Plasterboard required for plant rooms?

[Hilldes]

Hi all,

 

I'm lining my plant rooms with 18mm ply. Given the house is timber frame, do I need to fix plasterboard on top of the ply for fire protection? If yes, standard wall board or a board with extra fire protection such as Gyproc Fireline?

 

 

[nod]

I lined ours with ply and a standard 30 minute wallboard I don’t think there any requirement for anything else 

[markc]

As above, im not aware of any specific requirements

[Hilldes]

Thanks @nod and @markc - I’ll go for standard wall board.

[Bitpipe]

Our plant room was in basement so 3 walls are concrete and one is stud wall with door.

 

Stud wall and ceiling boarded (standard white, 30 min) but not skimmed - BC would have preferred that but accepted pink LE foam in all the PB joints and around any penetrations.

 

Door is FD30 with intumescent strip.

[Hilldes]

55 minutes ago, Bitpipe said:

Stud wall and ceiling boarded (standard white, 30 min) but not skimmed - BC would have preferred that but accepted pink LE foam in all the PB joints and around any penetrations.

 

Good point @Bitpipe - I don't plan to skim the plasterboard. Was this preference from BC due to the location in a basement?

[Bitpipe]

1 hour ago, Hilldes said:

 

Good point @Bitpipe - I don't plan to skim the plasterboard. Was this preference from BC due to the location in a basement?

 

No, I think it was just to ensure the PB was sealed  between boards and at wall / ceiling joints - if there was a fire any gaps would compromise fire and smoke containment.

 

A can of pink LE foam (rated for fire) applied with a gun, not straw, into all the gaps satisfied him. Once it goes off you can cut excess back with a knife.

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

Arresting the spread of fire from open flames is the consideration here. If it were a multi storey dwelling or adverse scenario requiring fire intervention then your BCO would have already stated so.

Have you actually asked your BCO ? Our opinions here are worthless btw. That person is signing your build off not any of us  

 

If you don’t have any mandatory stipulation(s) then just consider risk vs mitigation, and focus on the salvage of the fabric of the property, eg if a fire started there.Buying a FR plasterboard is £10 more than a regular one. Why skimp?!? Fill gaps with intumescent acrylic caulk not FR foam as that has far better integrity. FR foam is for very small gaps only.  
 

On every single one of my full M&E installations, early prevention ( detection and intervention ) via deployment of optical, ionisation, multi-sensor and heat detectors in every habitable and plant space is standard practice. Each type of detector is selected to suit the space. Finding a fire before it’s become involved is the number one focus of the owner, and prevention of the spread of flames and cold smoke is the focus for means of egress and escape, eg the preservation of those routes of escape ( for 30 or 60 mins whichever is applicable ). 

 

Talk to your BCO. 

[Nickfromwales]

https://www.labc.co.uk/sites/default/files/labcpd0715_techg_firefoam_0.pdf

 

Fire foam is combustible  

Edited July 20, 2021 by Nickfromwales

[Conor]

1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

https://www.labc.co.uk/sites/default/files/labcpd0715_techg_firefoam_0.pdf

 

Fire foam is combustible  

I managed to set fire to my fire retardant EPS when welding. It's hard to trust any data sheet these days.

[Onoff]

1 minute ago, Conor said:

I managed to set fire to my fire retardant EPS when welding. It's hard to trust any data sheet these days.

 

You'd think it a national scandal...

[Oz07]

I think fire foam only passes the test it needs to when no more than 10mm between 2 conc blocks. On proper joints now they want fire batts with imtimescent mastic. 

[Nickfromwales]

BCO gets the final say, as always, but if doing this for your own peace of mind the go to town. 
Foam to fill gaps, cut back shy, then tape + acrylic FR mastic on top for maximum integrity. 
Smoke detection in plant spaces should be mandatory. BRegs are more worried about air admittance on a foul stack ?

[Hilldes]

Thanks all for the replies, really helpful - I do plan to ask the BCO.

 

I'm thinking if the BCO is OK with standard wallboard it might be almost as easy to just skim it rather than fill the gaps with foam/intumescent acrylic caulk.

 

P.S. will have smoke/heat/CO2 detection in the plant rooms.

[Bitpipe]

It took me all of 20 mins to foam the joints, had too much plant installed at that stage to get the PB skimmed.

[Nickfromwales]

32 minutes ago, Bitpipe said:

It took me all of 20 mins to foam the joints, had too much plant installed at that stage to get the PB skimmed.

Yup. They do get crazy very quickly! 

[Hilldes]

36 minutes ago, Bitpipe said:

It took me all of 20 mins to foam the joints, had too much plant installed at that stage to get the PB skimmed.

 

4 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Yup. They do get crazy very quickly! 

 

My plant rooms are bare right now but need to decide very soon as UFH installation is the next job. Need to find a home for these beasties:

 

...and discovered today that neither unvented DHW cylinder I have quotes for will fit in the first floor plant room, so now looking to enlarge or move the room ? 

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

You can get horizontal UVC’s if that helps?

[Hilldes]

1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

You can get horizontal UVC’s if that helps?

Its more the height that was the issue because its a 1.5 story house and the roof slope clashes with the top of the cylinder. Just need to expand the plant room footprint further from the roof. As a bonus it will actually simplify the UFH pipe routing. 

[Hilldes]

I just tried to read Part B of the building regs - have not a clue what is was saying. Not just about the specific question on plant room wall coverings, but even the requirement I am aware of to project steels with special plasterboard - could not even determine that from the hieroglyphics. Means of escape is clearer - already covered that with BCO with the plans review.

[Marvin]

I'm with Nickfromwales. Board suitable for fixings, coverd with fire board. I also insulated the walls to reduce the excessive heat escaping.

[Nickfromwales]

11 hours ago, Hilldes said:

but even the requirement I am aware of to project steels with special plasterboard - could not even determine that from the hieroglyphics.

If the steels are not fully exposed, in a standards residential dwelling these do not require any further detail. Eg if the entire dwelling interior is plasterboard and skim, then you already have the prescribed level of fire break / integrity required between steels and open flame. 
Will you have any exposed steel, like in eaves or plant space? Normally these are contained inside the plaster-boarded envelope for this reason. 
Again, the BCO will have seen the drawings and should have highlighted this already, if so required. Fire and drainage are the big ticket items for BCO’s, with most other requirements being satisfied by 3rd party certification ( ventilation / electrics / structural etc ). 

[Hilldes]

1 minute ago, Nickfromwales said:

If the steels are not fully exposed, in a standards residential dwelling these do not require any further detail. Eg if the entire dwelling interior is plasterboard and skim, then you already have the prescribed level of fire break / integrity required between steels and open flame. 
Will you have any exposed steel, like in eaves or plant space? Normally these are contained inside the plaster-boarded envelope for this reason. 
Again, the BCO will have seen the drawings and should have highlighted this already, if so required. Fire and drainage are the big ticket items for BCO’s, with most other requirements being satisfied by 3rd party certification ( ventilation / electrics / structural etc ). 

Thanks Nick, steels are all enclosed in the plasterboard envelope.

 

BTW, just ordered Gyproc firefline red 12.5mm plasterboard for plant rooms. No response from BCO as yet, but as you said, a relatively small extra cost cost relative to standard wallboard.

[Nickfromwales]

8 hours ago, Hilldes said:

steels are all enclosed in the plasterboard envelope

No further action required then. BCO to confirm of course.