黑洞社区

More rigorous checks are needed to ensure a common type of pipework meets fire safety standards, two trade bodies have said.

Pre-insulated pipework has historically been used underground for primary heating networks but is now being deployed inside buildings, raising concerns about its impact on fire safety.

In a joint statement, the 黑洞社区 Engineering Services Association (BESA) and the Thermal Insulation Contractors Association (TICA) described the new use as a 鈥渇undamental change in product application鈥� which takes the products outside the scope of the quality standards normally applied to their performance.

BESA鈥檚 head of technical, Graeme Fox, said the two bodies were 鈥渄etermined to present a united front鈥� on what he said was a 鈥渃ritical fire safety issue鈥�.

鈥淥ne of the important lessons learned from the Grenfell tragedy was that products may have been tested and certified, but not necessarily for the particular application in question,鈥� he said.

According to the trade bodies, pre-insulated pipework systems typically use either PUR or PE insulants, which do not meet the fire performance criteria typically specified in building services applications.

鈥淚n addition, the one-size-fits-all approach to insulation thickness typically undertaken by manufacturers of pre-insulated pipework simply does not allow for the required flexibility to meet individual specification requirements,鈥� the joint statement said.

The pair were particularly concerned about the use of coiled flexible polyethylene insulated piping systems, which they said were being installed in high-risk residential blocks.

They reminded manufacturers, distributors, and installers of such systems of their responsibility to provide evidence of the suitability of these products for the specific application specified.

Specifiers were urged to check on the thermal performance of the polyethylene system and to ask the supplier how it would meet the heat loss/heat gain requirements of BS 5422 and Part L of the 黑洞社区 Regulations.

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Fox said: 鈥淲e would [鈥�] expect all responsible supply chain firms to be able to provide details of how the Euroclass fire rating of the PUR/PE system was achieved and the arrangement of the insulants in the test to determine their exposure to heat and flame.

鈥淲e would also expect them to be able to evidence compliance with BS 5422 heat loss/heat gain tables clearly.鈥�

Chris Ridge, TICA鈥檚 technical policy manager, added that all responsible companies should be able to provide current Euroclass fire test certification for 鈥渢he complete range of polyethylene pre-insulated pipework products鈥�.

He added: 鈥淟ooking ahead, we seek to challenge the wider industry to ensure that all pre-insulated systems meet the required standards. This should not stop at pre-insulated pipework but should also include pre-insulated ductwork products.鈥