Our Guide to Fire Stopping
What is fire stopping?
Fire stopping is best defined as the sealing of any openings to prevent fire (including smoke and heat) from passing through multiple building compartments. The spread of a fire is contained by creating fire resisting compartments, which subdivide the building (vertically or horizontally). Buildings must ensure that any openings and gaps are fire stopped to restrict both lateral and vertical fire spread.
The definition of a firestop / fire stopping according to the Building Regulations 2010 is:
“A seal provided to close an imperfection of fit or design tolerance between elements or components, to restrict the spread of fire and smoke.”
Fire Stopping Products
Fire sleeves are designed to fill or seal an aperture created by pipes passing through a fire-rated wall or ceiling. In the case of plastic pipes the sleeve will crush and seal off the pipe preventing the passage of fire and smoke to the adjacent compartment. One great benefit of sleeves is that you only need one per aperture.
Fire collars are a popular choice when looking at fire sealing of pipe penetrations through fire walls. They consist of a metal shell lined with intumescent. They are generally installed on both sides of the wall or the underside of flooring and simply screw into place.
Fire wraps are a quick and easy way of fire sealing pipe penetrations. They perform in a similar way to collars except they do not have the metal shell. This means that they need to be installed inside a solid construction – such as a concrete wall or floor.
Fire sealants and gap fillers expand when heated at high temperatures, to prevent the spread of fire and smoke. There are different kinds of sealants for different substrates and applications including pipes and cable penetrations.
Fire Sealing pipe penetrations
Buildings are separated into a number of fire compartments to help restrict the spread of fire. Pipework that penetrates fire compartment walls or floors must be adequately sealed to prevent the spread of smoke and fire. Read more about how to fire seal pipe penetrations and Walraven’s fire stopping solutions.
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Fire sealing cable penetrations
Cables that pass through fire compartment walls will melt in the event of fire, leaving dangerous openings through which fire and smoke can pass causing fire to spread more quickly. Find out how Walraven can help with fire stopping cable penetrations.
Read moreUnderstanding more about fire stopping
We understand that fire stopping can be a complex topic. Walraven’s fire stopping expert has written a collection of articles to help explain some key topics around fire stopping mechanical services. Here are a selection of articles, you can find all of them here.
What is fire stopping and why is it important for M&E installations?
In this article we explain about the importance of compartmentation and why M&E services penetrating fire compartment walls must be adequately sealed.
What is an ETA and why is it important for firestop products?
Not all firestop products have ETA documentation alongside them. Here we explain what are ETA’s and why they can be important for firestop products.
How to firestop single, multiple and mixed-service penetrations
Here we define single, multiple and mixed-service penetrations and explain the different requirements when fire stopping these different types of openings.
Talk to our fire stopping specialist
If you have an enquiry about fire stopping M&E Services and would like to request a call from our fire stopping specialist, simply complete the form below and we will get back to you.
How can Walraven help with fire stopping?
Walraven Fire Stopping Products
Walraven’s fire stopping products consist of a range of solutions for passive fire protection of mechanical and electrical service installations. Our range includes Pacifyre® fire sleeves, collars, wraps as well as mortars and sealants.
Our products have third party certifications, CE Marks and ETA documentation so you know you are installing products that are fit for purpose.
Our products are tested and approved by several independent authorities throughout Europe according to EN 1366-3 and BS 476-20 amongst others. Our products also have ETA certifications and CE Marks. However, we are not just satisfied with achieving standard testing requirements. We are proud to carry out additional and bespoke testing on our firestops, to provide proof of our product suitability in multiple situations that go beyond standardised testing requirements.
We aim to design all of our products with a simple installation process. This minimises the risk of these life-saving products being installed incorrectly, saves time on site and prevents any issues arising during or after installation. The ETA documentation provides detailed installation instructions to ensure compliance. We can also provide on site training and support when needed.
Products for more complex situations
Our range of solutions includes products with features to suit more demanding installation environments. For example, if significant pipe movement is expected, a standard fire collar or wrap may not be effective. Our Pacifyre MKII Fire Sleeve is specially designed to allow for pipe movement. We also have solutions for angled pipes, cold smoke seals and with tested sound insulation.
Our fire stopping specialist is ready to guide you through the selection and installation of the correct fire stop products for your project. We have a solution finder for pipe penetrations to get you started. We have a fire stopping checklist to give you some important considerations to start with, and we can also deliver a special CPD on fire stopping. Complete our enquiry form and we’ll get in touch.
It’s important not to forget that fire rated fixings may also be required for mechanical installations above escape routes and emergency exits. There are also additional criteria to be considered to ensure the safe installation of fire rated fixings depending on the fire rating required. Find out more in our special article on this topic. The requirements for cable fixing can be found here.
Completed Projects
Using Walraven’s Firestop on The Shard
Standing at almost 310 metres, The Shard is one of Europe’s tallest buildings. It is home to restaurants, hospitality, offices and even retail shops. On such a large and complex building project, it was no surprise that installing a fire stop solution was not straightforward.
Originally, generic fire stop solutions were specified on this project, but some concerns were raised by the District Surveyor including:
- How to adequately fire stop the breakouts from the riser shafts
- Significant movement within the risers that the firestop would have to accommodate
The sub-contractor on the Shard had used the Walraven Pacifyre® MKII Fire Sleeve on a previous project, so knew it would be suitable where there was pipe movement.
The Walraven technical team spoke to the Local Authority’s District Surveyor and the consultants of The Shard. Walraven then demonstrated our firestopping solution, showing the simple installation and accommodation for pipe movement.
Subsequently, the consultants decided that the Walraven Pacifyre® MKII Fire Sleeve was the best product for the risers in The Shard.
For more information on how our fire stopping solution was used on The Shard, view the full case study here.
Providing a firestop solution for expanding pipework
In the heart of Westminster lies Abell and Cleland, a prestigious residential development. The high rise building required products that could accommodate expanding and contracting pipes.
The pipework in the building required special supports that allowed for expansion and contraction. But also, fire seals were required where the fire rated walls had been penetrated by the pipes. There were a number of different substrates and pipework arrangements that all required fire stopping solutions.
The fixing points and slide guides provided by ourselves were able to accommodate the large pipework and allow for movement. The fire stopping product used was the Walraven Pacifyre® MKII Fire Sleeve, as it successfully allows the pipes to expand and contract whilst maintaining the fire seal.
Technical advice, design solutions and on site support were all provided throughout the project.
For more information on how our fire stopping solution was used on Abell and Cleland, view the full case study here.
Learn more about fire stopping solutions
‘How to’ guide on passive fire protection
Read our ‘how to’ guide on how to comply with passive fire protection regulations.
Read the guideThe Walraven fire protection brochure
To see a full overview of Walraven’s fire protection system download our brochure.
Download brochureFire Stopping Checklist
Download a copy of our 15 considerations you should make when looking for a firestop.
Download the checklist
Other useful fire stopping information
The ASFP
The ASFP is the UK’s leading trade association for the passive fire protection sector. ASFP serves and represents the needs of its members and the wider passive fire protection industry, by raising standards and competence through training, testing, certification and quality of installation and maintenance.
You can keep up-to-date with what’s happening in the sector on the ASFP You Tube channel or on their website.
Walraven are manufacturer members of the ASFP and our Technical Sales Manager takes part in various ASFP working groups.
Or visit our international website.