How to check a fire-rated sealant system

Identify whether the opening is in a wall, floor, shaft, cavity barrier, linear joint or perimeter condition. Record the element’s construction, thickness, density and required fire-resistance performance. Singapore Fire Code clause 3.12 requires openings through fire-resisting elements to be kept limited and filled with suitable fire-stopping materials whose resistance is demonstrated by accepted testing.

The project fire strategy, approved drawings and authority requirements establish the required performance. Start with the barrier and opening, then find a tested or assessed system that matches. Do not start with a product claim and look for somewhere to apply it. Acoustic, smoke, movement and water requirements may also apply, but they do not replace the fire evidence.

Read the report or system listing for wall/floor type, orientation, service material and size, opening dimensions, annular space, joint width, backing material, sealant depth and any collar, wrap or insulation. Note permitted movement and whether services are insulated. A plastic pipe, metal pipe, cable bundle and blank opening behave differently in fire.

If one variable falls outside the listed range, do not assume a more conservative-looking amount of sealant fixes it. Greater depth, a denser backing or a smaller gap can change heat transfer, movement and test behaviour. Seek an applicable system, formal engineering assessment or other route accepted by the responsible professional and authority.

Create a submittal checklist that reproduces the tested variables and mark each against the drawing and site opening. Any blank or mismatch is a request for technical resolution, not permission to choose the nearest available component. Keep approved deviations with the same record.

The report should identify the test standard and edition, laboratory, specimen, conditioning and measured criteria. Integrity, insulation and other classifications answer distinct aspects of performance. A certificate may summarise conformity or surveillance but often does not reproduce the complete installation scope. Use it with the underlying report, system drawing and current product identity.

Confirm whether the document covers penetration seals, linear joints, curtain-wall perimeters or another category. SCDF materials cite accepted standards for fire-stopping applications; the project team must determine the applicable route. A test under one standard and orientation cannot be casually translated into another. The guide on reading a TDS explains document roles but fire review requires the complete evidence set.

Match the sealant name, formulation or product code in the evidence to the material delivered. Record batch, colour where relevant, expiry and storage. Substituting another acrylic, even one described as fire rated, is not evidence. Changes in manufacturing, packaging or document revision should be evaluated through the supplier and project approval process.

Pereseal FR is an intumescent acrylic with a TDS, SDS, certificate and fire test reports in the technical library. Match the product name and revision in those documents to the material supplied, then confirm that the tested arrangement covers the project condition.

Photograph legible labels and batch information before empty packs leave the work area, subject to the project quality plan. Link them to locations or inspection lots. Traceability allows a later audit to distinguish the specified tested product from a visually similar general-purpose cartridge.

Prepare the opening and services as the system requires. Install the exact backing type, density, compression and depth; apply sealant to the specified faces and thickness; maintain annular space and any required collars or wraps. Generic foam rod, mineral wool of unknown density or cosmetic surface filling can depart materially from the tested arrangement.

SCDF guidance warns against superficial filling and notes that non-rigid fire-stopping material may require support. Site access should allow full-depth installation and inspection, not only a neat visible face. Follow the approved method statement, competency requirements and manufacturer instructions. General application guidance cannot replace the system drawing.

Provide gauges, marked tools or other agreed controls so installers can verify concealed depth during work. Inspect representative and critical locations before access closes. Finished surface appearance cannot demonstrate the backing position or internal section after the joint has been tooled.

Inspection should verify opening and service, substrate, backing, sealant depth, dimensions, product identity and condition before the work is hidden. Photographs with scale, batch records, installer information and system reference support later maintenance. If a sample is cut for depth verification, repair it by the approved method and record the location.

Coordinate with other trades so cables, pipes or finishes are not added through the completed system without review. A later service change can invalidate the original firestop. Maintain a register where the project requires it. The completion label or record should point to the exact system, not simply state “fire sealant applied.”

The record should identify opening, wall or floor type, penetrant, annular space, backing, sealant depth, product, installer, date and approved detail. Photographs need scale and location context. Store them where the building operator can retrieve them during future penetrant changes.

Stop when the opening contains services or geometry not covered by the selected detail, the substrate is damaged, required backing is unavailable, or the product/document identity does not match. Do not combine convenient portions of separate tested systems into a new hybrid detail. A technical opinion has value only when issued through the accepted project and regulatory route.

After installation, check for damage, movement, new penetrations and water exposure under the maintenance plan. Repair only with a system that covers the condition. The website can help you find FR documents and contact Pereseal, but the project’s qualified fire professional and relevant authority must confirm final suitability.

Record any approved change with the same documents used for inspection and handover.