Perplexed about PEX; let's ask Bosco?

I feel sorry for those having to muddle their way through the ever changing building service types; let alone those of us that have to try and maintain the FRL when these services pass through a fire rated wall for example.

Bosco, my cat, is hearing all about passive fire protection, as he listens to me fielding calls at home from those totally confused, frustrated and pulling their hair out literally regarding passive fire protection or fire stopping of services and the holes or penetrations they require to pass through a fire wall.

Plumbing services have evolved and probably will continue to do so. We started with cast iron pipes and then saw the introduction of copper and PVC (plastic) pipes and then insulated copper pipes. The latest and greatest are so called PEX pipes and derivatives of PEX pipes. Each of these pipe types and materials require a different approach to fire stopping and the maintenance of the FRL (system fire rating) of a fire compartment barrier.

PEX stands for cross-linked polyethylene. It is a type of plastic tubing made from high-density polyethylene.

PEX is widely used in today's buildings for reticulation of hot and cold water, and PEX-AL-PEX, a reinforced derivative is used for reticulation of gas.

To maintain the FRL we need to understand some of the following for example:

• Wall type and proprietary specifics
• Opening size or hole size
• Service type and specifications (size, wall thickness etc)
• Proximity of other services
• Required FRL of system

Only then can we determine the correct product to use

When I ask Bosco, he is biased and suggests Trafalgar's fire test system solutions (otherwise he does not get fed). He is a pure bred and is well recruited and fully trained to provide expert advice.

He suggests a pro-active approach whereby you ask Trafalgar before starting to make holes in fire walls, but knows we have an engineered and patented solutions to accommodate all services through one single opening; aka our FIREBOX systems and not to be outdone and aptly named we have our FYREPEX HP graphite based sealant system for dealing with individual PEx and PEX-AL-PEX pipes. I used the words SYSTEMS as they are systems which achieve FRL's not products...

Please follow these links to learn more:

Thank you Bosco for your patience and help; you get dinner tonight ....lol.