# Elevator door fire rating?



## khsmith55 (Oct 7, 2019)

2015 IBC. 3 Story Apartment building, Type V-B, Sprinklered. Elevator serves all 3 floors and opens onto a corridor at each floor. Being 3 stories it appears Section 3006.2 does not require hoistway opening protection because the building is only 3 stories. However, I have always taken the “conservative” approach and referred to Table 716.5 where an opening in a 1 hour rated shaft requires  a 1 hour rated door (with smoke and draft control because it opens onto a corridor). I have typically used a 1 hour rated “slam” door. Have I always been too conservative? Your insights and thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks,

Ken


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## Yikes (Oct 7, 2019)

The elevator cab door itself is typically already  rated for _[corrected per RGLA]_ 1.5 hour fire protection.  Unfortunately, because it closes under force of gravity, it cannot provide a good smoke seal.
Therefore, the slam door (3006.3) is needed solely for smoke and draft protection. 
 - In theory, it could be an unrated solid slam door equipped with a magnetic hold-open, a closer and smoke seal. 
 - In practice, if the door has no rating, some future yahoo might decide to drill a hole through it, or remove the smoke seals.

I give it a 20-minute door just to make sure the installers and maintenance staff are paying attention to all the issues related to smoke and draft seals.  A 1-hour slam door may be more conservative than a 20-minute door, but probably not a big cost difference, and hey, it occurs only a few times on the project.


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## e hilton (Oct 7, 2019)

Yikes said:


> but probably not a big cost difference,.


Actually ... it is.  Any solid core door in a metal frame will give 20 min (or more) protection, but if you want 1 hr then you need to pay for a labelled door.  Unfortunately all you are paying for is the 49 cent label, the door and frame are probably the same, but the invoice is a lot higher.


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## Yikes (Oct 7, 2019)

You are correct about the individual cost.  In context, a 3 story apartment building with one elevator requires two slam doors (slam door can be omitted at ground floor per 3006.2 exc. #2).  If it only occurs twice on the whole building, the % it contributes to the overall cost is relatively small.

My developer clients tell me to obsess on value engineering the things that occur at every apartment, but they probably wouldn't worry about 2 slam doors.


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## Yikes (Oct 7, 2019)

khsmith55 said:


> Being 3 stories it appears Section 3006.2 does not require hoistway opening protection because the building is only 3 stories.



As an aside: out here in California, our building code is modified to read "more than two stories in Group A, E, H, I, L, R-1, R-2 and R-2.1 occupancies, high-rise buildings, and other applications listed in Section 1.11 regulated by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and more than three stories for all other occupancies."


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## classicT (Oct 7, 2019)

khsmith55 said:


> 2015 IBC. 3 Story Apartment building, Type V-B, Sprinklered. Elevator serves all 3 floors and opens onto a corridor at each floor. Being 3 stories it appears Section 3006.2 does not require hoistway opening protection because the building is only 3 stories. However, I have always taken the “conservative” approach and referred to Table 716.5 where an opening in a 1 hour rated shaft requires  a 1 hour rated door (with smoke and draft control because it opens onto a corridor). I have typically used a 1 hour rated “slam” door. Have I always been too conservative? Your insights and thoughts are appreciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Ken


Yes, you are being conservative....but the code is a *minimum standard, not the best practice*. Is the minimum standard the best way, no; Is it the safest, no; is it allowable, yup. I'd stick with what you have been doing until you get push back from an owner. And in that case, explain the benefits and the associated cost.


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## RLGA (Oct 7, 2019)

Elevator doors are typically rated for 1-1/2 hours per UL 10C, which covers 2-hour-rated hoistways. The issue is that they are not sealed for smoke leakage. Only doors within fire-rated corridors and smoke barriers are required to meet smoke and draft control requirements. The only reason you would need to add anything to an elevator entrance is to provide smoke and draft control without the addition of an elevator lobby or pressurization per the exceptions to Section 3006.3.


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