mel jacobson on wed 4 jul 01
as my kiln room is getting older, i am finding
that the wood is getting very dry.
i would like to coat the open beams with some
sort of fire retardant.
itc?
or, maybe an engine, high heat paint.
?
anyway. any ideas from clayarters will be helpful.
mel
Fredrick Paget on wed 4 jul 01
mel-Here is some info curtesy of my wife who is on this committee:
EMERGENCY COMMITTEE SEES FIREFREE PAINT PRESENTATION
At its regular meeting on Dec. 14th, the Mill Valley Community
Emergency Preparedness Committee saw a presentation by Skip Gosser on
Firefree88, a new fire retardant paint that can protect structures from
fire for more than 1 hour. It can save lives by increasing the time
available to escape and preventing collapse of buildings.
A non-toxic, water-based paint containing ceramic fiber similar to
materials used on NASA's space shuttles, it expands when heated and forms a
protective blanket, confining fire to the room of origin. It can be applied
to many surfaces and will withstand a 1800F fire for over an hour.
It is recommended for historical retrofits or others where
sprinklers are too costly or not acceptable. It is appropriate for schools
and day care centers, dormitories, hospitals and elder care facilities,
public housing, apartments, government and public buildings, hotels,
theaters, as well as private homes.
Uses here in the Bay Area include coating flammable plastic bike
lockers in BART stations, covering old walls at a Castro Valley elderly
care facility, covering non-rated sheetrock in condos in Petaluma, Rohnert
Park, and Redwood City, painting the exterior of a home in Kent Woodland in
a highly forested area where a previous home had burned, and a protecting a
Coca Cola sign at PacBell Park built of combustible fiberboard.
The paint not only saves structures, but saves costs by reducing
the time needed to bring buildings to code.
The committee saw dramatic photos of a fire test conducted in the
Bayview area by the San Francisco Fire Dept., which supplied two small
identical buildings spaced four inches apart-- as are many S.F. homes.
These buildings each had a sofa and other flammable materials placed inside
and ignited. Photos were taken showing the flashpoint of the non-treated
building reached after 7-12 minutes, with four-foot flames leaping from
open windows and doors. During the fire which was destroying materials
inside the treated building, Skip was able to place his hand on its
exterior, while firefighters watched in awe.
Despite the proximity of the two buildings, the treated building
did not ignite from the flames of its twin. After the fires were allowed to
burn out, the untreated building was reduced to charred 2x12s, while the
treated structure was essentially untouched except for the puffing up of
the interior paint.
Information on this paint can be obtained at http://www.firefreecom/.
Nan Paget
Nan says you would have to paint the whole ceiling and room not just the
beams. It has to be done professionly. That is a requirement otherwise they
won't sell it to you.
Fred
>as my kiln room is getting older, i am finding
>that the wood is getting very dry.
>
>i would like to coat the open beams with some
>sort of fire retardant.
>itc?
>or, maybe an engine, high heat paint.
>
>?
>anyway. any ideas from clayarters will be helpful.
>mel
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
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>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
>melpots@pclink.com.
From Fred Paget, Marin County, California, USA
David Hendley on wed 4 jul 01
The best way to keep old dry beams around kilns from igniting, which
is what I think Mel is concerned about, is to keep them cool.
This is best accomplished by installing heat shields, with air spaces
around the beams.
Use sheet metal, bent in a squared-off U shape, nailed or screwed along
each beam. Leave at least a one inch air space between the metal and
the beam, and space between the top edges of the metal and the ceiling.
If you want a professional looking installation, have a sheet metal shop
form the shield on their long-bed break, for crisp straight bends.
You can use 1" kiln posts as the spacers to keep the metal away from
the beam, or extrude your own out of your regular clay. Nail or screw
through the metal, through the hole in the spacer, and into the beam.
Air is a better isulator than anything you can paint on the beams.
This is a different situation than normal residential concerns, where the
goal is retard an already-burning fire from involving the structure.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "mel jacobson"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 8:23 AM
Subject: fire retard question
> as my kiln room is getting older, i am finding
> that the wood is getting very dry.
>
> i would like to coat the open beams with some
> sort of fire retardant.
> itc?
> or, maybe an engine, high heat paint.
>
> ?
> anyway. any ideas from clayarters will be helpful.
> mel
Garret D. Bonnema on thu 5 jul 01
Mel,
I had the same question recently. I called ITC and talked to the owner. He
dissuaded me from using ITC100 because of the cost. He thought there would
be a more economical way to do it. Our kiln house is only 14'x17' and all I
have to coat are rafters and stringers and I would need at least 3 gallons
of ITC.
I used a metal baffle system with the last roof and it was 25 years old when
I replaced it. The rafters were crispy but still intact ( made great
kindling wood).
I would love to find something that would protect the wood from the heat and
also absorb some of the noise from the burners. I live in town. Any ideas
would be appreciated.
Garret Bonnema
Bethel Maine
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