The Importance Of Residential Fireproofing
Why is residential fireproofing so important? If your family is jolted awake in the middle of the night by a smoke alarm, statistics indicate you have less than two minutes to get everyone out to safety. That leaves little time to think and act in the moment. Hopefully, your family will never face a house fire, but in the United States alone there is a house fire about every minute and a half. Fires are known to destroy nearly half a million structures each year. With this in mind, it’s important to do everything you can to protect your family, your belongings and your home. Residential fireproofing can allow extra time for evacuation and Fire Dept arrival.
Using Fire Retardant Products
One way to consider residential fireproofing can be accomplished by applying fire retardants to new homes with wood framing. There are also several available products that can be used to protect your existing home. Firstly, you should ensure smoke detectors are working and fire extinguishers are active. You can also protect areas of your home from a fire by using a fire retardant spray on the exterior landscape such as wood mulch . Choose sprays designed for fabric and for exterior and interior wood surfaces.
Treating Fabric and Wood Surfaces with Flame Retardant Sprays
Lampshades, curtains, carpets and other fabrics can be treated with specially designed fire retardant sprays that will help keep them from catching on fire if one should occur. Simply coat the surface evenly using a spray bottle. Treat wood decks and other outdoor wood surfaces by applying fire retardant spray for exterior wood. It penetrates the pores and bonds directly with the cells. For wood used in the construction of the house, or indoors, use the fire retardant spray for interior wood surfaces. These products help keep wood from catching on fire and can minimize the damage to a residential structure should on occur. It can literally mean the difference between life or death.
Fireproofing Products for your Home
Firestop putty pads are used inside the drywall of the home and placed around plastic socket boxes. If exposed to fire, they expand and fill the void of a melted box and thereby keep the fire from spreading through drywall.
Fireproof caulk is used to form an insulated barrier in small openings and keeps fire, smoke, and toxic fumes from spreading through openings. It can be used around electrical or plumbing pipes, in floors, around windows or other areas like joints that form openings.
Residential firestop pillows are used to fill larger openings. If they are exposed to fire, they form a protective fireproof seal preventing the fire from spreading. They are typically used in places such as around bundles of cables, metal piping or air ducts.
Interior fabric fire retardant spray is used in the home to protect curtains, furnishings, carpets or other fabric surfaces. It penetrates the materials and will extinguish flames on most fabrics to help keep a fire from spreading.
Fire retardant sprays for exterior wood and for interior wood are used for a variety of wood surfaces found inside and outside the residence. Treated wood will slow down a fire by not igniting easily. It’s important to use the product specified for the locations being protected.
