intumescent strips & smoke seals

[Vmguru]

I have a 5 bedroom 3 storey HMO student house. 

5 standard bedrooms, no cooking facilities in bedrooms  with 1 sharing kitchen dinner on ground floor. 

Each bedroom door is leading off the hallway which is the escape route. 

I have a L1 AFD (c-tec) fire panel, All areas of house. 

I have fitted intumescent strips without smoke seal, I have been advised this is not correct. 

From my understanding with a L1 fire panel  just intumescent strips shoud be sufficient and no smoke seal is required? 

[AnthonyB]

No. Intumescent strips only are a common request by Licensing Officers for HMO's when the common system is only on the stair landings and hallways to prevent a delay in the alarm sounding (it's an old fashioned approach, but remains until their HMO guidance is updated).

As you have detection in the bedrooms then, in accordance with all other guidance for protection of escape routes as well as the HMO guide, smoke seals would be expected.

[Vmguru]

So this basically means I will need to replace the standard Intumescent strips with Intumescent fire & smoke? as per HMO officers request.

 

 

[Vmguru]

On 13/10/2023 at 21:51, AnthonyB said:

No. Intumescent strips only are a common request by Licensing Officers for HMO's when the common system is only on the stair landings and hallways to prevent a delay in the alarm sounding (it's an old fashioned approach, but remains until their HMO guidance is updated).

As you have detection in the bedrooms then, in accordance with all other guidance for protection of escape routes as well as the HMO guide, smoke seals would be expected.

I am sorry I am just trying to understand this If I have detection/siren in all rooms if a fire was to start the panel would trigger sirens in whole house. There would be no delays in activating the alarm so why do I need Intumescent strips to be fire & smoke? The alarm is not delayed and activated immediately.

Intumescent strips only if your alarm is in hallway/landing etc this allows smoke out of rooms which will prevent any delays in triggering the smoke alarms,  I understand this.

The HMO officer has written to me to replace these Intumescent strips with smoke and fire I am trying to understand why. 

I have other HMO houses which have only Intumescent fire strips only similar setup and a different HMO officer has allowed this. 

 

 

[Vmguru]

Here are the working examples from Stoke-on-Trent council website for HMO standards

This example is similar to what I have however I don't have a LD2 Grade D system, I have a Grade A full system with control and indicating equipment installed to BS
5839: Part 1.

This has Intumescent strips without smoke seal. Now does having a Grade A system (sensors/alarms in all rooms) change the requirements and I now must have FD30S?