When a fire breaks out in a building, whether it is a residential one or commercial, it is often scary and leads to people panicking.
Most people are familiar with usual measures taken on a fire attack, right from pouring water to blankets to smoke alarms to fire extinguisher.
Intumescent strips, however, is a recent development.
Lesser known than the above-mentioned measures, it provide enough protection to make it a real help in times of fire.
What are intumescent strips? Intumescent strips are a kind of bands that expands in volume when exposed to high temperature.
When there is a fire these strips that are attached in many part of the building swell up and thus serve as a protective cover for any material they are attached to.
They protect these materials from not just fire but also the toxic gases that emanate from such a fire.
In work places you can attach these strips to your possessions and ensure their safety at times of fire.
Different types of intumescent strips There are different types in the market now.
Each plays a different role and protects different materials.
•Soft char These strips release water at the time of fire and thus insulate the material it protects.
They are used in combination with hydrate.
They protect an area for about 120 minutes.
•Hard expanding These strips fill up vacant spaces.
They are used in combination with sodium silicates.
They can seal doors and holes.
These have the capacity to prevent fire from spreading to a larger area.
•Intumescent fire door seals These strips can be attached to a door and when there is a fire.
When they meet with heat the strip will expand and cover the door, again preventing the fire from spreading.
When there is a fire the first thing that comes to your mind might not be intumescent strips.
However, it is a good option to prevent fire from spreading as well as protecting your valuables from fire and other toxic substances that are released at the time of fire.