There has been a steady rise of people amongst new renovators who request for fire-rated doors. Perhaps it marks a sign of the times, and people are looking to protect themselves and their families better against accidents. HDB units in particular are the ones most frequently seeking such doors, and in fact HDB regulations themselves require some units to install these doors or face fines.
Many companies have capitalized on this with new renovators, and have begun to offer a wide range of intricate designs and door types that all comply with fire-rated requirements. Simply put, a good number of people believe fire-rated doors to be an unnecessary obstacle and visually inferior to non-fire-rated doors. That is not the case any longer! We have distilled this info below for your reading.
What is a Fire-Rated Door?
Many people unfamiliar with the renovation scene or HDB’s regulations would have never heard of the term fire-rated door. I mean, we are not interior designers after all. If you guessed by the name that it had something to do with stopping fires, you are right!
Fire-rated doors are designed to prevent the spread of fire into the apartment (if it happens on the outside), or to contain fires (that start in the apartment itself) and prevent damage to the surrounding units. They have become a must-have for many high-density urban areas, including New York, Tokyo and Singapore.
Okay, How Do They Work?
Fire-rated doors come in increments of half-hours, and most HDB fire-rated doors are required to be minimally half-hour rated. So to speak, the door can handle being exposed to scorching fires for at least half an hour before giving way. The door must also be able to block any smoke or poisonous fumes from seeping out of the accident zone via a smoke stop. For residential units, the maximum rating most doors usually go is 90 minutes, and for industrial zones some require doors to be 4-hour fire-rated. And yes, they can be made of wood too so your door won’t have to look like a gigantic oven.
When Do I Need a Fire-Rated Door?
This is easy! There are two situations with HDB regulations stipulating the mandatory installation of fire-rated doors. First, if your unit is located near to any fire escape route such as the staircase, and second if your HDB already comes with a fire-rated door and you wish to change it up for a new look. In either case, replacing the door must be done by a HDB certified door and company, so be sure to look out for these certificates when door shopping.
As always, we recommend splurging a bit more on getting a company experienced with installing fire-rated doors since you know their service should not disappoint. HDB has also implemented a s$5000 fine as a deterrent to those installing doors without a license, so be wary!
Visiting SG Doors today at https://sgdoors.net/category/fire-rated-door/ reveals a catalogue of lovely doors that would make any homeowner gasp, and contains a ton of useful information about how fire-rated doors work.
