intimescent strips

[buster1]

Just been asked to quote for the replacement of 10mm intumescent strips in fire resiting doors in sheltered housing, the fire risk assessment states they require replacing due large amounts of paint apllied over them, question is do we upgrade with 10mm like for like or route existing doors and replace with 15mm to conform with current regs.
Regards

[kurnal]

Not sure what you mean by current regs Buster1, do you know what compound they are?

Lots of useful info here:

http://www.bwf.org.uk/firedoors/fire-doors-your-responsibility/

and here

http://www.asdma.com/bpg.html

BWF certifire offer some useful training courses aimed at persons who maintain fire doors.

[SeaBass]

I believe that it was the PFPA that went into print stating that intumescent strips are not adversely impacted by being painted over. From memory I believe that they said up to five coats of paint had no significant effect on the performance of the material. 

[Davo]

Ruby

It was IFSA, I was the one asking the question

You don't mention smoke seals, suggest fitting both.

Regarding Regs, I think you mean BS 8214 fire doors, though I notice they have taken the width measurements out of the 2008 edition which were in the 1990 edition, stating only to follow manufacturers advice.

Davo

[Fishy]

Buster1:

"Current reg's" don't require any particular size - it depends what's been tested, assessed & proven to work for that particular doorset.  Some FD30 doorsets are fine with 10mm strips; some need 10mm on the edges and 20mm on the head; some 15mm all round etc, etc...  Some have the intumescent strips installed under the lippings, so they need nothing in the frame jambs.

Suggest that, if you've been asked to replace the strips you replace them with exactly what was in there before - same size, type and (ideally) manufacturer, because there are quite a few completely different intumescent compounds used in the strips & they don't all work in the same way.

[buster1]

Thank you

[SeaBass]

Buster, bear in mind that a TRADA study concluded that installing over size intumescent seals could actually have a detrimental effect on the compartmentation by forcing doors open as the seal starts to intumesce. This effect was mostly in relation to double doors sets. TRADA also concluded that the intumescent seal is far more effective if installed in the frame rather than the door edge.