The introduction of Intumescent Fire Dampers (IFDs) to the Australian HVAC market over 20 years ago has seen this valuable and important technology develop and gain widespread recognition for its vital suppression and containment of fires.
Initially the industry found the thickness of the intumescent slats often proved a hindrance to its widespread adoption with concerns over pressure loss from the restricted free area of the damper.
Kilargo’s national sales manager, Liam Trant, recalls the discussions surrounding the use of IFDs (Intumescent Fire Dampers).
“IFDs are lightweight, easy to install and even easier to maintain, but the achilles heel was the concern around pressure drop,” he said.
The introduction of NCC2022 and the conclusion of the grandfather clause noted in NCC2019 referencing the requirement of all fire dampers to be tested - to AS1530.4-2014 Section 10 (non-ducted air transfer systems) and 11 (ducted systems) - meant a requirement for all fire dampers to be retested to the latest and much more stringent standards.
“We had a big job ahead of us and though daunting at first, Kilargo saw this as an incredible opportunity to do better and make advanced improvements to our intumescent fire damper design,” Trant said.
“To achieve this, we took on feedback from all our valued stakeholders, including installers, builders, designers, manufacturing, standards committee and pretty much anyone in the industry who had something to say.”
These collaborative efforts resulted in the production of the industry leading Kilargo IFD-LL and IFD44-LL fire dampers.
LL stands for Low Loss, according to Kilargo’s sales and applications engineer, Cem Okan.
“We wanted to address the pressure drop issue first and foremost so now the slats are produced 50 per cent thinner which gives a damper free area of around 75 per cent,” Okan said.
New advancements mean Kilargo now provides a pressure drop calculator derived from airflow testing with Vipac for vital design assistance.
To reduce the headache of meeting insulation requirements for fire dampers in AS1668.1-2015, Kilargo also offers refined methods to achieve insulation without the need for two metres of rigid duct.
“In addition to this, we went over and above to achieve compliance for the many different and separate elements where our dampers can be utilised. These incredible efforts led to our largest catalogue of compliant installations to date,” Trant said.
There is also the need to update older buildings that currently could have non-compliant fire dampers installed or fire dampers which are coming to their end-of-life.
To address this Kilargo provides an extensive list of retro-fit installations to meet the needs of this important and growing market.
To achieve compliance and adherence to AS1682.2-2015, Kilargo Low Loss fire dampers also come with an innovative peel off installers’ sticker.
Providing useful advancements while maintaining lightweight, easy to install and easy to maintain intumescent fire dampers, is what makes Kilargo the industry leader of intumescent fire dampers.
Bullock Manufacturing managing director, Jamie Scott, said the company is proud to be the national distributors of Kilargo Intumescent Fire Dampers.
“We have worked with Kilargo from the beginning, and it is great to see this progress and innovation in the fire protection industry,” Scott said.
To know more on how Kilargo is leading the way in innovation and application visit their website at: Kilargo.com.au
For purchase enquiries of Kilargo Low Loss intumescent fire dampers, contact Bullock Manufacturing in five locations Australia wide: bullockmfg.com.au