Man door to garage

[Leighton Jantz]

Hello Gentlemen,

I know that a man door going into an attached garage must be fire rated/ exterior, self-closing type. What if the garage is an addition and they left the original exterior door in place and it has a window?

Leighton

[inspector57]

No glass allowed. SOLID wood door, Steel clad, or 20 min fire rated only.

[Leighton Jantz]

Thanks that's what I thought.

[Mark P]

Does anyone ever see self-closing doors between the home and garage? In 10 years of inspecting I've never see one.

[Les]

We have two jurisdictions that require it. We write it but don't necessarily emphasize it.

[kurt]

I don't even write it. I don't recall ever seeing one in my entire career.

[gtblum]

I see both. Usually, the older doors are self closing.

[Tom Raymond]

I see lots of doors with self closing hinges, nearly all of them have been disabled.

In one town I used to work in every house built by a certain builder in the late 50s had a hollow core door between the house and garage.

[Trent Tarter]

The requirement for self closing devise was pulled out of IRC around 2002, 2006? Can't remember exact year. I heard they pulled it because people were getting locked out home and would be in garage with vehicle running.

[gtblum]

The requirement for self closing devise was pulled out of IRC around 2002, 2006? Can't remember exact year. I heard they pulled it because people were getting locked out home and would be in garage with vehicle running.

Then what? They were too stupid to shut off the car, or raise the overhead door?????

[Chad Fabry]

From the current NY Residential Code:

R309.1 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 3/4-hour fire-protection-rated assemblies equipped with self-closing devices.

[Tom Raymond]

Where did they pull the 45 minute rating from? 20+ years in the fenestration business and I never came across any manufacturer building residential units with that rating. Either 20 minute smoke and draft or 90 minute fire.

[mjr6550]

I don't believe a self-closing door was ever part of the IRC. Fire rated doors much be self-closing, but the IRC does not require a fire-rated door. I think the main difference between a 20 minute fire-rated door and a standard 20 minute door is the self closing hinges and the fire-rated door is a tested assembly.

[Tom Raymond]

Yes it's a tested assembly, sort of. They build one, test it, and if it passes they slap stickers of approval on thousands more just like it.

20 minute and 90 minute are real ratings. No one makes a 45 minute door, so my question is why did NY codify a rating that doesn't exist?

[Erby]

Duh, Tom. It's New York!

[John Dirks Jr]

I see everything you can imagine in my area. In new construction, the self closing hinges are there, but they're not adjusted to work. So, like the code Chad cited, the doors are equipped with self closing devices. Do they close the door? No.