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Fire Stopping: More Than Just Sealing a Gap
When services such as pipes, cables and ductwork pass through fire-resisting walls and floors, they create openings in what would otherwise be a continuous barrier.
These openings need to be appropriately protected to help maintain and intended fire resistance of the compartment.
This is where fire stopping comes in.
Fire stopping is a key part of passive fire protection, helping to prevent the spread of fire and smoke through gaps, penetrations, joints and openings within a building’s fire-resisting construction.
But effective fire stopping involves much more than simply filling a hole.
What is fire stopping?
Fire stopping refers to the materials and systems used to reinstate the fire resistance of walls, floors and other fire-resisting elements where they have been penetrated or interrupted.
Buildings contain countless services that need to pass through compartment walls and floors. These can include:
Without suitable fire-stopping measures, these openings can provide a route for fire and smoke to pass from one compartment to another.
The purpose of fire stopping is therefore to help maintain the performance of the building’s compartmentation.
Why does fire stopping matter?
A fire-resisting wall or floor can only perform as intended if the elements passing through it, and the gaps around them, are appropriately addressed.
A common example is a service penetration through a compartment wall.
The wall itself may have the required fire resistance, but if a large opening has been created for cables or pipework and it has not been adequately protected, the overall fire-resisting construction may be compromised.
Fire stopping helps to address these vulnerabilities.
It can also be required where construction joints, movement joints or other gaps occur within fire-resisting construction.
What does fire-stopping work involve?
There is no single fire-stopping product that is suitable for every situation.
The appropriate solution depends on factors such as the construction, the size and type of penetration, the services passing through it and the required fire performance.
Fire-stopping systems can include a range of solutions, such as:
Fire-stopping sealants
Fire-rated mortars
Intumescent products
Fire-rated boards
Pipe collars and wraps
Cavity barriers
Linear joint seals
Fire-rated pillows and other penetration systems
The important point is that the system needs to be appropriate for the application and installed correctly.
Fire stopping isn’t simply a case of choosing a fire-rated material and applying it around a service.
Fire stopping is about the whole system.
One of the most important things to understand about fire stopping is that the product itself is only part of the solution.
A system may have been tested or assessed for a particular application, but its performance relies on being used within the parameters of that evidence and installed correctly.
Factors such as the substrate, penetration size, service type, orientation and installation method can all be relevant.
This is why fire-stopping installation should be undertaken by appropriately competent personnel with an understanding of the systems being installed and the requirements of the project.
The objective isn’t to make an opening look sealed. It’s to reinstate the intended fire-resisting performance of the construction.
What can cause fire-stopping to fail?
Fire stopping can be compromised during the original construction of a building, but it can also be damaged or removed later during maintenance, refurbishment or alterations.
Common issues can include:
This is particularly relevant in existing buildings where services may have been altered repeatedly over many years.
A building may therefore require fire-stopping remediation even if the original construction was completed correctly.
What does fire-stopping remediation involve?
Where defective or missing fire stopping has been identified, the remedial process should begin with understanding the existing construction and the nature of the defect.
Depending on the project, works may involve:
1. Identifying the defect
Establishing where fire stopping is missing, damaged or unsuitable.
2. Assessing the application
Understanding the wall or floor construction, the services passing through it and the requirements of the compartment.
3. Selecting an appropriate system
Identifying a suitable fire-stopping solution for the particular application.
4. Preparing the area
Removing defective materials where necessary and preparing the opening for the new system.
5. Installing the fire stopping
Installing the selected system in accordance with the relevant requirements and manufacturer's installation instructions.
6. Quality checking and recording
Checking completed works and maintaining appropriate records and photographic evidence.
The exact process will depend on the building, the defect and the system required.
Fire stopping isn't just for new buildings
Fire-stopping works are relevant across both new-build and existing buildings.
For new construction, correctly installed fire stopping forms an important part of the building’s passive fire protection from the outset.
For existing buildings, remedial fire-stopping works may be required following compartmentation surveys, refurbishment, service alterations or the discovery of historic installation issues.
This can create significant programmes of work across residential blocks, housing portfolios, hospitals, care homes, schools, commercial buildings and other occupied environments.
In these situations, having a contractor that understands both the technical requirements and the practical realities of working within an occupied building can make a significant difference.
Fire stopping at Assured
At Assured Fire Safety Consultancy, we don’t just identify fire-stopping defects.
We carry out the fire-stopping works too.
Our passive fire protection team undertakes fire-stopping installation and remedial works, helping clients move from identifying a problem to putting the appropriate solution in place.
Our work can form part of a wider passive fire protection programme or be commissioned as a standalone fire stopping project.
We can support projects involving individual buildings through to larger programmes of remedial works, with an emphasis on practical delivery, appropriate solutions and quality workmanship.
Where fire-stopping defects have already been identified through a compartmentation survey, we can also work from the available information to help progress any remedial works.
A practical approach to passive fire protection
Effective fire stopping is an important part of maintaining compartmentation and supporting a building’s overall fire safety strategy.
But it needs to be approached properly.
The right solution needs to be identified. The right system needs to be installed. And the completed work needs to be appropriately recorded.
At Assured, our approach brings together fire safety consultancy and practical passive fire protection delivery — meaning we can support clients not only in understanding where problems exist, but in putting them right.
Speak to our passive fire protection team
If you have fire-stopping works that need to be completed, or a project requiring passive fire protection support, get in touch with our team to discuss your requirements.
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