Service Penetration Fire SealingTested, Certified SystemsAcross London, Kent, Sussex & Surrey
Seal every cable, pipe and duct penetration through a compartment line using a tested, certified system — installed to the substrate, service and rating specified, and evidenced with per-penetration photos and full product datasheets.
5 years' passive fire experience. Certified system per penetration, photographed every time.
What this service is — and when you need it.
Selection and installation of certified fire sealing systems around service penetrations — cables, cable trays, plastic and metallic pipework, ductwork — through compartment walls, floors and ceilings.
Housing associations, HRB duty holders, healthcare and commercial estates, principal contractors and M&E contractors needing certified sealing around new or existing services.
During M&E first- and second-fix on refurbishment or new build, after FRA compartmentation surveys flag unsealed penetrations, and when new services are routed through existing compartment lines.
Every service penetration is a potential fire and smoke leakage path across the compartment line. Sealed with the wrong material, wrong depth or wrong backing, the penetration looks closed but fails at test spec. A certified specialist selects the right system and evidences it.
The consequence of leaving it.
- An unsealed or wrongly-sealed penetration allows fire, smoke and hot gases to bypass the compartment line — usually into a riser or corridor that forms the escape route.
- Compartmentation actions carrying evidence gaps drive FRA re-inspection failures.
- Insurance and enforcement now expect per-penetration evidence — no photo means no proof the work happened correctly.
What we see go wrong.
- Sealing a plastic pipe without a collar or wrap — plastic services need a collapsing/intumescent detail.
- Using a sealant depth or backer that isn't in the certified system's tested schedule.
- Bundling cables without correctly sealing the interstitial gaps between them.
- Skipping the per-penetration photo — the seal is invisible behind cable trays after handover.
A step-by-step system, from survey to handover.
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Step 1Penetration survey
Every penetration on the scope logged against a floor plan — service type, substrate, aperture size and required rating.
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Step 2System selection
Certified system chosen per penetration — batt-and-sealant, collar, wrap, mortar or mastic, appropriate to the substrate and services.
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Step 3Preparation and installation
Aperture prepared to system requirements, sealant, backer and coating installed to the tested schedule and depth.
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Step 4Per-penetration photograph
Every completed penetration photographed and referenced to the floor plan location.
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Step 5Handover pack
Record of Insulation, product datasheets and location-referenced photo pack handed over for the safety file and FRA close-out.
Specific outcomes, not vague promises.
System paired to substrate and service — not one product used for every situation.
Photo per penetration referenced to a location, ready for the FRA re-inspection.
Sealing installed alongside first- and second-fix so ceilings aren't re-opened later.
Every product used has current third-party test evidence for the detail installed.
Record of Insulation and datasheet pack that survives scrutiny.
Same team covers stopping around all services in the scope — no split accountability.
Materials, methods and where each applies.
The technical detail behind how service penetration fire sealing is scoped, specified and installed to certified detail.
Cable and cable-tray penetrations
Individual cables, bundled cables and cable trays each have their own certified detail. Larger apertures are typically batt-and-sealant with cables passed through and interstitial gaps closed. Smaller single-cable penetrations use intumescent sealant to the certified depth. Overfilling and underfilling both fail.
Plastic pipework — collars and wraps
Plastic pipes collapse in fire, so the certified detail is an intumescent collar (larger diameters) or wrap (smaller) that closes off the aperture as the pipe melts back. Fixing the collar and sealing the perimeter must both be to the certified system detail.
Metallic pipework and services
Copper and steel pipework is sealed with a different detail — typically insulation, batt or mortar plus sealant — sized to the pipe diameter and rated to the required minutes. The certified system defines whether pipe insulation continues through the seal or terminates at it.
Ductwork penetrations
Ductwork typically relies on a fire damper for its own integrity — but the perimeter around the damper still has to be sealed as a certified compartmentation detail. We coordinate with damper installers so the two overlap correctly.
Substrates — blockwork, drylining and concrete slab
Each substrate has its own tested systems. A detail approved in dense blockwork is not automatically valid in drylining. System selection follows substrate and aperture size as the first two decisions.
What we do not offer
We do not offer a product warranty on the sealed system. The certified system's own test evidence and manufacturer datasheets are the assurance; our commitment is to install strictly to the tested detail and hand over evidence per penetration.
Straight answers on cost, timing and process.
How much does penetration sealing cost?+
Priced by penetration count, size and substrate. Send drawings, an M&E scope or an FRA extract and you'll get a fixed quotation.
How long does penetration sealing take?+
A typical residential riser is days; large plant rooms and multi-floor commercial voids are phased by floor and access window.
Do you provide a warranty on the sealing?+
No product warranty is offered. The certified system's own test evidence is the assurance; our deliverable is evidenced installation to the tested detail.
How long does a penetration seal last?+
Correctly installed and undisturbed, the seal performs for the life of the compartment line. Most failures come from later trades cutting through the seal for new services — which is why every re-entry needs the seal reinstated.
Do you seal around cables our M&E team install?+
Yes — that's the standard mode of working, coordinated with M&E first- and second-fix.
Do you produce a Record of Insulation?+
Yes — every job is handed over with a Record of Insulation, per-penetration photo pack and product datasheets.
Can you work in occupied buildings?+
Yes — most of the work is in occupied residential and healthcare estates; access is phased.
Do you accept subcontract work under a principal contractor?+
Yes — direct to duty holder or subcontract to principal contractor as required.
Which areas do you cover?+
London, Kent, Sussex, Surrey and surrounding boroughs including Croydon, Sutton, Bromley, Sevenoaks and Crawley.
Get a fixed quotation for service penetration fire sealing.
Send the FRA action list, drawings or a short scope description. You'll speak to Michael directly — not a call centre — and get a scoped, priced programme back.
Ready to scope your service penetration fire sealing works?
Send the FRA or a short brief. You'll get a priced, evidenced programme back — not a template quotation.