Coverage across Wiltshire
From large town centres to quiet villages, entrances across Wiltshire vary a great deal, and the right approach to fire door hold-open devices varies with them. A surgery door used by patients with walking frames needs different settings from a supermarket entrance, so the engineer looks at the actual door first. The towns we list in this area currently number 7.
Towns listed in Wiltshire: Swindon, Salisbury, Trowbridge, Chippenham, Melksham, Warminster, Calne.
What to think about for fire door hold-open devices in Wiltshire
- Hard-wired magnets need a power supply near each door. In buildings in Wiltshire where that is awkward, battery units avoid running new cables along finished corridors.
- Busy office corridors suit wall magnets that hold doors right back against the wall, out of the way of people and trolleys, until the alarm releases them.
- If the alarm panel has no spare outputs, a relay or an extra interface may be needed. Your alarm engineer can confirm this, and it is added to the quote once agreed.
- Older buildings in Wiltshire may have fire doors that no longer close fully on their own. A hold-open device cannot fix that, so the survey checks closers, hinges and latches first.
- Schools and colleges in Wiltshire may want hold-open devices fitted during the holidays so corridors are not disrupted in term time. Fitting can be planned around term dates.
Fire door hold-open devices in Wiltshire: 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
Fire doors that are held open must close automatically when the fire alarm operates. Where hold-open devices can be used is decided by the fire risk assessment, which is the job of the responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
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.
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.
How it works
- Describe what you need. Whether the job is fire door hold-open devices for a busy entrance or for a single internal door, a brief description and some photos let us understand it and plan a survey visit in Wiltshire.
- Free visit to the site. An engineer working under our management assesses the opening, the existing door and frame, the floor and the electrical supply, and notes any access, consent or timing issues to plan around.
- Your fixed quotation. The quote is fixed for the work it describes and lists each item, including any removal, making good and electrical work. It also states the lead time, the payment stages and the warranty terms.
- Fitting and sign-off. Work goes ahead on dates agreed with you. Once fitted, the door is adjusted and its safety functions are tested and recorded with reference to BS EN 16005, and you are shown how to use it.
For care homes, offices and schools in Wiltshire, we survey, quote and fit alarm-linked hold-open devices. Get in touch to arrange a time that suits your building.
Fire door hold-open devices in Wiltshire: questions
Will you test the hold-open devices before leaving our site in Wiltshire?
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.
Is there a guide price for fire door hold-open devices in Wiltshire?
Our guide starts from £145 excluding VAT (per door), the same guide price we use across the UK. The free site survey in Wiltshire confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Are battery hold-open units a good choice for older buildings in Wiltshire?
Often they are. Radio and acoustic battery units avoid long cable runs, which helps in older or listed buildings and finished corridors. Acoustic units are only suitable where the fire risk assessment allows them and the alarm can be heard clearly at the door. Batteries need replacing at the interval the maker states.
What will the survey in Wiltshire 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.
What should I send before the survey in Wiltshire?
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.
Can automatic doors be fitted to a listed building in Wiltshire?
Often, yes, but listed building consent is normally needed for changes that affect the character of the building, inside or out. Slim operators, concealed fixings and automating the existing door can all reduce the visual impact. Speak to the conservation officer at the local planning authority early; we can provide drawings and specifications to help.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in Wiltshire?
In England the guidance is Approved Document M (Volume 2) for access, Approved Document B for fire safety and escape routes, and Approved Document K for glazing and powered doors. A new entrance can count as building work, so building control should be involved before it is ordered.