Exterior Insulation Cladding

[jandk]

Given the tragedy in N.Kensington does anyone know if the insulation cladding used in Cyprus is safe and complies to EU regulations?

[merchant_banker]

The blue stuff used in Cyprus is a type of polystyrene and we all know whats happens to polystyrene in fire!!

[Devil]

The blue stuff used in Cyprus is a type of polystyrene and we all know whats happens to polystyrene in fire!!

That does not answer the question. There are many grades of polystyrene including flame retardant types, but is the blue stuff PS or polyurethane?

[PaphosAL]

Seems to me that an entreprenuer in Cyprus should be looking at a product like this from China:

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 06028.html

Fireproof, damp/water proof, highly insulated (keeps your cool air in and heat out during Summer, and warmth in / cold out in Winter)

Cheers- AL

[JimX]

They already have Al.... http://www.cyprusrenovate.com/services/insulation

My next-door neighbours have just had their bungalow fully cladded in insulation with this company, they made a fabulous job of it, so much so I asked for a quote also, but way out of my budget unfortunately, I was very impressed with the materials they used, I was assured it was impossible to burn the insulation, they also plaster coated the finish in any style finished you wish, the insulation was very thick and hard to the touch, on the fire point I cannot remember a house fire in Cyprus, certainly not while we have lived here, concrete takes a long time to catch fire...next doors house will not only be a lot warmer in winter but stay cooler in this heat of summer.

[jandk]

I accept that concrete takes a long time to catch fire , but the high rise blocks in the UK are concrete boxes with exterior cladding, the N.Kensington block only took 30 minutes for the fire to travel from the ground to top floor, hence my original question.

[angieb]

I own a rental property in a 5 storey high block of flats in Scotland. It has just been covered in cladding, so I was a bit concerned. What I have found out so far is that the main problem in London was the gap between the cladding and the building which acted like a chimney. Apparently there isn't the same problem if the cladding is fixed tight against the original wall. The cladding used in Scotland is also of a different combination of materials and is supposed to be fire resistant - an article I read said the Grenfell Tower composite was not fire resistant as that would have cost an extra £2 per sq m.

"Material used in the cladding that covered the Grenfell Tower was the cheaper, more flammable version of the two available options, an investigation of the supply chain has confirmed.

Omnis Exteriors manufactured the aluminium composite material (ACM) used in the cladding, a company director, John Cowley, confirmed to the Guardian.

He also said Omnis had been asked to supply Reynobond PE cladding, which is £2 cheaper per square metre than the alternative Reynobond FR, which stands for “fire resistant” to the companies that worked on refurbishing Grenfell Tower."

[JimX]

Jandk. again I did ask that question and got the answer I gave, it is none flammable material and again how many homes here have you seen on fire, if I could afford this cladding I would have it in a heart beat.

It is, of course, your choice if you can afford the installation do not be put off by recent events.

[PhotoLady]

One of my colleagues had the exterior cladding fitted to her Limassol property 3 years ago by a company based in Paphos.

I got the impression it may have been British guys who she dealt with and it cost around €10k for a 3 bedroom 2 storey house.

[JimX]

Jules check out the link I posted, sounds like the same company.


http://www.cyprusrenovate.com/services/insulation

[jandk]

http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/05/08/fire- ... ssol-home/

[WHL]

What troubles me is that, any material used in building works needs to be tested and passed by the relevant UK authority's,...someone has failed, as for cladding here in Cyprus, no one knows how it will react under fire until, a building goes up in flames?

[trevnhil]

What troubles me is that, any material used in building works needs to be tested and passed by the relevant UK authority's,...someone has failed, as for cladding here in Cyprus, no one knows how it will react under fire until, a building goes up in flames?

If you are a buying product, or paying to have it installed it should have the appropriate certification that you can see.

Trev..

[WHL]

True Trev, but Im sure the UK cladding, had the Safety mark/certificate, on it, and look what happened,

[trevnhil]

Bur there should be paperwork, that certifies what fire rating the cladding is. The results of having the material tested in a laboratory. Even here in Cyprus I had to provide proof that the plasterboard used on our building was 1 hr fireproof..

Trev..

[Jimgward]

Theresa May has said today, that some other buildings in the UK have the same cladding.

[JimX]

http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/05/08/fire- ... ssol-home/

The blaze started in an internal courtyard which was covered with a roof and used as a workshop. It badly damaged both equipment and the building and part of the roof collapsed.


Jandk that was a backyard business fire no cladding was involved, personally I have not seen reports of a Cypriot-style home catching fire, I do know there are timber framed units about but even they use fire retardant timber framing and they are insulated usually, as posted and if you can afford to get this done then do it, it will save you over the years many thousands of euros in lost heat in these concrete garages we all live in.

[jandk]

I recall that in the 70's polystyrene tiles were the thing to decorate with, seems we haven't really moved on. It takes a major tragedy to force change.

[JimX]

Haven't moved on???

Well the thick stiff insulating slabs are as far removed from ceiling tiles as it is possible to be, they are solid large 5" thick and I was told fireproof, but then again when have you seen a house on fire? concrete is fairly fire proof too,

[Jimgward]

Having deadly with Planning and Building Control in my council, once 20 years or more ago and now many times more recently, I can affirm that they have become VERY risk averse and in fact, they force the applicant to product screeds of paperwork and reports that years ago were not even asked for.

As an example, I have been through planning for a new driveway for some land. I had to have test bores, engineering reports, architects plans, reports on soil removal, reports from roads, water and more. I also had to commit to loads of things. All for a driveway. Years ago, they would have simply said yay or nay. The onus for it being stable etc. would have been mine. I bore you with that, as an example that planning and BC are much more stringent than they used to be.

Now, if thats the case, why on earth, for something much, much more involved, that jeopardised peoples’ lives, managed in some cases (to be established) to use materials that should never have been approved?

As to the sprinkler question, I have seen a government minister try to justify that it wasn’t proven that sprinklers saved lives! People are responsible here and it is at local, private and government level. Any inquiry needs to go way beyond just the cause of the fire and the spread. It needs to ensure it cant happen again and that ALL public builds are properly managed and use proper materials to new regulations that safeguard lives.

On question-time last evening, it was the SNP MP who simply said, that Austerity was because we claimed we couldn’t afford to do otherwise, yet we spent nealry £500bn in quantitative easing that suited the banks and city of London more than anyone else.