers offer premium considerations when meticulous safety records are in place.

Two standards do most of the work: NFPA 80 (the Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives) covers installation, inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements. UL 10C defines the positive-pressure fire test method used to rate the doors themselves. Local AHJs enforce these standards and may impose additional requirements specific to your building type.

A reset restores a fire door to its rated operating condition after activation (a release during a fire drill or real event), damage, or misuse. The process is inspection → documentation of what failed or changed → repair or component replacement → re-testing, including a drop test where applicable. The door is not returned to service until every tested function passes.