Why Plastic Pipes in Building Risers Are a Fire Safety Gamble

Modern skylines are dotted with towering high-rises, representing architectural ingenuity and urban density. But behind their sleek facades and sophisticated designs, a hidden fire safety risk may be lurking within the building’s risers, plastic pipes.

Building risers are the vertical shafts that run through every floor of a multi-story structure, housing essential services like water pipes, electrical cables, and ventilation ducts. These risers act as a building’s central nervous system, delivering vital resources to every corner.

However, if not properly protected with the appropriate piping materials, these can act as a conduit for fire to spread. This is why understanding the dangers of plastic pipes within these critical spaces is crucial.

The Illusion of Cost Savings: Plastic Pipes and the Bottom Line

In recent years, plastic pipes have become increasingly common in construction due to their lower upfront cost compared to traditional materials like copper. However, focusing solely on the initial price tag can be a dangerous oversight, especially when it comes to fire safety.

The long-term implications of using plastic pipes in building risers can far outweigh any short-term savings. The threat they present to the integrity of the structure is one issue, however their long-term sustainability should also be considered. As noted in our page on Plastic in Construction, plastic presents problems for the environment, so it really isn’t a material worth gambling with.

The Riser Effect: How Plastic Pipes Accelerate Fire Spread

Building risers, by their very design, create a pathway for fire to spread rapidly throughout a building. In a fire event, flames and smoke can quickly travel vertically through these shafts, potentially engulfing multiple floors in a matter of minutes. The presence of highly combustible materials, such as plastic pipes, within the risers only exacerbates this risk, essentially creating a chimney effect.

The use of plastic pipes in risers presents problems in different key areas:

Increased Fire Load

Plastic pipes add to the overall “fire load” within the riser, providing more fuel for the fire to consume. This can lead to a more intense and prolonged fire, increasing the risk of structural damage and collapse.

Rapid Flame Spread

Plastic pipes can ignite quickly and easily, allowing flames to spread rapidly through the riser. This can cut off escape routes and trap occupants on upper floors.

Toxic Smoke and Fumes

When plastic pipes burn, they release a cocktail of toxic smoke and fumes, including carbon monoxide, dioxins, and other harmful chemicals such as cyanide. These fumes can quickly incapacitate or kill occupants, hindering evacuation efforts and posing serious health risks to firefighters.

Stopping The Spread

One of the most pressing challenges with plastic pipes in high-rise buildings isn’t just their flammability, it’s the additional complexity required to contain fires when these materials are used. Fire stopping, the practice of sealing gaps in walls and floors to prevent fire spread, becomes exponentially more critical, and complicated when plastic pipes are installed.

Plastic pipes melt at much lower temperatures than copper, creating holes in fire-rated walls and floors as they degrade. These gaps act as conduits for flames, smoke, and toxic fumes to race through a building’s risers. To counteract this, fire-stopping systems for plastic pipes must be specially designed to account for their melting behaviour.

However, these solutions are far from foolproof and require meticulous installation. Even minor errors, a poorly fitted collar or uneven sealant application, can render the entire system ineffective.

In addition, because plastics are highly flammable, fires can spread far more quickly in risers with plastic pipes and may spread through any building using plastic.

The Evidence Speaks: Fire Safety Tests

CuSP, alongside Warrington Fire, conducted extensive research on the fire safety of different piping materials, including plastic and copper. These tests have consistently demonstrated the superior fire resistance of copper pipes compared to plastic alternatives.

The Plastic Under Fire tests, clearly demonstrated that plastic pipes ignite quickly, burn rapidly, and release copious amounts of toxic smoke and fumes. In contrast, copper pipes do not burn, release minimal smoke, and do not produce dangerous levels of toxic emissions.

Copper: A Time-Tested Solution for Fire Safety

For centuries, copper has been recognised as a safe and reliable material for plumbing and other building applications. Its inherent fire resistance, durability, and recyclability make it an ideal choice for critical infrastructure like building risers.

There are a number of advantages to using copper, from sustainability to safety, so you should really consider this the next time you have a building built or renovated.

Building Regulations and the Need for Change

Current building regulations and fire safety standards in many regions may not adequately address the risks posed by plastic pipes in building risers. While fire safety is a top priority for the construction and building industries, perhaps building regulations haven’t caught up to speed with the information and research being conducted. It is essential that authorities consider the use of these materials within a fire.

It is imperative that these regulations are reviewed and updated to reflect the latest research on fire safety and material performance. Stricter guidelines should be implemented to limit or prohibit the use of combustible materials like plastic pipes in building risers, particularly in high-rise structures.

Protecting Our Homes & Our Cities

The safety of our homes and cities depends on the choices made by construction professionals and homeowners alike.

The findings of CuSP’s work will hopefully provide a better and more informed basis for a future project. You can also use this understanding to assess your current home and make sure you have everything in place to provide maximum fire protection and security.

When it comes to fire safety, there’s no room for complacency or compromise. By prioritising fire resistant materials and advocating for stricter building regulations, we can help protect our communities and ensure that our buildings are safe for generations to come.

The next time you admire a soaring skyscraper or walk through your local high-rise block of flats, consider what’s going on behind the walls. The choice of materials used in those hidden risers can mean the difference between safety and disaster. Make that choice wisely. With a stronger understanding and better building regulations fire safety measures.