Smoke protection doors are designed to prevent smoke from passing through openings in the building structure for approx. 10 minutes. This is to ensure that people can still escape and that people can be rescued without special protective equipment.
Smoke protection doors are not completely smoke-tight. Depending on the type of smoke protection closure, a certain amount of air may pass through from one side to the other per hour. The tightness test is carried out nationally at 200°C - a temperature familiar from domestic ovens.
Cold or hot smoke
Fire doors/fire protection closures must comply with the regulations. Test certificates must comply with national specifications (for internal doors) or European regulations (external doors, windows). In Europe, RS doors are classified as Sa or S200. Sa means that the smoke is at ambient temperature, while S200 means that the smoke is 200°C hot.
Smoke protection doors also only function when they are closed. These doors must therefore be self-closing. If, on the other hand, they are to be open most of the time, approved hold-open systems must be used, as with fire doors. However, the door must be released and close when a smoke detector detects smoke.
Rescue has top priority
While fire doors are designed to prevent the spread of fire, smoke control doors are used to keep escape routes clear. They therefore make a very direct contribution to rescuing people. Experience has shown that fire victims suffocate from the smoke before they burn to death. It is not for nothing that smoke detectors are now also mandatory in private homes.
Smoke protection doors are known as RS doors. RS doors are also labelled with a metal plate. As with fire doors, smoke protection doors always include installation and maintenance instructions.
