Ensuring proper compartmentation within a building is critical to prevent the spread of flames and smoke through the building fabric in the event of a fire. Building service penetrations must be carefully considered as part of this process, as they often must breach compartmentation lines. To ensure they do not create easy paths for fire and smoke to travel through, they must be protected with fire stopping measures that have been tested and certified to achieve the necessary fire resistance in combination with the specific pipework, pipe insulation and the substrate construction. It must also be installed accurately, in line with the manufacturer’s specifications.
Kingspan Technical Insulation can help to streamline the process of achieving suitably fire-rated penetrations. By combining Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation and Kingspan K-Stop passive fire protection products we can provide tested and certified solutions backed with expert technical support and guidance.
Which applications can Kingspan provide fire-rated service penetration solutions for?
Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation can be used in various wall and floor applications as a fire stopping solution when installed in conjunction with Kingspan K-Stop passive fire protection products.
Our Kooltherm Pipe Insulation and K-Stop Fire Stopping Guide provides an overview of the applications for which we can provide solutions for service penetrations.
The guide includes tables which set out the specific applications which are covered — including the substrate, pipe material and diameters, insulation thicknesses and the Kingspan K-Stop products which should be installed — along with the fire resistance rating which can be achieved. Each listing is supported with diagrams (such as those shown below) providing clear instructions on how the solution should be correctly installed to achieve the listed fire resistance.
What are the benefits of specifying a single solution for service penetrations?
There are a number of benefits to specifying Kooltherm Pipe Insulation with Kingspan K-Stop passive fire protection products as a single solution:
- One set of submittals
- Confirmed system compatibility
- Streamlined specification process
- Simplified procurement
- Single set of installation details and single source of information can provide a cost-effective solution and reduced installation time.
- Expert technical support
How is the fire resistance of the products assessed?
The fire resistance of Kingspan Safire products for use in conjunction with Kooltherm Pipe Insulation has been assessed under BS EN 1366-3: 2021 and classified following the procedures within BS EN 13501-2: 2023. The resulting classifications are limited to service penetration applications and are valid for the specific constructions listed within our Kooltherm Pipe Insulation and K-Stop Fire Stopping Solutions Guide when installed in accordance with the details provided.
What do the fire resistance ratings mean?
All the ratings provided within the Kooltherm Pipe Insulation and K-Stop Fire Stopping Solutions Guide provide a set period which the building service penetration configuration will provide resistance for both:
· Integrity (denoted as E) – this is its ability to prevent flames and smoke from passing through the penetration; AND
· Insulation (denoted as I) – this is its ability to prevent excessive heat passing through the construction (resulting in temperature rises on the ‘cold’ side.)
So, a rating of EI 60 means that the construction will provide 60 minutes Integrity and Insulation for the service penetration.
In some cases, the product classifications then include a designation of C/U or C/C. This represents whether the pipework that was tested was capped or uncapped. C/U means that the pipework was capped within the testing furnace and uncapped outside it, whilst C/C means the pipework was capped both inside and outside the furnace.
Finally, some classifications provide an additional rating in brackets which is valid only for the Integrity of the service penetration e.g. (E 120).
To summarise, lets look at the example classification below:
EI 90 C/C (E 120)
This classification means that the service penetration will provide 90 minutes fire resistance for Integrity (E) and Insulation (I) combined (EI 90), that it has been tested with both ends of the pipework capped (C/C), and that it will provide 120 minutes fire resistance for Integrity alone (E 120).
Need support with a passive fire specification or installation?
For expert support, contact our Passive Fire Protection Technical team
T: +44 (0) 1524 388 898
E: sales.pfp@kingspan.com
For individual department contact details please visit
www.kingspantechnicalinsulation.co.uk/contacts
