The key to ensuring Tenmat’s fire stopping solutions can be used effectively across a project build is to prove their compatibility with the products they will come into contact with.
In addition to CE Marking and/or UKCA Marking for the fire resistance performance, Tenmat have also acquired FBC system compatibility status for their passive fire protection solutions for mechanical service penetration.
FBC™ Compatibility
In securing FBC™ system compatibility, Tenmat’s OverSleeves and Pipe Fire Sleeves underwent third-party lab testing and their manufacturing site in Manchester is audited annually. The FBC™ status confirms that the solutions are chemically compatible with a range of CPVC products, including FlowGuard Gold®, BlazeMaster®, and Corzan® piping systems, and products made with TempRite® technology.
Why is FBC™ system compatibility important?
Lubrizol’s White Paper written by Michelle Knight outlines why FBC™ system compatibility is especially important for solutions interacting with CPVC products – as summarised below:
- Amorphous polymers like CPVC consist of long chain-like molecules all tangled together. It is from these chains that CPVC derives its strength.
- A failure occurs when enough chains break or become disentangled leading to a breach developing in the solid polymer.
- Some chemicals can disentangle the polymer molecules from each other. Other chemicals don’t have any effect on separating the molecules, no matter how much external stress there is on the plastic.
- When lower added stress is needed to cause a failure, the chemical is considered to be more “incompatible”.
- FBC™ system compatible products do not pose a chemical risk of disentanglement to the CPVC molecules used in the listed products, meaning integrity isn’t and won’t become compromised.
“Our Pipe Fire Sleeves and OverSleeves offer a dry fit, non-sealant solution for the effective firestopping of CPVC sprinkler pipes. The majority of alternative FBC compatible solutions on the market are intumescent sealant-based, meaning they can only be installed around the pipe at the end of the job.
The Pipe Fire Sleeve and OverSleeves enable the installer to pre-install the pipe with a firestop solution at pipe installation stage. In addition, once fitted, the Tenmat solutions are more visible for easy identification and checking during site inspections and Building Control checks.”
Chris Thompson, Global Product Manager
For more information, please visit the Tenmat website: www.tenmat.com/passive-fire-protection