www.heatingandventilating.net


ALTERNATIVE FUEL SOURCES boilingpoint Preventing the spread of fire P


individual thermostats which can be programmed to suit the user’s lifestyle and may even help reduce energy use.


Electric water heating


Keeping your water heating separate from the heating in your home can prove more efficient. Electric water heating systems have also come on in leaps and bounds in recent years and you no longer need huge water tanks in the loft or airing cupboard to enjoy a long hot bath. I am a firm believer in separating hot water systems and heating. Having individual systems to focus solely on your hot water is far more efficient as every kilowatt will be used for that single purpose. In the summer, you can also turn off the system that supplies heating saving you money on your energy bills and if anything goes wrong with your heating system you will never be without hot water. An electric hot water system can be paired with an electric ‘heat only’ boiler or electric radiators.


Infrared radiators


Infrared heaters transmit heat through thermal radiation generating infrared rays around the room. It’s the same way as the sun works (but thankfully without the UV rays and temperature levels). Heat comes from infrared light warming your skin and clothes and bouncing off other objects in a room to heat the space.


Biomass heating


Biomass uses wood, plants and even manure to heat homes. While it is thought to be a renewable form of heating, there is an argument that emissions released from this type of heating can cause health problems. A biomass stove burns logs or pellets for heat and can also be fitted with an additional boiler for hot water. They don’t come cheap though, with average costs reaching £16,000 for an average sized home. I believe the Government should do more to highlight


the alternative options to Heat Pumps. Mass adoption of zero carbon heating systems can only be achieved if the government pushes heavily towards people moving to any form of electrical heating. The end result is we’re no longer using fossil fuels in the home which ultimately is what we are all trying to achieve.


reventing the spread of fire is at the forefront of the government’s actions around making buildings safer. It is at the heart of the work coming out of the review of Mandatory Technical Competencies for Building Regulations and Competent Person Schemes, ensuring that installations are not only compliant with technical specifications but are also installed in a way to prevent spread of fire.


Under the Building Safety Act, made last


year, the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will be defining how work is recorded and the competence of those installing work, this competence will include detailed competencies around identifying and installing fire penetration seals. Currently Part B of the Building Regulations in England and also in Wales specifies what measures should be put in place to prevent the spread of fire within a building. The two documents in England Wales look at building design and small compartments that would contain or reduce spread of fire. Compartment walls and compartment


floors form a complete barrier between fire compartments and must provide a prescribed degree of fire resistance. There are several additional requirements depending on the type of building.


It is vital that we understand how the building is constructed with the fire barrier elements in place when working. So now we’ve covered the basic principles of


fire compartmentalisation we must ensure that we stop the spread of fire. To do this we need to look at installing methods of fire stopping. With plumbing and heating the main areas where we break through a fire compartment are the installation of hot and cold water services pipework, heating and gas pipework, sanitary pipework and the installation of flues and chimneys. The most common arrangement will


generally be use of proprietary firestopping and sealing systems, such as intumescent collars and pipe wraps. Pipe Sleeves are suitable for fire protecting steel, copper and plastic pipes in commercial and domestic buildings penetrating through fire rated compartments such as


ceilings, floors and walls. In a fire situation the sleeve expands to


fill the available space between the pipe and the penetration. In the case of plastic pipes the sleeve will crush and close off the pipe forming a solid seal and preventing the passage of fire and smoke to the adjacent compartment. Intumescent Pipe Wraps are suitable for


fire stopping all types of plastic pipes, up to 200mm, passing through masonry floors and walls, with up to 4 hours protection, depending on manufacturer. On exposure to fire the pipe wrap expands


rapidly inwards to squeeze the collapsing plastic pipe until the aperture is completely sealed. Intumescent Pipe Collars can be used on UPVC, ABS, MDPE, HDPE and PP pipes. Providing generally up to 4 hours protection depending on manufacturer. They are surface mounted so on exposure to


heat from a fire they rapidly expand inwards to squeeze the collapsing plastic pipe until the aperture is completely sealed. Effective fire-stopping requires good


awareness of technical literature and standards, and effective inspection of works on site. Always consult the manufacturer’s information including installation instructions and if in doubt seek advice from the APHC Technical Department or the Manufacturer of the Fire Stopping Product. The integrity of fire stopping must then be maintained through repairs and refurbishment works. The building safety regulator is currently looking at ways to record the presence of fire penetration seals along with who has selected them and how they have been installed, along with the competence of those installing them, this may well be through an extension to the Competent Person Scheme. www.aphc.co.uk


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