- Description
- Application
- Specification
- Installation
- Warranty
- Measure
ExitGuard 2: Double Leaf Steel Emergency Exit
Maximum Width Escape. Certified Safety. Secure Perimeter.
The ExitGuard 2 is a made-to-measure double leaf steel doorset designed for locations requiring rapid mass evacuation or the movement of large equipment. Capable of securing structural openings up to 2860mm wide, it provides a vast clear escape route without compromising the security of your building's external envelope.
While its primary function is life safety—allowing immediate egress via compliant panic hardware—it remains a heavy-duty external steel door. Engineered to resist weather extremes, heat loss, and forced entry, it is the ideal solution for warehouses, event venues, supermarkets, and industrial facilities.
Fire Exit vs. Fire Door: What do you need?
Confusion often exists between these two terms. The ExitGuard 2 serves specific roles depending on specification:
- Fire Exit Door (The Escape Route): Its main job is to let people out as fast as possible. It is fitted with panic bars or push pads to release the door instantly.
- Fire Rated Door (The Barrier): Its job is to stop fire spreading through the building. The ExitGuard 2 can be specified as a certified Fire Rated doorset (up to FD240), combining both escape function and fire containment in one unit.
Huge Capacity, Perfect Fit
Every ExitGuard 2 is manufactured to your exact dimensions, ensuring a seamless installation.
- Max Width: 2860mm (Double Leaf).
- Max Height: 2970mm.
- Configuration: Available as equal leaves (both same width) or unequal leaves (one active, one passive) to suit your traffic flow.
Security & Performance
A double door is often seen as a weak point for security. The ExitGuard 2 eliminates this vulnerability with commercial-grade engineering:
- Secure Locking: Multi-point panic hardware ensures the door is bolted at the top and bottom (shoot bolts) as well as the centre, resisting crowbar attacks while still releasing instantly from the inside.
- Anti-Tamper: Integral security dog bolts and anti-jemmy astragals prevent the leaves from being prised apart or lifted off hinges.
- Durability: Manufactured from corrosion-resistant Galvanised steel, suitable for harsh external environments.
Thermal Efficiency
External doors must contribute to energy conservation. The ExitGuard 2 delivers excellent thermal retention:
- Standard Performance: 2.2 W/m²K (Typical value for 1090x2090mm unit).
- Enhanced Insulation: We offer reduced U-value upgrades for heated warehouses or eco-conscious projects, utilizing polyurethane cores to minimize heat loss.
Fire Escape and emergency exit steel doorset for use on the external envelope of any building, domestic, commercial or industrial premises.
Regular customers and specifiers include: Schools, colleges, universities, factories, industrial units, retail outlets, hospitals and domestic apartment buildings.
Any use on the external skin of a building including increasing the insulation, security and acoustic ratings where required to either offer a solution or comply with higher specification or regulations. Double width doorset with 2 leaves whcih can both be using panic furniture if required.
Technical Specification: Samson ExitGuard 2 (Double Leaf)
The Samson ExitGuard 2 is a complete, pre-assembled steel doorset system. Manufactured in the UK to precise dimensions, it combines a robust Metador-platform leaf with a high-tensile adjustable frame, offering a significant upgrade over traditional timber or composite exits in terms of durability, security, and lifecycle costs.
1. Construction & Material
| Door Leaf | Material: 1.5mm Galvanised Steel skins (Standard). Construction: Two skins bonded to a rigid honeycomb core using a no-weld lockformed seam. This prevents internal rust and delamination. Thickness: 45mm nominal thickness. |
| Frame | Material: 2.0mm High-Tensile Galvanised Steel. Profile: 90mm - 110mm deep single rebate profile. Adjustment: Features 8-16 internal adjustable fixing points (jacking screws) to tolerate uneven openings and ensure a square fit. |
| Finish | Standard: Polyester Powder Coated (PPC) from a choice of 50+ standard colours. Custom: Any BS or RAL colour available upon request. Marine: 10-year anti-corrosion guarantee available for coastal sites (Marine Grade upgrade). Also available in Stainless Steel (Brushed/Polished) or Unfinished (Zinc Primed) for site painting. |
2. Size Availability (Double Doorset)
| Configuration | Min Width | Max Width | Max Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Leaf | 1100mm | 2860mm | 2970mm* |
| *Heights up to 3800mm achievable with integrated over panels. | |||
3. Hardware & Compliance
All hardware is factory-fitted (where possible) to reduce site installation time. Substitution of non-compliant hardware may void fire certification.
| Panic Hardware | Public Areas (BS EN 1125): Full-width cross bars (Briton/Exidor 200 Series). Staff Areas (BS EN 179): Push pads or levers. Locking: Multi-point shoot bolts (top/bottom) for the passive leaf; centre latch for the active leaf. |
| Hinges | Minimum 4x Stainless Steel ball-bearing hinges per leaf (BS EN 1935). Fitted with security dog bolts to lock the leaf into the frame. |
| Threshold | Standard DDA compliant stainless steel threshold (15mm). Optional: Low-profile, ramped, or extended cills. |
4. Panels & Glazing
| Vision Panels | To comply with Part M (Visibility), we offer laminate glazed panels in: • 254 x 254mm • 254 x 762mm • 254 x 1524mm • 457 x 457mm (Constructed from 1mm cold rolled steel, screw-fixed from the secure side). |
| Louvres | Standard 50% airflow louvres with bird mesh. Optional insect/fly mesh. Note: Louvres usually negate fire ratings unless specifying specialized Fire Block louvres. |
| Side/Over Panels | Modular panels (Solid, Glazed, or Louvered) available to fill large structural apertures (removable or fixed). |
Installation & Lead Time
- Lead Time: Guaranteed despatch in 10 working days for standard specifications.
