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lundi 18 juin 2018

Custom Exterior Siding: Why You Need A Fire Retardant Treatment

By Matthew Turner


Fire retardant wood treatment also called FRT is the process by which wood is impregnated with fire radiant chemicals. The FRT is known to be a protective treatment as it reduces the combustible nature of wood and thus minimizes the risk of a fire for custom exterior siding.

The FRT process uses the same process as the process used by chemical treated timber. The chemicals used in these processes, however, are highly different and ranges from the use of ammonium phosphates, boric acid, borax and nitrogen-phosphorous. These products used for FRT are difficult to light than normal wooden goods. It is because of this process that the spread of flames are retarded and the amount of smoke is reduced.

Most commonly used products nowadays include chemicals that are free of halogens, sulphates, ammonium, phosphate and formaldehyde. The reason for this formula usage is because these chemicals yield the best results when it comes to performance characteristics. These water-soluble substances are best at reducing spreading flames and they succeed in decreasing smoke developments.

The importance of the anti-fire retardant treatment label cannot be overstated. The label must prove the FRT wood was obtained from a well-recognized organization with an indication that all the required tests have been performed and that the production controls were maintained. The best part is that most FRT products can be used to decorate the interior of homes solely because it has a flame spread rating of 25 or less. The most restrictive flame spreading rate has been noted as 25 and thus the FRT wood works best as an interior finish.

One ought to note that when FRT products are used as exterior finishes, they are proved to various weather conditions and high humidity. The drastic weather conditions may indeed be detrimental to these FRT products and thus they need to be treated with specific non-leeching products. Specifically for wooden products used as exterior finishes, the wooden products must undergo a weather acceleration test. Only if the FRTW obtains a flame speeding rate of 25 after the test can it be deemed appropriate for exterior usage?

With regards to the flame spreading speed of 25, this speed can be significantly reduced if the right products are used in the initial wood finishing stages. There is class A ratings which reach a flame index of 25. Class B ratings reach a flame index of between 26-75. Finally, class C ratings reach a flame index of 75. Still, there are various benefits and disadvantages of FRT. In comparison to untreated wooden products, FRT products can be drilled, cut and covered with plastic or carpet in much the identical method as non manipulated products but these products cannot be milled or shredded.

The main reason why FRT treated products actually work is because of the fact that when in contact with a flame these products release carbon char among other things. Carbon char is an insulator and as such slows down the rate of burning and decrease the spreading fire.

With this knowledge, you can assess whether the wooden products that you select for building require this type of fire protection or not.




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