What Tapered Fire Door Gaps Tell You

A fire door and its frame are basically two shapes that have to sit correctly inside each other. The problem is that they do not stay perfectly still. The frame can move. The door can move. The hinges hold certain points in position, while the frame can still bow or twist between those points. A small movement in one place can therefore show up as a completely different gap somewhere else. That is why I don't look at one gap and immediately decide what needs trimming. I look at the pattern. A tapered gap can tell you quite a lot about what has moved and, just as importantly, which way it has moved. The most common pattern One pattern I see quite often is: the gap at the top hinge side is tight the gap opens as you move across…