Open plan living has become incredibly popular in modern day home designs, particularly in London where space is so valuable. Building Control is keeping a close eye on regulations when it comes to open plan living, as there are higher risks associated in the event of a fire.
Luckily, there are measures you can take to help your home stays safe. With so many fireproofing options to choose from, we’re here to help you create a design that mitigates risk and is compliant with Building Regulations.
Fire curtain
A fire curtain sits in the ceiling at the threshold of the kitchen, or where any walls have been removed. It’s activated by a heat detector, sealing off the area to give you more time to evacuate the building. This option can stop the smoke from spreading through the building, making an escape easier. However, they only aim to stop the spread of fire and do little to extinguish it, so they can be used to great effect in conjunction with a suppressant system.
Sprinklers
Sprinklers are mounted on your ceiling. The sprinklers activate individually, maximising the amount of water pressure available closest to the fire. They use a lot of water and give complete coverage of the room to put out the fire or suppress it until the fire brigade arrive. Insurers dislike them because of the amount of water they use (up to 60 litres a minute) potentially causing more damage to your belongings than the fire itself.
Image by Plumis via You Tube
Automist Smartscan
An Automist Smartscan is a wall mounted mister head that detects the location of the fire and directs a jet of mist towards to the fire. It is more efficient as it directs mist right to the base of the fire, attacking it at the source (rather than the top like a sprinkler system). They aren’t too expensive to install and the system can either be used to completely extinguish the fire or to provide you with evacuation time. They do require their own pump system, but this is only the size of a computer monitor and can easily fit in a kitchen cupboard or under the stairs.
Automist Tap Mount
The Automist Tap Mount is the most affordable option. This fits onto your tap and in the event of a fire, it detects the heat source, and releases a fine mist at mains pressure from nozzles mounted at the base of the tap into the void between the sink and the fire. This is the cheapest option but is unlikely to put the fire out completely as the water is not directed at the fire but into the void. It will however give more time for an escape and for the fire brigade to be called.
There are lots of options for making your home fire proof, book a site visit to discuss what options could work best for you – 0207 495 6561.
