Fire-Prevention and Noise-Insulation Kit for Supply and Drain Water Pipes and Collecting Duct Joints “Heatmel Silence”
- Expansion of Applicable Scope to Ultra-Tall Residence Buildings under the Approval from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation; and Acquisition of a New Evaluation from Fire Protection Equipment and Safety Center of Japan -

Outline of Approval System

Japan’s Building Standard Law and Fire Defense Law include a fire spread prevention clause, which prescribes that fire spread damage should be minimized by making each residence and the like in apartment houses a fire-proof compartment.
Japan’s Building Standard Law and Fire Defense Law require that drain pipes should be provided with a structure that meets the specified fire-proof performance, when they penetrate fire-proof compartments. Specifically, Japan’s Building Standard Law has an approval system under the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation, while Japan’s Fire Defense Law requires that the drain pipes should be in compliance with the Notice No. 53 of the Chief of the Fire Prevention Division (issued in March, 1995) concerning the standard for installation of fire-fighting facilities in apartment houses. In accordance with Japan’s Fire Defense Law, hereafter, compliance with ministerial ordinances and notifications that become effective in April 2007 is also required, and Fire Protection Equipment and Safety Center of Japan is scheduled to be in charge of this service of performance evaluation to make full use of “New Evaluation”.

Outline of Conventional Products

Contents of kit

Conventionally, direct mortar backfilling is generally employed as typical measures for penetrations of metallic drain pipes. Although direct mortar backfilling is satisfactory in preventing fire spread, it is not very effective in insulating noise due to sound propagation through solid, where vibration of piping propagates through the floor slab making drain noise audible in the living room, i.e. an issue to be taken into consideration from the standpoint of ensuring the quality of residential environments.
Against this background and in an effort to respond to the needs for fire-prevention and noise-insulation measures, Furukawa Techno Material brought into the marketplace in June 2000 a fire-prevention and noise-insulation kit “Heatmel Silence” that acquired an approval from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation and a “New Evaluation” from Fire Protection Equipment and Safety Center of Japan.

Outline of the New Product

Appearance of typical installation

The noise-insulation effectiveness of “Heatmel Silence” is known to be better by 5 dBA or more than when it is not used, for both cases of flowing water noise and domestic wastewater noise containing noise from solid bodies. Such performance is highly evaluated in the market, so that the apartment houses that employ “Heatmel Silence” are increasing in number year by year.
However, recent years have seen functional upgrading of drainage in ultra-tall residence buildings (with in excess of 30 stories) that demonstrate an upward trend, so that there is an increasing need to expand the applicable scope of “Heatmel Silence” for drain pipes from 100A (conventionally approved size) to 125A. In response to such a market need, we have acquired an approval from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation, and a “New Evaluation” from Fire Protection Equipment and Safety Center of Japan in November 2006 and December 2006, respectively.
Spurred by the acquisition of this expanded approval, the amount of order entry is targeted at 200 million yen or higher per year.

Features of “Heatmel Silence”

1. Have acquired an approval from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation (PS060FL-0333).
2. Have acquired an evaluation from Fire Protection Equipment and Safety Center of Japan (Hyo 18-078).
3. Applicable to 125A piping (floor thickness 180mm or more).
4. Significantly reduces drain noise, demonstrating excellent noise insulation.
5. Applicable to fire-proof double-layered pipes as well as cast iron joints, cast iron pipes, stainless steel pipes and steel pipes with hard PVC lining.
6. Simply wind the sponge-like adhesive sheet onto the piping, and backfill with mortar. No special tools are needed.
7. The material size is 6mm in thickness, 20mm in width and 1000mm in length, taking ease of application into consideration.
8. In case of fire, it shuts out flame and smoke by the function of thermal expansion.