Fireseal™

Party walls are designed to reduce fire hazards by separating one dwelling from another to provide the building occupants with the maximum time to escape safely by maintaining sufficient structural adequacy, integrity and insulation. There are principally 3 key areas for reducing fire hazards:

• Controlling fire within a compartment
• Controlling the spread of fire between compartments through openings in external walls
• Providing early warning to building occupants

The incorporation of the correct insulation products in the design of passive fire protection systems can save lives and also complement the installation of active fire protection equipment (i.e. sprinkler systems and fire alarms).

Party Wall Sealer applications for wall perimeter and cavity junctions in Class 1 Buildings need to meet the relevant Deemed to Satisfy requirements of Clause 3.7.1.8 of Volume 2 of the Building Code of Australia (BCA). Inclusion of fire rated building products such as insulation are covered by the BCA.

BCA specifies required levels of fire resistance for walls that separate one dwelling from another, expressed as the Fire Resistance Level (FRL) of the wall in minutes. The fire rated walls must maintain sufficient:

• Structural adequacy – ability of a structure to maintain its stability and ability to hold up other parts of the structure.
• Integrity – ability of a structure to resist the passage of flames and hot gases.
• Insulation – ability of a structure to maintain a temperature below specified limits on the surface on the other side of the wall.

Party Wall insulation products need to have remarkable resistance to shrinkage at temperatures encountered in fire conditions. One of the most common materials for party wall insulation is Rockwool, such as Bradford’s Fireseal Party Wall insulation products, which are made from non-combustible Rockwool.

Party Wall insulation products should be assessed in accordance with the general principles of AS1530.4, and need to be suitable for the stated FRL when designed in accordance with the relevant building and structural considerations, and installed in accordance with the manufacture’s details.

• Highly durable and cost effective fire insulation
• Remarkable resistance to shrinkage at high temperatures encountered in fire conditions
• Suitable for all standard party wall applications – easy-to-cut for constricted applications
• Performance is not adversely affected by contact with water
• Non-combustible (when tested to AS1530.1)

Bradford Fireseal Party Wall range is designed for installation between the top of a fire resistance level (FRL) party wall and the roofing membrane. Its purpose is to meet the requirements, for fire resistance between adjacent tenancies,

Note: For installation Fireseal Party Wall Sealer must be compressed by 10%.

Note: For installation Fireseal Party wall batts must be compressed by 10%. Fireseal Party Wall Batts are not appropriate to seal areas at the top of a masonry or lightweight wall system.

For additional details on Party Wall applications and installation, including drawings of typical applications for Class 1 buildings, Roof details, and Vertical joint details, please refer to the Bradford Party Wall design guide for Class 1 Buildings.

Following the tragic events of the Victorian bushfires in 2009 and the consequences that followed, the Australian government has introduced new residential building standards which require each new house being made to undergo a Bush Attack Level (BAL) assessment. Previously, Australian Standard 3959 had 4 levels of risk of bushfire attack (Low, Medium, High and Extreme). This has now changed to 6 levels described as Bushfire Attack Levels (BALs). The assessment is aimed at making sure all new houses being constructed are using methods that contribute to better protection for properties prone to bushfires.

Bradford offers a range of Glasswool, Rockwool , Membranes & ventilation products to comply with BAL requirements. Key product ranges include:

• Multitel BAL 12.5-40 Blanket
• Thermoseal Roof Tile range
• Thermoseal ResiWrap
• Fireseal FZ Batts (Roof Tile & Metal Roof)
• Flexitel
• Anticon
• Maestro BAL

Multitel BAL 12.5-40 Blanket is a non-combustible glasswool roll used to seal off areas of metal roofs from potential ember ingress. The blanket is typically installed at gutter line, hip valley and ridge joint.

Bradford Fireseal FZ is a fire rated rockwool insulation suitable for continuous operation in extreme temperature. Rockwool is the most popular insulation for fire protection in buildings. Fireseal FZ batts have been specifically designed for use in tiled and metal roofs to help prevent the ingress of embers and flames into the roof space in the event of a fire.

Bradford Flexitel is a lightweight insulation blanket with an R-Value of 1.1 and is easily handled. Its thermal qualities help to meet the BCA energy efficiency requirements and it is certified for use in BAL FZ applications.

Anticon roofing blanket is a lightweight insulation with a light duty reflective Thermofoil facing. It is designed to provide efficient thermal insulation and condensation control. It also assists in reducing external noise transmission.

For additional details on solutions for bush fire prone areas to meet Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) rated building standards, please refer to the Bush fire roofing systems design guide.