Covering Durham and nearby
Coverage for fire door hold-open devices runs across the DH1 postcode district and out into the surrounding parts of County Durham. Wherever the building is, the arrangements stay the same: one contracting party, a written price before work, and a specialist engineer working under our management on site.
In Durham, automatic door needs often centre on the high street: independent shops, pharmacies, banks, cafés and estate agents. Frontages are often narrow, so the choice is usually between a compact sliding door, a folding door or a swing operator on the existing door.
Nearby towns we also list for fire door hold-open devices (straight-line distance): Spennymoor (5.5 miles), Chester-le-Street (5.7 miles), Houghton-le-Spring (6.2 miles), Stanley (8.0 miles), Washington (8.8 miles), Bishop Auckland (9.3 miles).
What to think about for fire door hold-open devices in Durham
- Doors that open too far from a wall for a wall magnet can use a floor-mounted unit or a magnet on an extension arm. The survey measures where each door rests when open.
- Schools and colleges in Durham may want hold-open devices fitted during the holidays so corridors are not disrupted in term time. Fitting can be planned around term dates.
- Listed buildings and conservation areas can make new cable runs difficult. Radio-triggered battery units avoid most wiring, although the transmitter still needs a connection at the alarm panel.
- Hard-wired magnets need a power supply near each door. In buildings in Durham where that is awkward, battery units avoid running new cables along finished corridors.
- Fire doors on stairs and protected escape routes need particular care. The fire risk assessment may allow some of them to be held open and not others, so pricing is door by door.
Fire door hold-open devices in Durham: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: from £145 ex VAT.
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Battery acoustic hold-open unit | £145 – £295 | per door, fitted, ex VAT |
| Hard-wired hold-open magnet linked to the fire alarm | £245 – £595 | per door, ex VAT; alarm panel work extra |
| Free-swing door closer linked to the fire alarm | £395 – £895 | per door, fitted, ex VAT |
Which hold-open device is suitable depends on your fire risk assessment. Linking to the fire alarm may need work by your alarm engineer.
Standards and rules in England
Workplace law (the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992) expects powered doors to have suitable and effective features to stop them trapping anyone and, where needed for safety, to open by hand unless they open automatically if the power fails. Doors at work must also be kept in efficient working order under a suitable system of maintenance.
Hold-open devices and door release units linked to the fire alarm need regular testing as part of the building’s fire safety checks, and the results should be recorded.
How it works
- Tell us about the entrance. Send the address, a few photos and a rough size of the opening, and say how the door is used. That is enough for us to suggest options for fire door hold-open devices and book a survey in Durham.
- Free site survey. A specialist engineer working under our management measures the opening, checks the frame, floor, head height and power, and talks through how people use the entrance. There is no charge and no obligation.
- Fixed written quote. You receive a fixed, itemised written quote with the specification, lead time, payment stages and warranty terms. The price does not change unless the scope does, and any change is agreed in writing first.
- Installation and handover. The door is fitted on the agreed dates, then set up, tested and documented with reference to BS EN 16005. You are shown the controls and the simple checks to make, and receive the handover paperwork.
Ready to stop wedging fire doors open in Durham? Book a free survey and get a fixed, itemised quote for every door that needs a hold-open device.
Fire door hold-open devices in Durham: questions
What will the survey in Durham look at?
The engineer checks that each door closes and latches from fully open, the condition of the closer and seals, where the door rests when open, nearby power supplies and the alarm panel or radio options. We also ask to see the relevant part of the fire risk assessment, so the quote covers only doors that can be held open.
Can you give me a price for fire door hold-open devices in Durham?
Our guide starts from £145 excluding VAT (per door), the same guide price we use across the UK. The free site survey in Durham confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Can you work with the fire alarm company that maintains our system in Durham?
Yes, and for wired devices we usually need to. The connection at the alarm panel is made by, or agreed with, the engineer who looks after your alarm. We share the device details with them and agree the visits, so the alarm and the doors can be tested together once the work is finished.
Will you test the hold-open devices before leaving our site in Durham?
Yes. Every door is released from fully open and checked to close and latch. Where the alarm connection is complete, the doors are also tested with the alarm itself. You receive a schedule of the doors and devices fitted, ready to keep with your fire safety records and weekly alarm test log.
Do I need permission from a landlord or the council before work in Durham?
It depends on the building. Tenants usually need the landlord's written consent before changing an entrance, and some changes to a shopfront or external door need planning permission. The survey notes anything that may need consent. We can supply drawings and product details to support an application, but the owner or tenant makes it.
What should I send before the survey in Durham?
A few photos of the door from inside and outside, rough measurements of the opening, the address and a note of how the entrance is used. If the door already has an operator, a photo of any label on it helps. With that, the engineer arrives prepared, the survey takes less of your time and we can put the quote for fire door hold-open devices together more easily.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in Durham?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person for the premises must make sure escape routes work and fire safety equipment is maintained. Automatic doors on an escape route need fail-safe opening or break-out, set by the fire strategy.