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Explore our guide, Selecting The Perfect Fire Rated Digital Locks, featuring expert tips on choosing a secure and reliable digital lock to safeguard your space effortlessly. Benefit from comprehensive insights for informed decisions.
With the growing need for safety and security, choosing the right smart lock is more important than ever.
However, selecting one can be confusing with the many options on the market. In this guide, we’ll walk through the top factors to consider so you can make an informed choice.
First, we’ll look at why cyclic testing approval is crucial to verify proper fire protection.
Then, we’ll discuss the importance of choosing a fire rated lock tested by a certified lab – Did you know with adequate certification the fire rating is valid?
We’ll also cover the certificate of conformity and what it means for safety.
By the end, you’ll have tips to compare locks and be well-equipped to find one to protect what matters most. Let’s get started!
Top 3 Tips for Choosing Fire Rated Digital Locks
1) Look for cyclic test approval.
When it comes to fire safety, one of the most important validations is cyclic testing. We’re sure you’re wondering – what exactly is a cyclic test, and why does it matter?
Cyclic testing simulates the stresses a fire-rated product like a lock, endures during an actual fire. In a real fire, heat causes metal to expand and contract repeatedly due to changing temperatures. This repeated expansion and contraction puts great strain on the lock mechanism.
Industry-standard testing protocols require putting the lock through up to 100,000 to 200,000 cycles of heat followed by cool-down to replicate these conditions. By the end, the lock must still prevent the door from opening for the required duration, usually 30 minutes or above.
Did you know failing even a single cycle could compromise the lock’s fire rating?
We’ve all heard stories of improper fire rated doors or locks failing during a real emergency.
A lock that has yet to undergo cyclic testing doesn’t offer genuine assurance.
2) Make sure testing is done in a certified fire lab.
Once you understand the importance of cyclic testing, the next key item to validate is where the testing occurred. While it may seem like a lock is just heated in an ordinary furnace, there’s much more to proper fire testing.
Fire testing labs are equipped to precisely control temperature, pressure, and other combustion factors to realistically recreate the chaos of an actual fire. They also handle testing to rigorous international standards ensuring consistent, comparable results.
Did you know without accreditation, there’s no confirmation a lab is following standard protocols? Knowing your lock was tested in a certified lab gives you peace of mind it endured true fire conditions rather than a half-baked imitation.
Leading accreditation bodies in Singapore can validate that a lab is competent to perform standardized safety testing to the highest levels of precision, quality, and accuracy.
Make sure any documentation clearly displays recognized accreditation logos and certificates for the specific tests conducted.
We know it may seem like more work, but investing just a few minutes to verify lab credentials could make all the difference in ensuring a robust fire performance rating you can genuinely depend on in an emergency. The safety of lives and property demands nothing less.
3) Ensure the lock is listed in the Certificate of Conformity (Coc)
Now that we’ve ensured proper testing let’s discuss how to validate the results with a Certificate of Conformity or CoC.
A CoC is issued by an independent organization following rigorous product evaluation. Consider it a “passing grade” proving the lock meets stringent safety standards.
Proper CoCs will clearly display the standards used, any limitations, unique identification numbers linking back to the documentation, and regular expiration dates denoting ongoing validity.
Rather than taking a manufacturer’s word at face value, a well-formatted, recognizable CoC lets you independently verify exactly what was certified through public registries. This prevents confusion down the line if standards change.
With so many locks that are available all over Singapore, doing your homework up front by checking for a legitimate, comprehensive CoC spares you doubt later on in an emergency. Our safety is too critical to risk lacking this essential proof of conformance.
Taking a few extra minutes to inspect certificates is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that comes with a fire-rated product rigorously demonstrated to perform as advertised. Let’s move to verify CoC details together.
To sum up
By following the guidance in this blog, you now have the knowledge to make an informed choice about the ideal fire-rated digital lock for your needs.
Selecting a fire-rated digital lock with cyclic testing approval from a certified lab and valid certification listed in the CoC are critical factors to consider for genuine fire protection.
At HDDoor Pte Ltd, we have a complete collection of fire-rated digital locks that have undergone all of the critical validations discussed in this guide. All of our locks have cyclic testing approval from tests conducted in a certified fire lab. Additionally, you will find each one listed with a valid CoC for your peacefulness
With lives and property on the line, settling for anything less than full documentation is a safety risk not worth taking. Apply these choosing tips to cut through the confusion and select a fire-rated digital lock that offers true fire security you can depend on.
