I have written to many foam manufacturers asking what is the situation with a door frame into a 2.8m high metal stud and plasterboard partition and am yet to receive an answer. We have to draw our own conclusions.

Windows and doors are often the primary culprits for heat loss. Expanding foam can be used to fill the gaps around window and door installations, helping to reduce heat loss in these areas and improve overall insulation. Pipe Stabilising You should also think about how you prefer to apply the foam. While most will feature a straw that directs the contents, others will include a separate gun that you screw the canister into, and which provide much more control and precision. How We EvaluatedAs it is non-combustible, it won’t catch fire and therefore won’t contribute to the spread of fire through a building. Try not to use them at all. Take care to cut and install fire protection so that it fits exactly. Use proper collars and seals if compartments need to be penetrated. Inadequate Expansion Control: Expanding foam can inflate in an unpredictable manner leading to uneven coverage, sometimes expanding beyond its intended boundaries, or even leaving unnoticed gaps. This can create pathways for fire and smoke to bypass the fire stopping measures, rendering them ineffective. It wasn’t well received when I made it,” she says. “The comments are like: ‘it looks like intestines’, ‘it looks like guts’.” Ahenkan was not put off, describing the result as “jolie-laide”: “I made it to make my house look cute.” In this Bitesize CPD we will be looking at expanding fire foam used for filling gaps between frame and substrate.

Fox Curtis Murray are a building consultancy specialising in providing Clerks of Works services and Quality Control inspections. While fire rated foam expands on application, it sets hard and will not expand further and seal up a hole when a fire breaks out. Compliance Issues: Reputed organisations such as ASFP, BMTRADA, FIRAS, and IFE strongly recommend the removal and replacement of pink foam installations with authentic fire-rated alternatives. The primary concern lies in the difficulty of accurately tracing the product without conducting chemical composition testing. To ensure reliable fire safety measures, it is advisable to opt for fire-rated materials with suitable test data that can be easily identified and verified for their intended use. Insulation is hugely important for homeowners, keeping buildings warm during the winter while also reducing energy bills. Fire rated foam is usually pink in colour, to identify it as different from other types of expanding foam which don’t have the non-combustible qualities. When would you need fire rated foam?

Expanding foam is a hugely useful tool for contractors with many potential uses. Primarily, it is great for closing gaps, helping to improve insulation for buildings. If we had to stand up in a court and state why we had made a decision that allowed the fire doors to be fitted contrary to manufacturers testing and certification, what would we say? It was easier for the installer? With no evidence of the installer or products used it is un-likely that any Foam can be warranted by anyone and should be removed and replaced.

Far better to insist that installation complies with the certificate’s installation instructions unless the installer can prove that their proposed method is better than that certified by the door manufacturer. Claims made in leaflets given out with boxes of expanding foam do not cut it. Polyurethane (PU) foam fillers - also known as ‘fire foam’ - are common in construction, but if you use them without properly understanding them they can end up costing you money, creating worse fire risks, and potentially ruin your hard-earned reputation.

When would you need fire rated foam?

Expanding foam is a substance made up of various chemicals, including polyurethane. It usually comes in a can, which is either: Fire rated foam is not suitable for use around pipe and cables as it doesn’t intumesce or expand in extreme heat so the services would burn away and leave a void and thus breach the fire compartment.

This was part of the Grenfell issue: Non compatible parts being put together because they were individually ok. Fire rated foam is often misused due to poor understanding of its suitability. It is important to note that it should only be used to fill small linear gaps, gaps between a door frame and wall and small holes in fire walls. There are some other products on the market that have similar names to expanding foam. Examples of this include expanding foam tapes and expansion joint fillers. Buildings rely on a lot of large, solid components which can’t always connect fluidly. To ensure standards regarding insulation and moisture ingress are met, expanding foam can be used internally and externally to close small gaps.Some Foams can only provide fire resistance (surface spread of flames) and cannot provide any means of fire integrity depending on manufacturer. Similar to windows and doors, plumbing is another feature that can leave small gaps. When installing plumbing, expanding foam can be used in holes to seal pipes in place, stopping any rattling. Where Not to Use Expanding Foam