I wonder if anyone can clarify what exactly is wanted and suggest how I can quickly and cheaply turn a hand built kitchen cupboard into "30 minutes fire resistant". The cupboard houses a 15kg butane cylinder that feeds our range cooker and it needs a new seal, cooling motor and one or two burners but the manufacturer refuse to refurbish it under a special offer fixed fee unless we bring the Butane installation up to present standards.
According to what I have gleaned from current regs the housing for a butane cylinder in the home has to be 30 minutes fire resistant. It's what constitutes "30 min fire resistant" and how to make it so it is that is baffling. The present installation approved by a Corgi in 2000 has a 50 cm cupboard separating the cylinder cupboard from the cooker. Our neighbour also has a separator cupboard in her hand built kitchen which was approved by a different corgi so I presume it was the standard at the time.
I wonder if the 50 cm cupboard between bottle and cooker can be considered a "cavity barrier"? The kitchen is hand built from one inch hardwood ply and oak, but the nearest wall to the cooker and the top of the cupboard housing the cylinder is double layered, i.e. two inch ply, which is more than the 38mm for fire safety regulations to deem a door as "30 min fire resistant".
Finally the regs do not state whether the "fire resistance" is for fire entering the the housing or the other way round? (I presume to prevent it from entering the housing because any 30 minute "fire resistant" would be blown apart if the fire started inside with the cylinder so what use would 30 mins resistance be?)
Any help much appreciated.
According to what I have gleaned from current regs the housing for a butane cylinder in the home has to be 30 minutes fire resistant. It's what constitutes "30 min fire resistant" and how to make it so it is that is baffling. The present installation approved by a Corgi in 2000 has a 50 cm cupboard separating the cylinder cupboard from the cooker. Our neighbour also has a separator cupboard in her hand built kitchen which was approved by a different corgi so I presume it was the standard at the time.
I wonder if the 50 cm cupboard between bottle and cooker can be considered a "cavity barrier"? The kitchen is hand built from one inch hardwood ply and oak, but the nearest wall to the cooker and the top of the cupboard housing the cylinder is double layered, i.e. two inch ply, which is more than the 38mm for fire safety regulations to deem a door as "30 min fire resistant".
Finally the regs do not state whether the "fire resistance" is for fire entering the the housing or the other way round? (I presume to prevent it from entering the housing because any 30 minute "fire resistant" would be blown apart if the fire started inside with the cylinder so what use would 30 mins resistance be?)
Any help much appreciated.