Acoustic Door Maintenance

Doors manufactured by SOUND FIRE DOORS are guaranteed for five (5) years from the date of delivery by SOUND FIRE DOORS to be of good material and workmanship, free from defects which render them unserviceable or unfit for normal use or as specified by purchaser.

Acoustic doors manufactured by SOUND FIRE DOORS have been independently tested by HOWHUA RESEARCH Pty Ltd at National Acoustic Laboratory (NAL) in Chatswood and/or site testing, (single leaf) certification stating Rw rating are available upon request. Testing Procedure AS 1191-1985 was used. Doorsets tested at NAL were 200 x 900. If doors are supplied as pairs or oversized some performance loss may occur. As SOUND FIRE DOORS has no control over the onsite conditions such as, e.g. floor finish, wall construction, room size, quality and quantity of hardware fitted, installation (if by others) and enviromental conditions, the site installed performance can not be guaranteed, we welcome and encourage independent site tested on any of our doors and will offer whatever advise and assistance is deemed necessary to help achieve required Rw ratings. Frames must be backfilled to achieve acoustic rating.

SOUND FIRE DOORS recommends all acoustic doors Rw35 and over be hung with a minimum of (4) four 100 x 100 x 3.2mm ball bearing, SS grade 304 or 316B more hinges may be required depending on door size. Doors should be pre-drilled and hung with parallel shank screws having a double thread for maximum performance.

Acoustic doors must be accorded reasonable treatment by the purchaser and should be stored or hung in dry buildings and not in damp, moist or freshly plastered areas, where the moisture content of the skins and edgestrips may increase abnormally, leading to the development of warp. The utility or structural strength must not be impaired in the fitting of the door, the application of hardware, or cutting and altering of the door for lights, louvres, panels or any special detail. The purchaser is responsible for receiving, handling and installing doors in a careful and workmanlike manner. Doors are usually delivered without protective coatings and must be protected.

Where installation is by others, SOUND FIRE DOORS should be contacted for both consent and installation procedural information to assist in achieving acoustic performance. Items to be considered include back filling of frames (all acoustic frames must be backfilled) with mortar, or vermiculite and setting plaster (not foam or fibreglass), ensure structure is adequate to carry load of doorset, timber jambs ensure wall and jamb surround is sealed with acoustic mastic min 10mm wide, tolerance, gaps to head and stiles, floor finish. For all acoustic doorsets of Rw35 and over SOUND FIRE DOORS recommends the use of a threshold seal equal to Lorient 4000 series.

All doors must be inspected by purchaser within 7 days of delivery, should the purchaser not be satisfied with the quality of the doors, SOUND FIRE DOORS must be informed in writing as to the concern prior to the doors being hung and/or having any finish applied to them. If doors are to be replaced, SOUND FIRE DOORS will replace the doors within 48 hours subject to availability of materials and quantities, no installation or finishing costs will be borne by SOUND FIRE DOORS under any circumstances. SOUND FIRE DOORS is not liable hereunder to reimburse the purchaser of doors repaired or replaced without the written consent of the manufacturer to such repairs or replacement.

DOORS MUST BE SEALED ON ALL 4 EDGES and BOTH FACES WITHIN 7 DAYS OF ARRIVING TO SITE WITH A SEALER THAT WILL PREVENT THE ABSOPTION OR EXPLUSION OF MOISTURE FROM THE DOORS, FAILURE TO CARRY THIS OUT WILL VOID THE WARRANTY IMMEDIATELY. PAINTER and/or PAINT MANUFACTURER MUST WARRANT THIS SEALER

  1. Immediately prior to hanging the door at least the bottom edge must receive a sealer coat (we recommend an oil based sealer) to prevent absorption and/or expulsion of moisture.
  2. Immediately after the door has been hung the entire door, including the top edge must receive minimum two coats of paint, varnish or sealer to prevent absorption of moisture and/or shrinkage.
    Applying a water based sealer or worse watering down a water based paint and applying this to a door DOES NOT SEAL THE DOOR.
  3. Variation in plywood veneers, unless in accordance with AS2270-2004 or AS2271-2004. Please note SOUND FIRE DOORS will only use duracote preprimed tempered hardboard skins for all doors. Plywood skins will only be used at the direction of the purchaser, as we do not recommend the use of paint grade plywood skins.
  4. Normal show through, it is not recommended to use high gloss finish where reflected lighting may exaggerate show through.
  5. Doors not accorded reasonable treatment by the purchaser and should be stored flat or hung in dry buildings.

Maintenance for High Performing Acoustic Doors

To ensure the ongoing design performance of the acoustic doors the following should be ensured

  1. Doors allowed to swing freely, depending on usage of door eg high trafficable area doors should be inspected monthly to ensure doors swing freely, doors that are opened less.
  2. Seals are fitted correctly and inspected regularly to ensure gaps are correct. All doors will sag or drop with usage, seals may need to be adjusted to ensure optimum performance.
  3. External doors painted in dark colours and/or high gloss which allow exposed face to lose moisture through the absorption of heat energy and receive proper finish depending on degree of exposure, including additional protection by flashing, etc. We strongly recommend that all external doors have a metal channel capping fitted to head, and have a flashing above the head.
  4. Hardware may need to be adjusted to ensure doors closer freely and correctly.
  5. Painter must prepare door and sand between coats.

The objective of painting a door is to seal the timber, so that the absorption or expulsion of moisture is prevented. Your paint supplier should be consulted as to the number of coats required to effectively seal the door. It is the responsibility of the owner to maintain an ongoing adequate seal, according to the paint suppliers recommendations to prevent deterioration of the doors.

Experience has demonstrated that when warp, delamination and/or defects occurs after delivery, it is usually due to improper storage or adverse moisture conditions after hanging, not to faulty manufacture. SOUND FIRE DOORS will accept no responsibility for the development of warp, delamination and/or defects when the moisture content anywhere within any component falls below 10% or exceeds 15%. SOUND FIRE DOORS do not recommend the use of High Gloss Finish paint on solid core panels. Veneer grain showing through a painted finish shall not be considered a defect. Mdf faced doors in external situations or area subjected to moist conditions will void this warranty. Doors being choked open with blocks and/or wedges after they have been hung which will induce stress on the hinges or worse pull the hinges off will also immediately void this warranty. SOUND FIRE DOORS does not accept and/or assume responsibility for conditions wholly beyond its control.

Nothing herein contained shall exclude the rights which any purchaser may have as a result of a breach of obligations imposed on manufacturers and suppliers by the Trade Practices Act or similar State or Territory Laws. SOUND FIRE DOORS reserves the right to change specifications as part of our ongoing development and improvement of our door range.