What are Soft Touch Door Closers?
In Australia, fire safety regulations mandate that residential units have fire doors that self-close and self-latch after every opening. This is crucial to prevent the spread of fire through open doors. However, traditional fire door closers can make doors feel heavy and difficult to open, sometimes causing them to slam shut. This is where RedMen’s Soft Touch Door Closers come into play, offering a compliant and user-friendly solution.
The Importance of Fire Door Closers
Fire doors are essential in containing fires within a unit, slowing the spread to other parts of the building. To achieve this, fire doors must self-close and self-latch, ensuring they are not left open. The closer is typically on the top inside edge of the door, with the body attached to the door and the arm to the frame. This mechanism pulls the door back towards the frame when someone opens it.
Common Issues with Traditional Door Closers
Traditional fire door closers can make doors feel heavy and difficult to open. This can be problematic for:
- children,
- the elderly,
- or people with disabilities.
Additionally, these closers can sometimes cause doors to slam shut. This can be both noisy and potentially damaging.
RedMen’s Soft Touch Solution
RedMen offers the Dorma TS 97 Closer, a compliant and innovative solution for fire doors. This closer features soft-touch technology, making the door feel significantly lighter to open. The Dorma TS 97 is small, unobtrusive, and designed to be easy to use for everyone, including children and the elderly.
The Dorma TS 97 door closer has a heart-shaped cam that reduces the torque required to open the door, making it feel much lighter than other doors. The closing speed of the TS 97 is infinitely adjustable, allowing users to set it so the door closes gently over a period of up to 30 seconds. This gives ample time to pass through the door without needing to hold it open.
Installation and Maintenance
RedMen ensures that the Dorma TS 97 is installed correctly and adjusted to meet fire safety standards. During annual inspections, RedMen will check and adjust the door closers to ensure they are functioning correctly. If a door closer is causing the door to slam, we can make adjustments to the closing and latching speeds. However, if the only way to ensure the door self-closes and self-latches is with a slam, we must leave it as is in order to comply with safety regulations. A slamming door is better than no door.
RedMen’s Soft Touch Door Closers, particularly the Dorma TS 97, provide an excellent solution for making fire doors easier to use. At the same time, they maintain compliance with Australian fire safety standards. By reducing the effort to open the door and allowing for adjustable closing speeds, these door closers enhance both safety and convenience for residents.
REDMEN: your soft touch door closer solution provider
REDMEN Fire Protection Management is a NSW fire protection provider. We know the industry inside and out. With offices in Sydney, Newcastle and the NSW Central Coast, we have hundreds of years of combined experience in fire protection. We have tracked the evolution of fire standards and legislation, and even been instrumental in their development.
Our expert staff will provide a free walk-around to make sure that you have the best possible fire protection solutions, including compliant door closers. Just contact us today and we can set up an appointment at a convenient time and we will be able to set your mind at ease.
For more information on fire safety and soft touch door closers, visit RedMen’s website or contact their customer service team.
