Fire stopping in Kings Langley
Plastic pipes through floors are the thing we are asked about most. Here is how to check them.
Get a priceYou do not need a surveyor to start. Go to the ground floor of the building and find a ceiling with pipes coming through it.
Look at what the pipes are made of. White or grey plastic is the kind that matters.
If it goes through a floor that separates one flat or one tenant from another, it should have a collar or wrap at the point it enters the ceiling below.
What you are looking for
A metal band round the pipe, fixed to the underside of the slab. It may be grey, black or red, and it might have a label on it.
Or a wrapped section, where a strip has been turned round the pipe several times and held with metal bands.
Or nothing at all, just a pipe in a gap with some old mortar or foam round it. That is the one to write down.
Why it is usually missed
The pipe was fitted by a plumber, who was thinking about water and not about fire. The collar was a separate item, and somebody had to remember to order it.
On a block with 30 flats it is easy for a few to go without.
Our contractors fit each collar from the maker's installation instructions.
What to do when you find a bare pipe
Take a photo of it with a tape measure beside it. Note the floor and the flat or room number.
Send that to us with the postcode. We can usually say from the photo what it needs.
A group of bare pipes in one riser is a job for a single visit. See fire collars and wraps.
Kings Langley
The fire and rescue service for Hertfordshire is Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
We inspected the doors at homecare buildings in Kings Langley and Hemel Hempstead, so we have been here before. This page is about pipes, not doors.
Questions we get asked
Does every plastic pipe need a collar?
Those passing through a fire wall or floor do. Pipes that stay within one compartment do not.
Are the collars permanent?
They are fixed for good. If the pipe is replaced later, a new collar goes on with it.
Send us the postcode and a photo or two. We will tell you what it needs and give you a price.
Get a price