SPECIAL FEATURES
The cast iron case for fire-safe drainage in high rise buildings
The outstanding performance of cast iron in a fire is just one of the reasons why it is the material of choice for drainage systems in all high-rise residential and commercial buildings.
On 5th July 2021, the government published the Building Safety Bill. This document makes the safety of occupants of high-rise buildings the responsibility of those who commission building work and who participate in the design and construction process.
The Bill is in response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, commissioned in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. It deals primarily with fire safety in high- rise residential buildings of 10 or more stories by ensuring safety is considered at every stage of a building’s lifetime.
Publication of the Bill will increase the focus on the selection of fire safe products, particularly the use of cast iron drainage systems, because of its proven outstanding performance in a fire.
One look at the product identification label printed in white lettering on the wall of any Harmer SML cast iron drainage pipe tells you all you need to know about the fire safety of the system. Alongside the CE marking, BBA Agrément and Kitemark certification is the letter A and figure 2. This is the product's Euroclass fire safety classification, its A2 designation shows that Alumasc's Harmer SML system is classed as non-combustible because it will not
64 contribute significantly to a fire.
Its outstanding fire performance is just one of Harmer SML's many attributes that make it ideal for soil and rainwater systems in all buildings, and in tall buildings in particular. Other advantages of cast iron include: its durability, its excellent acoustic performance and its impressive environmental credentials.
Drainage specifiers can take reassurance from the fact that cast iron systems are a proven technology having been in use for centuries. In that time systems have evolved so that today's cast iron systems offer a lightweight, economical, functional, and robust solution for tall building soil & waste and rainwater drainage systems. In addition, the quality of Harmer SML's above and below ground cast iron pipes and fittings is assured through compliance with BS EN 877 and Agrément certification for above ground BS EN-12056-2 Code of practice for gravity drainage systems inside building-Sanitary pipework and BS EN- 12056-3 For drainage of roofs. For the below ground system: BS EN-12056-1 For drain and sewer systems outside building.
To connect pipe sections, Harmer SML pipe couplings are available in either ductile iron or stainless steel to meet the requirements of BS EN 877. All couplings feature EPDMelastomeric seals as standard, with neoprene seals available on request. Standard pipe couplings, fully secured and anchored, can usually withstand pressures of up to 5 bar. For
| February 2022 |
www.draintraderltd.com
applications where pressures can reach up to 16 bar, Harmer SML supply High Pressure Gripped Couplings, which are more than adequate for most building drainage systems.
Cast iron pipes are manufactured by pouring molten metal into a mould, which is then spun on its axis at high speed. Centrifugal force pushes the molten metal to the mould walls, which produces a casting that has uniform wall thickness and is denser and stronger than cast iron made using gravity alone. This gives the pipe an inherent strength to ensures that if it is hit, either accidentally or otherwise, the pipe is unlikely to be damaged.
This inherent strength also means that cast iron pipes and fittings do not deform under load. Similarly, the metal's rigidity and thermal stability ensures pipes are unaffected by temperature. In fact, the
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