An alternative to thermafleece?

[NT]

words like "molten rain" might create the wrong impression for a product that complies with BS 5803-4, and that the manufacturers might feel aggrieved.

I'm sure they know plastic melts and drips as it is burnt, and that no amount of retardant will prevent that.


NT

 

[Lime]

Some may like to dismiss glass fibre's ability to resist fire and act as a fire break but I think it important.
Have any of you been in a fire?
Whenever something is altered in my home I consider the fire risk.
Semi-detached or terraced houses are vulnerable to fire from adjoining property through the roof void even if a wall between them exists.
In my loft the ceilings and joists have over 300mm of fibreglass covering them.
A thick layer of a fireproof material gives me some peace of mind from carelessness nextdoor.

 

[Nemesis]

Phew - another reason I'm glad I don't have neighbours then.

 

[biffvernon]

OK, so I've tested it myself.

Experiment #1

A small handfull of Thermafleece, supported by stuffing a bit of it into the end of some 15mm copper tubing propped up on some handy stepladders in a fairly draught-free outhouse.

A match (lighted) was held under the wool. A flame developed on the wool but went out within one second of removing the match. This was done repeatedly but the wool would not sustain burning. When the match was used up the wool appeared blackened on the outside but remained its original Herdwick grey within. There was no sign of any molten plastic.

Experiment #2

Same set up but instead of a match, a butane blowtorch was used. Again the wool could not be made to sustain a flame. After a couple of minutes of full power flame the wool was reduced (or, more correctly, oxidised) to a rather smaller mass of black ash. At no time was there any sign of molten plastic and nothing rained downwards. Where the wool had been stuffed into the copper pipe and protected from the flame of the blowtorch it appeared quite unaltered. The effects of fire had not spread more than a few millimetres beyond the position of complete destruction.

Conclusion:

I do not regard the use of Thermafleece as constituting a fire hazard and any talk of raining molten plastic is scurrilous scaremongering.

(I have no connection with Second Nature, the manufacturers of Thermafleece, but enjoy meeting Herdwicks on Cambrian fellsides.)

 

[Nemesis]

Interesting - thanks for that.

 

[skier-hughes]

but enjoy meeting Herdwicks on Cambrian fellsides.)

Do you indeed, perhaps better to keep that to yourself 8)

 

[biffvernon]

That should, of course, have been Cumbrian, not Cambrian. Sorry to get you excited about my spelling typo, Graham.

 

[Penners]

Your experiments are becoming legendary, Biff. I seem to remember your previous one was a test of multifoil insulation.

Any chance you could have a bash at cold fusion over the weekend?

 

[Moo]

I know all that stuff. It's a gift.

No it's not. You just read too much Terry Pratchett.

 

[biffvernon]

Any chance you could have a bash at cold fusion over the weekend?

No, we've already tried that. It's a lengthy project but we conducted an early stage a couple of years ago. I have a friend who is experimenting with cold fusion and it involved creating a charge of several tens of thousands of volts in an old car engine to provide an environment in which an Abrikosov vortex would form in the carburetter. He used our field since the work was deemed inappropriate for his London flat.

 

[Penners]

I have a friend who is experimenting with cold fusion and it involved creating a charge of several tens of thousands of volts in an old car engine to provide an environment in which an Abrikosov vortex would form in the carburetter. He used our field since the work was deemed inappropriate for his London flat.

Oh, that old thing. It doesn't work - the vortex suffers from shredding.

You just read too much Terry Pratchett

That's an amazing coincidence. Terry was only saying the other day that he reads too much Penners.

 

[NT]

Thanks to Biff for clearing the how-it-burns question up.

I'm still curious as to how it can be regarded as green though, given that it burns rather than acting as a fire barrier, and there are 69,000 house fires a year in Britain.


NT

 

[Nemesis]

Eh?

You been on the waccy baccy?

 

[biffvernon]

I don't think anyone has claimed that Thermafleece should be regarded as a fire barrier, but that has little to do with its 'green' credentials. That's more about sustainable production, healthy in installation and use and safe in disposal. You could add in visions of the ghosts of Beatrix Potter leading Herdwicks across the fells that inspired Wordsworth, Coleridge and Ruskin. Pass the wacky bakky Nem.

 

[NT]

I thought 'green' was about conserving materials and energy, treading lightly on the planet's resources etc. Choosing to install non- fire barriers is going to result in a lot of material loss and resulting energy use repairing it. Doesnt seem very green to me.


NT

 

[Nemesis]

I think you lost the plot on this one.

 

[Moo]

I thought 'green' was about conserving materials and energy, treading lightly on the planet's resources etc. Choosing to install non- fire barriers is going to result in a lot of material loss and resulting energy use repairing it. Doesnt seem very green to me.


NT

Nevertheless an interesting point, well worth making.

 

[NT]

I think you lost the plot on this one.

I dont, and there doesnt appear to be any counter argument.


NT

 

[Nemesis]

Not worth the effort.

 

[biffvernon]

If you want insulation use an insulation material. If you want a fire proof barrier then use material that forms a fire proof barrier. There may be some circumstances when you want to do both these jobs in the same location, in which case a material that is both insulative and a fire proof barrier would be a suitable choice. But this thread did not start off with fire proofing as it's theme.

Lime-ash floors were sometimes used on the top floor and would have given good fire protection, suitable for thatched buildings.