- Easy Fit: The combination of pre-hung doors, adjustable frame feet, and variable sub-frame significantly reduces on-site labor compared to timber doors.
- Cost Efficiency: While the initial unit cost may be higher than timber, the 'whole life' cost is lower due to the 10-year structural warranty and resistance to impact damage in high-traffic areas.
Installation Guide: DIY vs. Professional
The Samson/Metador Defender ExitGuard Doorset is designed with the installer in mind, featuring a unique "Fast-Fit" adjustable frame system. However, due to its heavy-duty construction, it is physically demanding to handle.
1. Handling & Weight (Critical Warning)
Do not underestimate the weight of this door.
- Weight: A single Level 2 or Level 3 security specified steel door can weigh in excess of 80kg - 120kg depending on size and core specification.
- Manpower: We strongly recommend a minimum of 2 strong people for offloading and positioning. For larger or solid-core doors, 3 people or mechanical lifting aids (genie lift/glass lifter) are advised.
- Delivery State:
- Single Doors: Typically delivered fully assembled (door leaf pre-hung in the frame). You may need to separate the leaf from the frame to reduce weight for positioning.
- Double Doors: Often delivered with the frame and leaves separate to make handling manageable.
2. The "Fast-Fit" Adjustable Frame
The ExitGuard features a clever frame design that removes the need for fiddly packers or shims.
- Adjusters: The frame is fitted with roughly 16 threaded hexagonal adjusters (depending on size).
- Method:
- Place the frame in the opening.
- Use a cordless drill with a hex bit to wind out the adjusters until they grip the wall.
- This temporarily "clamps" the frame in place, allowing you to fine-tune the level and plumb without holding the full weight.
- Once perfectly level, you drill through the centre of the adjusters into the masonry/steelwork and bolt it home.
3. Tools Required
- SDS Drill (for masonry fixing holes).
- Impact Driver (for driving concrete bolts).
- Long Spirit Level (1800mm+) – Essential for checking the hinge jamb is 100% vertical.
- 12mm / 14mm Hex Bit (for frame adjusters).
- Crowbar / Air Wedge (for final lifting/positioning).
4. Should I Install It Myself?
DIY / Builder
Pros: Save on labour costs.
Cons: Handling the weight can be dangerous without experience. If the frame is not fitted 100% square (even 2mm out), the heavy door will not latch correctly or may swing open/closed on its own.
Professional Door Installer
Pros: They will have the lifting gear and experience to handle the weight safely. They understand how to "toe-and-heel" glaze and adjust heavy-duty hinges for perfect operation.
Cons: Higher initial cost.
Recommendation: If you are an experienced builder with a helper, the "Fast-Fit" system makes this a straightforward job. If you are a DIY novice, we strongly advise hiring a professional purely due to the health and safety risks of handling heavy steel doors.
Warranty & Guarantee
The Samson ExitGuard is built to last. Manufactured in the UK to strict quality standards, we back every doorset with a comprehensive warranty package to give you total peace of mind.
Standard Warranty
All Samson ExitGuard steel doorsets are supplied with a 12-month manufacturer's warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. This covers:
- Mechanical failure of the door leaf and frame structure.
- Failure of hinges, locks, and panic hardware (subject to normal use).
- Manufacturing defects in vision panels or glazing units.
Anti-Corrosion Guarantee
We offer an industry-leading Anti-Corrosion Guarantee on the finish of your door, dependent on the location and finish specified:
- Standard PPC Finish: Up to 5 years (for inland sites >5km from coast).
- Marine Grade Upgrade: Up to 10 years (for coastal or industrial sites).
- Note: To maintain this guarantee, the door must be cleaned periodically in accordance with the O&M manual to remove salt and pollutant build-up.
Conditions of Warranty
To ensure your warranty remains valid, the following conditions apply:
- Installation: The doorset must be installed correctly, square and plumb, by a competent engineer in accordance with the provided installation instructions.
- Maintenance: Regular maintenance (minimum every 6 months) must be carried out, including lubricating hinges and locks, checking fixings, and cleaning the powder-coated surface.
- Modifications: Any on-site drilling, cutting, or modification of the door leaf or frame (without prior written approval) will void the warranty.
- Usage: The warranty covers normal commercial use. Damage caused by misuse, vandalism, impact, or forced entry attempts is not covered.
A steel doorset is always ordered by the OVERALL dimensions including the door leaf and outer sub fixing frame with no tolerances allowed for. Most people would generally allow 5mm tolerance all the way around the door, but it all depends on how square or true your aperture is on site.
This means if your structural opening size is measured as 2200mm width and 2100mm height the door and frame ought to be 2190mm wide and 2090mm high with the frame and any threshold included. You make the final decision on tolerances required.
Always measure the top, middle and bottom of your aperture width and the left and right hand side for the height and if possible do a measure to make sure the opening is square as well.
Always use millimetres for measuring as this is how we relay back the ordering dimensions to you for checking and approving a drawing for your order.
The ExitGuard 2 does have an adjustable fitting frame to take up to 30mm of tolerance into account which helps when the opening is not square.
