Smoke or draught is passing under or around a fire door in London
Smoke or draught is passing under or around a fire door? Here's what it usually means — and how we help across London.
Fire Door Specialists London Buildings Call for Smoke and Draught Issues
If you can feel a draught along the bottom of a fire door, or you've noticed light showing round the frame, that's not something to leave. It's one of the most common calls we get across London - from a housing officer in a post-war block in East London to a landlord managing a converted terrace in West London. Below is what that gap or draught usually points to, and what actually needs to happen next.
You might describe it as a draught under the door even with it shut properly. Or you can see daylight round the edges when it's closed. Some people notice smoke drifting under a flat entrance door during a false alarm or a neighbour's cooking mishap - that one tends to get the calls coming in fast, and rightly so. Whatever the trigger, if air, light or smoke is getting past a door that's supposed to be sealed, something isn't doing its job.
What it might mean
There's no single answer here, and anyone who tells you otherwise hasn't looked at the door yet. A few things commonly cause it:
- The threshold or perimeter gap has opened up beyond what the doorset was tested to - this is a frequent finding and often lines up with visible light and draughts.
- The cold smoke seals are missing, damaged, or have been painted over so many times they no longer compress properly.
- The door leaf itself has dropped on its hinges or warped slightly away from the frame - less certain without inspection, but common on older timber doors.
- Occasionally the problem isn't the door at all - it's the junction between frame and wall, where fire stopping has failed or was never done properly.
In original timber FD30 fire doors from post-war council stock, we regularly see all four of these together - failed intumescent strips, snapped closers, and a leaf that's shifted over the years. In Victorian and Edwardian conversions, it's often simpler and worse: the flat entrance door was never fire-rated to begin with.
How urgent is it?
If the door in question sits on an escape route, a communal corridor, or is a flat entrance door, and you can see daylight or feel smoke movement - that's not a wait-and-see situation. Same-day attendance is available across London, seven days a week, subject to engineer and materials availability, and for doors like this it's worth using it. If it's a minor draught on an internal door that isn't part of a protected route, you've got more breathing room to book it in - but it still needs looking at properly, not left indefinitely.
What you can safely check
Before anyone comes out, there are a few things you can look at yourself:
- Check the frame and door edge for brush or blade seals - are they missing, torn, or just not there at
Sort Your Fire Doors Before They Fail an Inspection
Whether it's a converted terrace in North London with a flat entrance door that's never been fire-rated, or a post-war block in South East London overdue its Regulation 10 checks, the fix starts with knowing what you've actually got. Request a fire door survey and written quote and we'll tell you straight what needs doing and what doesn't. No guesswork, no upselling - just a clear report you can act on or hand to your managing agent.
Book Your Fire Door Survey
Whether it's a converted terrace in North London or a high-rise in East London, get someone in to check the doors before an inspector, insurer or fire risk assessment does it for you. Request a fire door survey and written quote, and we'll give you a straight answer on what's compliant, what's not, and what it'll cost to put right.