At Certitek, we want to make sure fire door installers are utilising certified and proven products suitable for use on FD30, FD60, FD90 and FD120
The Building Safety Act of April 2022 and the new Fire Safety Regulations from January
2023 (England) has rightly resulted in a huge increase in the number of fire door
inspections conducted, but also the quality and thoroughness.
Positively, this has created a greater emphasis among fire door installers on compliant installation the first time. The costs associated with retrospective remediation of legacy projects have been painful for many contractors.
The BSI website states: “BS EN 1366-4-2021 supersedes EN 1366-4:2006+A1:2010, which is withdrawn. Withdrawn standards are no longer considered valid, and their use may not meet current safety and quality standards. It is not recommended in construction to use a
product with a withdrawn standard. Withdrawal of a standard can happen for various reasons, such as the standard being superseded by a newer version or being found to be incomplete or incorrect.
In the case of BS EN 1366-4: 2021, the standard has had a national annexe added specifically to the UK, setting out a testing methodology and classification system for fire-stopping between doors and walls.
This welcome method of testing products allows for the first-time absolute clarity on the performance of door wall gap fire-stopping. Contractors should be careful to ensure they are using a compliant product. There are many products in the marketplace that have never been part of a fire door test and certainly don’t have testing to the latest standards, yet still make sweeping generic claims about their product, such as “tested to BS 476 for up to four hours”.
Certitek DM-01 Mastic
Certitek DM-01 Intumescent and Acoustic Acrylic Sealant meets and exceeds internationally recognised standards due to its unique formulation and comprehensive test evidence when filling the gap in between the door frame and the supporting construction.
It has recently been accredited for up to 120 minutes on a variety of doorset configurations and is available in both cartridges and foils.
Certitek DP-01 Packers
Certitek DP-01 Packers have been specially formulated and thoroughly tested for use in
FD30 and FD60 rated fire doors. They are available in a wide range of sizes (1mm–10mm)
and come in a horseshoe shape for ease of use.
Install correctly the first time
“Without demonstrable test evidence, you cannot prove your products belong in a fire door assembly, and you are taking a massive risk each time you use non-compliant products,” says Craig McLachlan, business unit lead at Certitek.
“Sadly, we’ve seen companies paying substantial legacy costs to rectify noncompliant fire door installations on projects they thought were finished months ago. It’s not only a huge time constraint but also affects the company’s ability to complete new projects on time and has a serious impact on their reputation.”
Why use a mastic tested to the latest standards?
Using a mastic that is tested to the latest standards can provide several benefits,
including:
1. Compliance
Certitek is tested to the latest standards, which simplifies compliance with industry regulations and standards. Correct mastic installation is more auditable than foam products which cannot be confirmed to have penetrated effectively.
2. Compatibility
Due to extensive test evidence, Certitek is comprehensively compatible with many substrates and materials, including timber, steel stud and concrete clockwork applications.
3. Performance
Certitek performs better than older formulations, resulting in better adhesion, greater flexibility and improved durability resulting in a more reliable substrate seal.
4. Safety
Certitek has undergone rigorous testing to ensure that it meets and exceeds current safety requirements.
5. Quality
The latest standards ensure that Certitek has been subject to strict quality control measures, ensuring that each batch meets the same high standards of performance and safety.
Product development and customer feedback
The Certitek Assurance labels
After receiving feedback from multiple housing associations requesting a means of identification for each doorset installed with Certitek, we developed the Certitek Assurance
labels, which now come as standard with each mastic order. This ensures an auditable confirmation is left behind after installation, proving that the correct product has been used behind the architraves.
With the Building Safety Act of April 2022 and the new Fire Safety Regulations from January 2023 (England) we all know there is a huge increase in the number of projects where door sets are being regularly audited by fire door inspectors.
“Without demonstrable test evidence, you cannot prove products belong in a fire door assembly, and you are taking a massive risk each time you do so”
Whilst this is unquestionably a positive outcome of the legislation, the training of qualified inspectors is varied and some tend to leave a litany of questions behind postinspection,
often including caveats such as “we were unable to ascertain the provenance of the fire-stopping methodology behind the architraves”.
Our assurance label system, which has been developed at the request of major public housing bodies (and is beginning to be insisted on by some), has provided a simple resolution to this problem, avoiding costly returns to sites and searches for proof.
Certitek is tested to the latest standards
Until late 2021, there was no prescribed testing methodology and standard that applied to the gap between door frames and wall constructions.
Suppliers had to use a variety of standards and desktop assessments to attempt to demonstrate compliance. In BS EN 1366-4: 2021 NA Annexe, a test methodology was set
out for this situation for the first time. Certitek is, to our knowledge, the first and possibly the only mastic to have been tested to this new standard, as well as the following standards below:
• BS EN 476 parts 20:1987 and 22:1987.
• BS EN 1634-1:2014 + A1 2018.
• BS EN 1366-4:2021.
• BS EN ISO 140-3:1995 Acoustic Tested.
• BS EN 1634-3:2004 Smoke Tested.
Visit www.certitek.io or call directly on 01355 575971 to find out more about how you can ensure the compliance of your door installations and fire door installers.
Craig McLachlan
Business Unit Lead
Certitek
Tel: +44(0)1355 575971
Craig.McLachlan@Certitek.io
www.Certitek.io
