Door Industry Journal - Summer 2015

the requirements of BS8300 can considerably improve access and egress. To achieve this, a door closer must produce an opening force of below 30N between 0º and 30º degrees and below 22.5N between 30º and 60º degrees.” On a fire door, this must be achieved at minimum spring strength of EN3, while still satisfying the required closing force for fire doors. The Equalities Act 2010 & Approved Document M of the Building Regulations in England and Wales, Section 3 in Scotland, and Part R in Northern Ireland also make reference to this. Whilst BS8300 and ADM state maximum opening forces in relation to the door closer, it’s actually the complete doorset that must be compliant with these opening forces. Additional door ironmongery components can impact the opening resistance of the doorset. Therefore, careful consideration should be taken when selecting hinges, latches, seals and other hardware, to ensure the resistance added to the doorset is minimal, preventing heavy manual doors being a barrier to access. Installation Once a door closer has been selected that meets the requirements, it is important to consider how to correctly install it. There are various ways of fitting door closers and this is usually dictated by the door arrangement and structure the closer is to be fitted to. The application most commonly used is called ‘figure 1’. This is where the closer is fitted to the opening face of the door on the hinge side. The second application is known as ‘figure 66’, where the closer is fitted to the closing face of the door, push side. A further application known as ‘figure 61’ is used where the closer body is inverted and fitted to the structure or doorframe rather than the door itself. This application can also be used on outward opening external doors, particularly glazed doors with narrow top rails. Working closely with experienced manufacturers can help to ensure that door closers meet the requirements necessary to provide a vital part of building safety and ease of access and egress for all users. Manufacturers will also be able to advise on the most cost-effective door closers to meet requirements, such as those with CAM-Motion mechanisms, which provide lower operating forces than equivalent rack and pinion variants. Alongside functions like back-check; a means of dampening the doors uncontrolled opening movement to prevent damage to people, the door & surrounding structure, some door closers have more advanced features. Hold-open and free-swing closers can assist in surpassing the requirements of BS8300, but add complexity to the installation and price of a project, so need to be carefully selected. Experienced manufacturers will be able to offer a broad range of high quality, properly tested and certified door closers, coupled with the right level of knowledge. For further information, visit www.assaabloy.co.uk or tweet @ASSAABLOYUKLtd About ASSA ABLOY ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in door opening solutions, dedicated to satisfying end-user needs for security, safety and convenience. ASSA ABLOY UK is officially a UK Green Building Council member. 95 THE door industry journal summer 2015 building hardware feature Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk