A cast in fire collar, or a cast-in device, stops the spread of fire through concrete floors where plastic pipes and cables have passed through them.
This cylinder product is produced from a robust polypropylene material and contains a high-performance intumescent material. It also contains an integrated cold smoke seal and is completed with a strong lid which supports foot traffic and light access equipment.
Temporarily, fixings are used to secure it to the formwork through the four fixing points before the concrete is poured around the collar.
Intumescent: How does a cast in fire collar work?
During a fire, the intumescent will react to heat by swelling, therefore, increasing in volume and decreasing in density.
This pressure works to plug the gap by forming a carbonaceous char as the pipe or cables soften. This ultimately stops the fire from spreading to the floors above, maintaining the compartmentation of the building.
*A carbonaceous char is the solid material that forms during the early stage of combustion of a carbonaceous material.
What is a smoke seal?
A smoke seal is a rubber strip, nylon pile or brush that works in conjunction with an intumescent strip. It works to prevent the passage of smoke through gaps.
In the case of a cast in fire collar, the rubber seal limits the spread of smoke from one floor to the next.
In the event of a fire, smoke is often one of the main causes of fatality. Therefore, reducing or preventing toxic fumes from passing into areas that are not directly impacted by the fire is extremely important.
Intumescent strips are somewhat similar to smoke seals. However, they are designed to prevent the spread of fire rather than smoke. Although they do help stop the spread of smoke when activated, cold smoke would not activate the intumescent material like an open flame would.
What is the difference between a cast in and a traditional (or often called retrofit) fire collar?
Designers and installers of passive fire protection solutions frequently come across the choice whether to use cast in fire collars or traditional retrofit fire collars to firestop pipe and, in some cases, electrical service penetrations.
The main difference between these two products is that a cast in fire collar can only be used for new builds, as it is cast in while the concrete is poured around it.
Whereas a retrofit fire collar can also be a perfect solution for retrofit projects. This is because a building to be refurbished may not have firestopping in place or it has firestopping that needs rectifying due to poor installation.
Most of the time, if planned precisely and in advance, the installation of cast in fire collars proves to be significantly more cost and time effective on a new build development.
Furthermore, cast in fire collars have major health and safety benefits for those working on site. Because they are cast in while the building is being constructed, this removes the need to core drill or backfill holes. They also remove the need to work at height.
QuelCast Cast in Fire Collar from Quelfire
Learn more about the features, benefits and how to install our QuelCast CE Marked Cast in Fire Collar.
