Fire damper solutions
Creating fire-resistant compartments to subdivide a building is a recognised method to limit the spread of fire and smoke. A Kilargo intumescent fire damper can assist with this process and largely reduce the space and time dependent spread of fire and smoke during a fire. Unique solutions are required to ensure that these compartments remain well-ventilated for the health and comfort of its occupants. Both natural and mechanical ventilation often require ductwork to pass through fire resistant walls and floors – and effective fire sealing of these openings is critical.
Choosing an appropriate sealing system will ensure fire-resistance levels are maintained and helps achieve tenable conditions within egress routes, allowing easier evacuation and more effective intervention from fire fighters.
The solution is to fit Kilargo intumescent fire dampers at the point where the fire-resistant wall or floor is penetrated. The Kilargo intumescent fire damper incorporates a series of parallel intumescent slats reinforced with impact-resistant steel edging, all housed in a rigid steel framework. Under normal conditions these dampers allow air to pass freely through the building. However, in the event of fire, the slats swell to many times their original thickness, fusing together to form a stable and resilient fire-resistant barrier that forms an effective barrier to flames and hot smoke.
You can download our IFD System Selector here, or view the selctor from the link below.
Regulations
Building regulations exist to ensure the safety and comfort of building users. In Australia’s States and Territories, this is regulated through the provisions outlined in the Building Code of Australia (the BCA).
The BCA provides detailed guidance on performance and construction requirements for various building types and frequently references applicable Australian Standards. These documents detail specifications and procedures designed to ensure products, services and systems are safe, reliable and consistently perform the way they were intended to. The BCA covers several areas that directly relate to our products including Section C 3.15 Openings for service installations ‘Ventilation & air-conditioning’, and C3.12 Openings in floors and ceilings for services.
To learn more please view our Fire Seals page.
> AS1530.4: Fire resistance tests of elements of building construction
> AS1682.1 :1990 Fire Dampers Part 1– Specification
> AS1851-2005: Maintenance of fire protection systems and equipment
> AS/NZS1668.1: 1998 The use of ventilation & air-conditioning in buildings, Part 1: Fire & smoke control in multi-compartment buildings
AS1530.4: Fire resistance tests of elements of building construction
This Standard provides building designers, manufacturers, test laboratories and regulatory authorities with a set of uniform requirements and criteria for determining a building element's fire-resistance level by subjecting it to standardised fire exposure conditions.
AS1682.1 :1990 Fire Dampers Part 1– Specification
This Standard specifies the requirements for the materials, manufacture, performance, testing and marking of fire dampers. Intumescent fire dampers are required to comply with the air leakage requirements detailed in this Standard and are tested up to a pressure of 1250Pa.
AS1851-2005: Maintenance of fire protection systems and equipment
This Standard sets out requirements for the inspection, testing, preventive maintenance and survey of essential fire protection systems and equipment. It aims to ensure that such equipment meets the requirements of the relevant design, installation and commissioning standards, and provides a systematic and uniform basis for building owners and managers, regulators, contractors, insurers to implement and administer inspection, testing and preventive maintenance. Section 17 of this standard provides guidance on fire damper inspection routines and requires these to be performed on 20% of fire dampers annually, so that all fire dampers within a building have been inspected by the end of the fifth year.
AS/NZS1668.1: 1998 The use of ventilation & air-conditioning in buildings, Part 1: Fire & smoke control in multi-compartment buildings
This Standard sets out the minimum requirements for the design, construction, installation and commissioning of mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning systems for fire and smoke control in multi-compartment buildings. Section 2.4 recognises intumescent fire dampers and requires that they are manufactured to close under fire conditions and have a closure time not exceeding 120 seconds when tested in accordance with AS1530.4