Product category:
Fire and Smoke Protection, Detection and Alarms
News Release from: Aico | Subject: Firecap fire protection covers
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 26 September 2005
Firecap fire protection covers from Aico
Rolec uses fire protection caps to provide noise pollution solution.
When downlights are installed, they can wreck impair the acoustic rating properties of a ceiling, causing unwanted noise to travel through them between floors Installer Rolec recently helped to solve this problem for its clients with the aid of Firecap fire protection covers from Aico
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 17 Mar 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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Based in Milton KeynesNewport Pagnell, Bucks and with 27 years experience in the domestic installation market, Rolec employs some 40 engineers and covers from the home counties right up to Warwickshire and Lincolnshire.
The company offers a full electrical package which includes security systems, CCTV and lightingspecialist lighting control.
This year, Rolec won the contract for the electricsal work on a prestigious new apartment development in Watford Road, Radlett, for 18 luxury flats with asking prices of around GBP750,000 each.
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The developers, Banner Homes, were aware that the use of general purpose downlights could lead to noise attenuation issues - and turned to Rolec to provide a solution under Part E of the Building Regulations.
"We chose Aico's Firecap fire protection covers specifically because of their acoustic rating," says Dean Barrett, Managing Director of Rolec.
"We'd read a lot about Firecap in the trade press and were more aware of its fire protection applications than its acoustic uses.
In fact, we'd used Firecaps before to protect properties where flats were essentially in the ceiling void.
"However we knew Firecap was also capable of doing an acoustic attenuation job too and it was the only one on the market at a reasonable price.
By fitting Firecap above the downlights we could effectively block any noise leakage through the edges around the downlight." In fact, according to independent tests carried out on Firecap by the Building Research Establishment, Firecap has been proven to effectively reinstate the original sound properties, when correctly fitted, to both an internal ceiling (40 Db requirement) and a separating ceiling (60Db requirement).
The reason for this is the actual absorbent nature of the material and the inverted funnel shape of the Firecap cover which naturally constricts the sound, producing the reverse effect of a megaphone.
Rolec purchased some 600 Firecaps through Midshires Electrical of Northants and installed them above the downlights.
It was estimated that each Firecap only took about four minutes to install in total and the engineers on the project reported that they fitted in very well.
The apartment block is now occupied and no acoustic problems have been reported.
"Responsible Developers take Part E of Building Regulations very seriously," Dean Barrett reports.
"Using Firecap we can now confidently offer a simple and cost-effective sound attenuation solution with use with downlights.".
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