Bob Chilcoat wrote in article
...
I'm building a large wine cellar in the basement, and would like to make
it
reasonably fire resistant, since there will be a valuable inventory in
there. A proper steel (metal content) fire door and frame, new, from
Home
Despot is around $300. What are my chances of finding one from a
building
that's being gutted, or from a building materials salvage dealer in the
NYC
area? Any suggestions? Thanks

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)






First stop should be your insurance agent to find out if such a door would
qualify for insurance coverage.....

After the fire is no time to have the insurance company say, "Sorry, that
wasn't a matched door and frame......OR That was a used, damaged
door.......no coverage."

I am a Field College Trainer at Home Depot, and, for similar liability
reasons, we destroy ANY returned fire door that has been removed from its
original box - whether or not it has actually been installed.

A previously installed door may have been damaged during
installation/removal, or in the case of multi-door replacements, it may
have been mis-matched with a differently serial-numbered frame.

In any case, the insurance company is likely to not pay if such a door has
been installed.

Now, if your insurance refuses to pay based on the used/returned door you
bought from Home Depot, does anybody want to guess who will be next in the
gun site?

On a new door, we have the manufacturer and its certification processes to
fall back on.

On a used/returned door, we have no way of knowing if it has, somehow, been
compromised.

It is cheaper for us to destroy it.

In your case, it would be cheaper to check with your insurance company
BEFORE the need to file a claim arises.