Intumescent Fire Protection for Pipes

Another way in which the integrity of walls and floors are breached, and fire and smoke can find their way further through a building is through the service pipes that run throughout that structure. These could be PVC and metal pipes e.g. copper, some of which may be lagged. The pipes may be passed though many different types of surfaces e.g. hollow studded walls / partition walls, joisted floors, and / or solid walls and floors. A flexible and effective means of closing off pipes and providing a good level of insulation from the spread from one space to another via the pipe systems can be dramatically improved through the use of Intumescent Pipe Bandages and Intumescent Pipe Canisters / Closers.

Intumescent Pipe Bandages

Fireplug FPB Intumescent Pipe Bandages for example are made of intumescent material that’s enclosed in aluminium foil. The Pipe Bandages fit around the pipes themselves, are attached with an adhesive tongue and are compact enough to be fitted easily into the walls or floors. Once installed around the pipe in the wall or floor there should ideally be not more than a 10mm gap between the outside of the Fireplug FPB Pipe Bandages and the wall or floor. Where there uneven areas and for example where this gap size is exceeded, sand, cement, plaster or good gap filler can be used.

In operation the Intumescent fire protection material will automatically expand when exposed to fire temperatures. This means that as the PVC pipe that it’s enclosing becomes soft with the heat the Intumescent material expands to fill its space and close off the pipe. Copper pipes can also melt and the Pipe Bandages will again expand to fill the space and close the gap in these circumstances. Tests (1993) have shown that 150 minutes of insulation and integrity were achieved using Intumescent Pipe Bandages.

Intumescent Pipe Canisters

Fireplug FPC Intumescent Pipe Canisters / Pipe Closers consist of a metal canister filled with intumescent material that fits around a pipe and attaches to the wall or ceiling where that pipe enters / leaves it thus giving extra insulation and integrity and effectively closing off the pipes as they leave one space and enter another. The rating of a Canister like this actually depends on a number of factors including the type of plastic on the enclosed pipe, the size of that pipe and the surrounding support. Pipe Canisters are relatively easy to attach e.g. screws and a toggle clip.