On 18/06/2017 14:42, Adam Aglionby wrote:
On Sunday, June 18, 2017 at 12:25:10 PM UTC+1, Robin wrote:
On 18/06/2017 11:55, Andy Burns wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Get some and put a blowtorch to it.
Celotex insulation does not really burn.

Where "not really" means that an external flame will make it burn,
giving off a surprising amount of smoke, it will char and and the flame
from the foam will sputter out after a few seconds when you take the
blowtorch away ... maybe a big slab with lower surface:volume ratio
performs better than tests on offcuts of an inch or two?


Celotex or Celotex FR5000? The former is Class 1, the latter Class 0.

Reynobond PE is Class 0 as well....

But *only* in the UK where apparently different laws of physics and
chemistry apply to in the rest of the world if the makers datasheet is
to be believed. What this shows is that our fire testing standards are
woefully inadequate (and seriously out of date). Also that architects
here seem remarkably unaware of major high rise fire incidents overseas.

British Standard "Class 0" in this instance the BS stand for Bull****. I
don't believe that they can have ever tested the PE variant or if they
did then there is something fundamentally wrong with their methodology.
Probably tested against a thick inert concrete wall...

There is another nasty in that with this Reynobond PE crap rated as UK
Class 0 it can be used anywhere inside a building not just as cladding.
In some locations that can compromise fire evacuation routes.

Even applying truly Class 0 rated material over walls covered in many
old coats of paint can seriously compromise the fire rating (which is
based on it being on a clean inert wall of plaster or concrete). See

http://www.hubdean.co.uk/fire-protec...hat-is-class-0

Hammond was on yesterday claiming that "his understanding" was that the
PE variant was banned on tall buildings in the UK too but that remains
to be seen. If it was UK Class 0 just like the FR then I don't see how
anyone can be prosecuted for taking that specification at face value.

(Even though good engineers ought to know that the stuff was flammable)

When I fitted Celotex in the loft here I reckoned that by the time a
fire had gone through the plasterboard into the loft I'd either be out
or dead. And that the Victorian rafters and joists would go up like the
proverbial in any event.

Fires can potentially start in the loft if a critter nibbles a mains
cable and becomes a charred heating element as a result. ELCB usually
kicks in at that point. Squirrels and rats are the worst for this.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown