Replies

1. 
   WayneL5 | Jul 29, 2008 05:36am | #1

   Unless you live somewhere without weather, you'd definitely want an insulated door.

   Most codes require the door to be fire rated anyway, and all fire rated doors have insulation to slow the movement of fire from garage to house.  You could not meet code with a hollow interior door.

1. 
   blownonfuel | Jul 29, 2008 05:41am | #2

   That's what I figured Wayne, thanks. Again I assume the r.o. is the same as a "normal" exterior door.

1. 
   WayneL5 | Jul 29, 2008 05:44am | #3

   Yes.  Of course it is always safer to buy the door first.

2. 
   Piffin | Jul 29, 2008 06:20am | #4

   neither - it is a fire door - as such, it needs to fit snug to prevent drafting

    

    

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1. 
   PLUM72 | Jul 29, 2008 06:34am | #5

   For what ever its worth, the door on my house connecting the garage to the utility room is what appears as an interior raised panel pine door.  The side facing the inside of the garage has a sheet of metal covering it, pained white.  The jam is sealed with a spring bronze strip around the perimeter.

   Probably not insulated the best but looks better than the average steel stamped raised panel door.

1. 
   peteshlagor | Jul 30, 2008 04:16am | #11

   When I wanted to replace my garage entrance door, the door shop was able to provide me with a fire rated 6 panel hemlock door.  The whole thing looks just like any other 6 panel interior door inside and out, save for the thickness and weatherstripping.  That little plate saying it is a 45 minute fire rated door sits right there on the hinge side.

   Wasn't cheep.

    

1. 
   blownonfuel | Jul 30, 2008 06:08am | #14

   Now i'm really confused Pete. From what my local lumber supplier said they just sell some plain metal solid core doors to most of the local builders and they pass code with those doors.

1. 
   peteshlagor | Jul 30, 2008 06:18am | #15

   I got mine from BMC West out here in Denver.

   And I lied, it's a 20 minute rating, not 45.

    

2. 
   blownonfuel | Jul 30, 2008 06:23am | #16

   Thanks for checking Pete.

3. 
   peteshlagor | Jul 30, 2008 06:39am | #17

   Warnock Hersey is the manufacturer of it.

   BMC puts the slab into a frame and retails it.  BMC is a rather large building supply house out here.   

4. 
   blownonfuel | Jul 30, 2008 06:43am | #18

   Thanks Pete. I have a BMC about 20 minutes from me so i'll check.

5. 
   dovetail97128 | Jul 30, 2008 07:04am | #20

   BMC: Bowel Movement Coming as they are sometimes called here. ;-)
   They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.

6. 
   dovetail97128 | Jul 30, 2008 07:03am | #19

   Just to clarify:

   Warnock Hersey is a testing agency , not a manufacturer. The tag is put there to prove the door assembly ( which includes frame, gaskets etc. manufactured the same way as your door) has met the testing agencies tests for a 20 minute fire rated door. Used to be that all garage/house doors had to be 20 minute and have have self closing hinges or closers. Not that way here any more, requirement for the closures was dropped.
   They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.

7. 
   peteshlagor | Jul 30, 2008 05:59pm | #22

   Thanks for the clarification.

   The self closures are nice even without the requirement.

    

3. 
   fingersandtoes | Jul 29, 2008 07:21am | #6

   Our code dictates that the garage be separated from the house by a 45 minute rated assembly, and that includes the door. It also has to be smoke tight and self-closing.

4. 
   VinceCarbone | Jul 29, 2008 01:12pm | #7

   blownonfuel,

   The fire rated doors we use are of the metal split jamb type and the RO is usually different then normal. Also, you would want to specify the wall thickness so you get the right size range. Get the door and read instructions.

   Vince 

      Vince Carbone

   Riverside Builders Franklin NY ICQ #47917652

1. 
   blownonfuel | Jul 29, 2008 04:08pm | #8

   Thanks Guys. For some reason my wife wants a door with lots of glass going into the garage, I guess thats out of the question now.

1. 
   DanH | Jul 29, 2008 04:36pm | #9

   You might find a door with a fire shutter in the glass, but it would have an industrial look.
   It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way. --Rollo May

2. 
   fingersandtoes | Jul 30, 2008 03:19am | #10

   Wired glass has a 45 minute fire rating, if she doesn't mind the look. I don't think any clear glass does.

5. 
   jonblakemore | Jul 30, 2008 04:20am | #12

   Here's what the 2003 IRC says:

   "309.1 Opening protection.
   Openings from a private garage directly into a room used for sleeping purposes shall not be permitted. Other openings between the garage and residence shall be equipped with solid wood doors not less than 1 3/8 inches (35 mm) in thickness, solid or honeycomb core steel doors not less than 1 3/8 inches (35 mm) thick, or 20-minute fire-rated doors."

   What code are you under?

    

   Jon Blakemore

   RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA

1. 
   blownonfuel | Jul 30, 2008 06:03am | #13

   Thanks Jon. 2003 IRC. I went to the big box store and was told that all of there doors except for one are all fire rated. Does this sound correct?

1. 
   jonblakemore | Jul 30, 2008 03:14pm | #21

   My knowledge of fire ratings is not as exhaustive as it could be. The big box guys may be correct that the "doors" are fire rated, but a savvy inspector would also make sure that the frame is fire rated as well.Also, what does it mean to be "fire rated"? Once you do a little commercial work, you will quickly find that everything that is fire rated will likely have a UL spec attached to it that will tell you exactly what that means. There's a big difference between a 20 minute door and a 4 hour door, and I'm sure there are many other criteria that come in to play for your various building use groups, where the door is in the building, etc. 

   Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA