Fire stopping in Slough
Offices, units and plant rooms. Large openings and a lot of cable.
Get a priceOffices and units are a different problem from flats.
The holes are bigger. A tray carrying a hundred cables goes through a block wall. A ducting run crosses between two units. An old opening is cut for something that has since been removed.
If you manage business premises in Slough, this is the page that applies.
Where the big gaps come from
A tenant moves out and strips their cabling. The trays stay. The openings that they ran through are left empty.
A new tenant moves in and adds their own cabling through the same openings, pushing it past whatever seal was there.
Plant rooms have pipework and ductwork running through walls to the rest of the building, often with large gaps round each service.
Party walls between units may have been built to the roof, but with a gap at the top where the roof sheet meets the wall.
What we use for large openings
Coated batts, packed tight into the opening and finished with a coating that swells in heat.
Fire-rated foam round trays where the shape makes batts hard to fit.
Pillows and bags where cable gets added often. They can be opened up and resealed without breaking the seal.
For the narrow gaps round the edge, mastic.
Tenant changes
The best time to seal is between tenants. The cabling is out, the floor is clear and nobody is waiting on us. We can often work to a short notice then.
When a tenant is still in, we work in zones, and move their furniture back as we go.
If you let units, a record of every seal is useful. A new tenant's fit-out contractor can see what product is in each opening and make good if they cut it.
Getting the information
Photos of each opening, with something in the picture to show the size.
The age of the building, if you know it, and what the walls are built from. A steel portal frame unit with block walls is different from a concrete office.
Who owns which wall. Between units, that is a lease question.
About Slough
Slough is a unitary council area in Berkshire, so building control is through Slough Borough Council or a private approved body. Fire safety enforcement is by Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
We come from Luton. For a large site we plan several days on site, and the same crew stays with the job.
Our work is done by our BM TRADA / FIRAS-certificated contractors.
Questions we get asked
Can you work out of hours?
Often yes, for a larger unit. Tell us when the site is empty.
Do I need a survey first?
For a big site, yes. See the page on compartmentation surveys.
Tell us what is going through it and what the wall is made of. We will come back with a price.
Get a price