Passive fire protection is only as effective as its weakest point. A single propped fire door, a cable tray punched through a fire wall without sealing, or a non-rated door closer — any one of these can compromise the compartmentation of an entire building. Based on NSW Fire Brigade inspection data and field experience, these are the ten defects that appear most frequently.
Why Passive Fire Defects Matter for Your AFSS
If your AFSP identifies defects they cannot certify as compliant, the AFSS cannot be lodged until rectification occurs. The cost of identifying and fixing defects before your AFSS deadline is almost always less than the cost of a late or non-compliant statement — and significantly less than the cost of a fire that spreads because compartmentation failed.
1. Propped or Held-Open Fire Doors
The single most common passive fire defect in NSW buildings. Fire doors are routinely propped open with wedges, blocks, or objects pushed against them. A propped fire door provides zero compartmentation — it allows fire and smoke to spread freely through the opening it was installed to protect. Under AS 1851 Section 17, a fire door must close fully from any open position.
Legal Hold-Open Devices
The only compliant way to hold a fire door open is with an electromagnetic device that releases automatically on a fire detection signal. Any other method is non-compliant.
2. Damaged or Missing Intumescent Seals
Intumescent seals expand when heated to seal the gap between the door leaf and frame. Common defects include physically damaged seals, seals painted over, wrong product for the door combination, and seals that have simply deteriorated. A fire door with missing or non-functional intumescent seals cannot achieve its rated FRL.
3. Unsealed Cable and Conduit Penetrations
The most pervasive passive fire defect in commercial buildings — accumulating invisibly over time. Every cable or conduit run through a fire-rated wall without a compliant seal is a breach in the compartment boundary. In buildings more than ten years old, it is common to find fire-rated walls with dozens of unsealed penetrations from years of uncontrolled works.
4. Non-Fire-Rated Hardware Substitution
Fire doors are tested as complete assemblies. When any hardware component is replaced with a non-fire-rated equivalent, the assembly's compliance is compromised. Common substitutions include standard butt hinges, standard passage latches and standard overhead closers — often installed by general maintenance contractors who purchase the cheapest available replacement.
5. Excessive Door Leaf Gaps
AS 1851 Section 17 specifies maximum permissible gaps: top and sides ≤3mm, bottom ≤10mm. Excessive gaps develop over time as buildings settle, frames move, hinges wear or doors warp. Regular six-monthly inspection is intended to catch gap defects before they become significant.
6. Painted-Over Intumescent Seals
When fire doors are repainted without understanding that intumescent and smoke seals must not be painted over, a thick coat of paint can prevent the seal from expanding when heated — rendering it non-functional. This defect is insidious because it looks fine visually. Inspectors check specifically for evidence of paint encapsulation.
7. Plastic Pipe Penetrations Without Intumescent Collars
Plastic pipes melt when exposed to fire, opening a hole in the fire-rated element. Every plastic pipe penetrating a fire-rated wall or floor must be fitted with an intumescent pipe collar — sized and specified for that pipe diameter and substrate, installed per the product's test evidence.
8. Unauthorised Modifications to Fire Door Assemblies
Any modification to a fire door assembly after installation — cutting a vision panel, installing a cat flap, adding a lock, altering the frame — may compromise the fire rating and constitutes a defect under AS 1851 Section 17. The most common modifications are vision panels cut in for security and additional mortice locks.
9. Missing or Illegible FRL Markings
Fire doors must carry permanent markings identifying their fire resistance rating. When these markings are missing — because the door has been repainted, the label removed, or the marking was never properly applied — the door's compliance cannot be readily verified and is flagged as a defect pending documentation review.
10. Incomplete or Non-Compliant Service Records
A documentation failure rather than a physical defect — but equally serious. If service records don't exist or don't capture required task-level information, an AFSP cannot certify that required maintenance has been performed. Common failures: records listing only 'inspected and found satisfactory'; annual-only service records with no six-monthly evidence; records that don't identify specific defects.
Prevention Is Straightforward
A purpose-built AS 1851 maintenance register structured around actual task requirements prevents documentation defects before they occur. Our AS 1851 Maintenance Register records every service visit at task level, logs defects immediately, and prepares your annual summary for the AFSP without additional work.
Put This Into Practice
Our digital tools are built to complement exactly what you've just read — registers, checklists and documentation packs ready to download today.