How Magnetic Door Holders Boost Both Fire Safety and Daily Convenience

Heavy fire doors. They’re a legal necessity in every commercial building, but they’re also a daily irritation. They make moving carts difficult, restrict airflow, and often frustrate staff, residents, and visitors who must constantly push against them.

So what’s the first thing people do? They prop the door open with a wooden wedge, a fire extinguisher, or even a box. This harmless-looking workaround is actually one of the most dangerous and common fire code violations — it disables a life-saving fire door entirely.

But what if you could keep the door open legally and safely, without ever relying on these unsafe props? That’s the dual-purpose genius of an electromagnetic door holder.

This article explains how this single door holder device transforms both convenience and fire safety in your building.

Benefit 1: The Daily Convenience

A magnetic door holder makes everyday movement around your building noticeably smoother. Instead of fighting against heavy fire doors, the device keeps them open securely and legally, allowing people to pass through freely. This improves accessibility, reduces physical strain, and helps maintain good airflow, all without compromising the door’s ability to close when needed.

What is a Magnetic Door Holder?

A magnetic door holder is a simple but clever device made of two key components:

• The electromagnet — mounted on a wall or floor
• The keeper plate — attached to the fire door

When the magnet is energised, it holds the door securely open. When power is cut, the magnet releases the door immediately.

How It Improves Your Building

Barrier-Free Access

Heavy fire doors are difficult to push through repeatedly. With a door holder engaged, people can move freely — ideal for hospitals, hotels, schools, and offices. It also improves accessibility for wheelchair users, staff with carts, or anyone carrying bulky items.

Improved Airflow

Many buildings rely on open doors for airflow and ventilation. Keeping fire doors open legally helps maintain a comfortable environment and reduces pressure on HVAC systems.

Protects the Door

A door held open magnetically avoids being slammed against walls or stoppers. This reduces long-term wear and minimises maintenance costs.

Benefit 2: The Critical Safety

While convenience is important, the true strength of an electromagnetic door holder lies in what happens during a fire. These systems are tied directly into the building’s fire alarm network, ensuring that doors close automatically the moment an alarm is triggered. This rapid release restores the fire door’s full protective function, helping contain smoke and flames and safeguarding escape routes.

The Critical Connection: Integration with Your Fire Alarm

A magnetic door holder isn’t just a convenience device — it’s directly connected to the building’s fire safety infrastructure. It communicates with:

• Smoke detectors
• Pull stations
• The breakglass alarm
• The central fire alarm panel

This connection ensures that fire doors behave exactly as safety standards require.

What Happens When an Alarm is Triggered?

• A smoke detector, pull station, or breakglass alarm is activated.
• The fire alarm panel instantly cuts power to the electromagnetic door holder.
• The magnet releases immediately.
• The door closer swings the fire door shut automatically.

The Result:

The fire door seals properly, preventing smoke and flames from spreading. This protects escape routes, keeps corridors safe, and compartmentalises the building — exactly as fire doors are designed to do.

Why This is the Only Safe and Legal Way to Hold a Fire Door

A wooden wedge will not release itself during a fire. It blocks the door from closing and creates a deadly environment by letting smoke travel freely.

A magnetic door holder is a fail-safe device:

• It requires power to hold the door open.
• If power fails (due to fire or outage), it automatically releases, allowing the door to close.

This is why it’s fire-code compliant and the only safe method for keeping fire doors open.

At a Glance: Door Wedge vs. Magnetic Door Holder

The following table compares the two methods:

Where Are Electromagnetic Door Holder Systems Used?

You’ll find electromagnetic door holder systems in any building where safety and accessibility must coexist:

• Hospital corridors
• School hallways
• Hotel corridors
• Office building lobbies and stairwell doors
• Cinemas, theatres, and event venues
• Long commercial corridors divided by fire doors
• Senior care facilities and clinics

Anywhere fire doors exist, and high foot traffic is expected, a magnetic door holder is the ideal solution.

Conclusion: The Smart Choice for a Safe and Functional Building

A magnetic door holder removes the daily struggle of pushing through heavy fire doors while preserving the safety features your building relies on. It offers smooth accessibility during normal operation and transforms instantly into a critical safety device during a fire.

Instead of forcing occupants to choose between convenience and safety, this simple device ensures you can have both. It turns your fire doors into an unobtrusive, automatic system that works quietly in the background — until the moment it’s needed most.

Stop seeing door wedges in your hallways. Contact SecurityOne today to learn how our electromagnetic door holder solutions can make your building safer and more accessible.