What is a battery operated fire door retainer?
A independent review of the UK battery operated fire door retainer market by Kathy Wilman
Fire doors are a crucial part of the fire safety built environment. When a fire door is closed, it will slow the spread of smoke and fire in a building. Often fire doors are dangerously “wedged” open, leaving these doors open, helping the smoke and fire race through a building. The consequence can be catastrophic as smoke inhalation is the biggest killer in any fire.
A battery operated fire door retainer is a device designed to act as a door wedge, closing the fire door automatically when the fire alarm sounds.
This is an overview of the battery operated fire door retainers on the market in the UK. We have tested the performance of each product and given a product matrix based upon features.
Battery operated fire door retainers in the market:
- Shuttle Fire Door Retainer (Shuttle LCD and Shuttle Bug)
- Dorgard and Dorgard Smartsound (doorguard)
- Union DoorSense
- Agrippa
Quick Product Review:
Shuttle: Smart technology, long battery life, slim design and outstanding features on both their versions.
Dorgard / Doorguard: Original battery operated door retainer. Old fashioned design but still works well. Batteries can drain quickly. Will react to other sounds like talking, music, vacuum cleaners.
Dorgard SmartSound: Smart listening, improved version of Dorgard. Ignores vacuums but still closes to some sounds. Longer battery life than original.
Union DoorSense: Basic fire door retainer. Very similar to the original Dorgard. Closes to all other sounds, including vacuum cleaners.
Agrippa: Smart fire door retainer. Listens to alarm, also designed as a magnet. Good product. Can only be used up against a wall. Good battery life. Which one should I buy?
Product Performance Matrix
| Products | Upto 4 year battery life | Only closes to alarm | Closes to other sounds | LCD display | Non-tamper Screws | Works with ALL fire alarm types | Holds Fire door open at any angle
|
Prices |
| Shuttle LCD | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | £120 – 150 |
| Shuttle Bug | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | £80 -£120 |
| Dorgard | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | £80-120 |
| Dorgard Smartsound | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | £110-£130 |
| Agrippa | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | £80-99 |
| Union DoorSense | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | £80 |
- All information based upon May 2021