Originally Posted By: kmcmahon This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
anyone know where that rule is that I heard discussed about auto-closers on garage/house doors? I was talking about this with guys from my state org. and they never heard of it.
Originally Posted By: psisler This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Fire doors are to be solid if constructed of wood and be rated if metal. All to be in the one hour rating. The hinges that are attached to the door are spring loaded so that they close after they are opened by themselves to suit that purpose. These hinges can be obtained from virtually any hardware or home center. There should be at least one of these type hinges on the door for it to operate functionally.
Originally Posted By: kmcmahon This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
psisler wrote:
Fire doors are to be solid if constructed of wood and be rated if metal. All to be in the one hour rating. The hinges that are attached to the door are spring loaded so that they close after they are opened by themselves to suit that purpose. These hinges can be obtained from virtually any hardware or home center. There should be at least one of these type hinges on the door for it to operate functionally.
Patrick
ok...where did you find this info? what source? I need to know if it's a requirement in all states or just a few.
Originally Posted By: rcloyd This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The IRC requires the house/garage door to be solid wood not less than
1 3/8 inch in thickness, solid honeycomb core steel not less than 1 3/8 inch
thickness or a 20 minute fire rated door. There is no requirement for the door to be self-closing. Check with your local building department to see if self closers are required or not. Ask them for the local code reference that requires them.
Originally Posted By: roconnor This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Russel is right that for new construction the current IRC only requires a 20 min door (1-3/8" solid min) and there is no self closing requirement. A plain hollow core wood door can’t meet the 20 min fire rating.
Fire doors for commercial/industrial buildings must be self-closing according to the IBC, but that does not apply to residential buildings.
Note that my state (NY) changed the fire rating to require a 3/4-hour rated self-closing door. There is some talk about amending the IRC to add the self-closing door requirement.
I think it's a good idea in general to have self-closing fire doors, but some say it's not likely for a residential garage door to be left open, and they have a point.
-- Robert O'Connor, PE
Eagle Engineering ?
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Originally Posted By: kmcmahon This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
So where did this self-closing rumor get started? People gotta watch what they post on here I guess. I honestly took it as a requirement when I first heard about it. Local codes don’t really have alot of relevance on a National forum.
Originally Posted By: tallen This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I guess that’s why Patrick mentioned to check local codes. I have always recommended that the self closing hinges be installed as a safety feature,and I was taught that it is a requirement here in Tucson. Monday I will find out for sure. My bad I guess it is a good thing I never reported that they MUST be installed.
– I have put the past behind me,
where , however, it now sits, making rude remarks.
Originally Posted By: jpope This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
- regardless of when the home was built. I mark this recommendation as a category (4) in my report which means - “This item is a safety hazard, corrections are necessary.”
I was taught that this is a requirement in CA but I've never checked the reference. In any event, I would not change my recommendation. It just seems to make sense to me 
-- Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: dfrend This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Quote:
Local codes don't really have alot of relevance on a National forum.
Every AHJ decides what code they use, so the codes are not truly national. The recommendation for a auto closer should still be made as this is a safety hazard.
Real life scenario: Mom is leaving to take the 5 year old to t-ball. She turns on the car in the garage, and goes to push the button on the visor to open the door. Before she does, the boy gets sick everywhere. She gets him out, takes him inside, without turning the car off, and the door does not shut. She takes his temperature, he keeps getting sick. She calls the doc, looks for his insurance info, and decides maybe a bath will help. She gets him in the bath, cleans him. He is crying. But feels better being comforted. She realizes t-ball is out. So she gets him ready for bed.
Fast forward an hour to dad coming home finding them barely alive in his sons bed. They both eventually recovered but nearly died of CO exposure which at least would have been delayed if there was an auto close. Let alone the fire protection.
My question to all of you. If having an auto close is not a requirement but can save their life anyhow, and you know this as the "expert", how can you not tell them about the option at least?
Originally Posted By: rcloyd This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The 1/2 inch of ordinary (not type X) gypsum required to separate the garage from the house and attic area is by no means a fire-wall. This term is improperly used in this forum on a routine basis. A fire wall is structurally independent of construction on either side of it, usually has a 2 hour or higher fire rating and penetrates all levels of construction up to and including the roof deck (with a few exceptions). It must also have fire-rated opening protectives which are not required in a residence.
In a residential setting it is highly unlikely that the garage/house door will be left open and unsecured. Also, it is quite a nuisance to have the door slam shut each time you go through it to get another bag of groceries from the car. Self closers are a matter of taste (not a bad idea) but were not seen as necessary by the experts who draft the national codes.
I guess it is a good thing I never reported that they MUST be installed.