Fire Retardant Grommets

[Marti]

An interesting grommets question...hold the front page.
Wondered if anyone knew a supplier of the white fire retardant grommets normally used to seal a CCU at the point of cable entry?
Wylex and BG make pre-packed kits, somewhat over priced for what they are but they sort-of do the job. Unfortunately neither see fit to include 25mm; 20's and 32's being the standard fair and they are £7 - £10 a pack or about 10% of the price of a standard, dual RCD board and tails gland.
Apologies if this is a regular question. I did run search in the forum but without any clear success.

 

[davesparks]

Why on earth would you want a fire retardent grommet?

 

[suffolkspark]

Just use normal grommets, you dont need fire retardant ones

 

[Marti]

I've used them since 17th Ed. To me, non-combustible material includes the grommets. Granted the MCB, etc are plastic bodied but as any fire will go up, the FRG's make sense.

 

[davesparks]

I've used them since 17th Ed. To me, non-combustible material includes the grommets. Granted the MCB, etc are plastic bodied but as any fire will go up, the FRG's make sense.

Fire retardent is not the same as non-combustible.
If you consider the grommets to be included in the requirment to be non-combustible then you would need steel grommets or a similar material.

 

[Dartlec]

I ran into exactly the same issue recently - since most boards have 25mm knockouts it's annoying that none of the kits seem to include any. I also could not find a single normal 25mm blind grommet in stock in any of the local wholesalers so had to wait to obtain one and return just to fill in a hole I didn't use in the end

I like the FRG as they are a lot easier to feed the cables through than a 25mm blind rubber grommet which usually has to be cut first.

Wiska do make them in 25mm, but not sure if anywhere does them separate - Their version of the BG/Wylex kit does include 3x25mm, Here or here for future reference

Wiska also seem to do a new type, with some strain relief built in, though I'm not sure how well they work for T&E

 

[Midwest]

Have you used Wiska grommets and other products. Some of their stuff is flame retardant, if thats what you mean?

Grommets - Cable entries - WISKA - make power smile

Grommets - Cable entries - WISKA - make power smile

www.wiska.co.uk

Edit, beaten to it.

 

[westward10]

I believe the correct terminology is flame retardant not fire retardant, there is a difference.

 

[davesparks]

I believe the correct terminology is flame retardant not fire retardant, there is a difference.

Something is definitely retardant about this damn subject.

 

[Dustydazzler]

What about normal blind grommets just make a slit in them...?

 

[David Prosser]

Screwfix, toolstation and CEF sell versions of them. They call them flame or fire retardant membrane glands.

 

[westward10]

Screwfix, toolstation and CEF sell versions of them. They call them flame or fire retardant membrane glands.

They are not fire retardant.

 

[David Prosser]

They are not fire retardant.

What is the difference? as suppliers seem to interchange the terminology.
[automerge]1598133238[/automerge]

Fire Retardant Membrane Cable Entry Kit 2

10 x 20mm membranes

www.cef.co.uk

Membrane Cable Entries Kit 10 x 20mm | Toolstation

Flame retardant, maintaining the integrity of consumer units and complies with 17th Edition Amendment 3. Saw tooth grip helps keep grommets permanently in place. For use with twin and earth cable and for blanking off holes (unsuitable for Mains/Tails cable).

www.toolstation.com

 

[westward10]

Suppliers have little or no technical knowledge. Strictly speaking it is fire resistant or flame retardant. Resistant meaning it is inherently resistant to catching fire as opposed to retardant whereby it has been chemically altered to self extinguish. Rubber as a compound will combust however if it is chemically altered it can self extinguish this is known as flame retardant.

 

[davesparks]

Generally flame retardent is used to describe an item/product which has been treated or chemically altered so that it resists catching fire or is self extinguishing.

Generally a fire retardent is a substance which is used to slow down a fire, or fight a fire. The foam in a foam fire extinguisher is a fire retardent.