Need a Fire-Rated High-Speed Door?… Here’s the Real Solution
Today, we’re tackling a question we get asked often: “Can you install a fire-rated high-speed door?”
The short answer is that fire-rated high-speed doors aren’t really an option. High-speed doors are generally made of PVC-coated fabric, which won’t hold up against the intense heat of a fire. But there are a few solutions to achieving effective fire protection and high-speed access on the same doorway.
One solution is a high-speed, fire-rated sectional door. This type of door can offer a fire resistance rating of up to 90 minutes, while still opening at a faster-than-average speed of 1 meter per second. This is a significant speed improvement over a standard sectional door. The downside? It’s expensive, slower than a conventional high-speed door, takes up a lot of space and lastly, if it’s hit during use, replacement panels are not cheap!
A more practical and cost-effective solution is to pair a self-repairing PVC high-speed door (like the Rapidor Impact) with a steel fire shutter. The steel shutter remains in the open position, allowing the high-speed door to operate freely for day-to-day traffic. If there’s a fire alarm, the steel shutter then closes to create a barrier against the fire. This setup gives you the best of both worlds: fast access and reliable fire protection.
For a compact, even neater solution, this configuration can also be offered with a fire curtain instead of a shutter. Similar to the Fire shutter, the curtain will stay hidden until activated by a fire alarm, then deploy to create a fire-resistant barrier. This option is not only more space-efficient but also keeps costs lower.
In summary, pairing a high-speed door with a fire shutter or curtain is usually the best solution here, offering a good balance between speed, fire safety, and affordability.
If you need help finding the right solution for your facility, reach out to the Tekta team today —we’re here to help!
Did you know you can also find the Tekta product range on NBS Source?