Firebrake Connector Use

The Use Of Domus FireBrake Connectors In A House

Document B of the Building Regulations concerns itself with the prevention of fire and its spread.

Below is an extract from Document B

9.13    Every wall separating semi-detached houses, or houses in terraces should be constructed as a compartment wall and the houses should be considered separate buildings.
9.14    If a domestic garage is attached to (or forms an integral part of) a house, the garage should be separated from the rest of the house by compartment walls and ceiling.
9.15    In buildings containing flats or maisonettes the following should be constructed as compartment walls or compartment floors
a)    Every floor (unless it is within a maisonette, i.e. between one storey and another within a dwelling); and
b)    Every wall separating a flat or maisonette from any other part of the building; and
c)    Every wall enclosing a refuse chamber

So to put that in a form easier to understand

Each room is a box and houses are a stack of boxes. That stack is a fire compartment. If a fire occurs you basically need to contain it in that stack of boxes. When you fit a plastic duct into wall you have a hole in that stack of boxes. If a fire happens the plastic duct melts, this means the fire can spread through the hole. FireBrake swells up when exposed to fire and seals the hole.




The picture above gives a good view of 2 fire compartments in a typical semi-detached house.

If you look at the ducting in the roof of the garage you will see a FireBrake in position. Its there so that if there is a fire in the kitchen the flames can’t get into the garage, which may have stuff like petrol, paintstripper, paraffin or possible even a car. Also it works the other way that if there is a fire in the garage it doesn’t spread to the house.