Frequently Asked Questions

HILTI Firestopping Questions:
What is firestopping?
What is containment?
What is meant by "active" and "passive" fire protection?
Why is passive fire protection a necessary component of balanced fire protection?
Do Hilti firestop products contain asbestos?
Are Hilti firestop products UL approved?

Icynene FAQs:

What is the Icynene Insulation System®?

The Icynene Insulation System® is a complete insulation and air barrier system that seals wall, floor, and ceiling cavities against air movement, including spaces around electrical outlets and light fixtures, at baseboards and where walls meet windows and doors. This means that outside air (either hot or cold) cannot seep through walls, causing drafts or cold spots. It also means that humid interior air cannot enter the walls and condense.

The system combines a material with a Certified Service providing any builder or homeowner with a truly cost effective method of energy efficient construction. The material is polyicynene foam, an organic material developed from products of the petrochemical industry similar in composition to many that are already in home use today. The service is a custom installation on the building site by trained and Certified Installers, providing a custom insulation fit into any size cavity.

By virtue of its low permeability to air, its adhesion to other building materials and its flexibility, The Icynene Insulation System® becomes much more than just insulation. It provides superior air leakage control, moisture control, and sound control in addition to insulation, thus becoming a one-step insulation and air barrier system. The Icynene Insulation System® takes the place of fiberglass, tape, foam, caulking, and eliminates the labor intensive work associated with air-tightness detailing when insulating with conventional insulation products.

Unlike '"loose fill" insulation methods that do not wind proof building cavities, the air sealing characteristics of The Icynene Insulation System® provide virtually the same R-Value in the field as it does in the laboratory where the R-Value is measured. Cold air in winter and hot muggy air in summer just cannot pass through polyicynene foam like it can through most other insulating materials.

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As well as simplifying the construction process for the builder, Icynene® Insulation eliminates the major causes of building envelope problems, air-borne moisture movement and entrapment. Blower door tests have shown that a steel framed home insulated with Icynene® Insulation, and with no polyethylene vapor barrier, measures 1.2 ACH at -50 Pa. depressurization. This is well under the 1.5 ACH50 rating for the most energy efficient home. Heating and cooling costs are typically reduced by 30 to 50%, and smaller, less expensive heating and cooling equipment can be used.

For the homeowner the advantages are: Compared to other technologies, The Icynene Insulation System® is a less expensive method of building an energy efficient home.
A more energy efficient home means that energy costs can usually be reduced between 30 and 50%.
A more comfortable home, free from drafts and cold spots.
A quieter home because Icynene® creates a continuous sound barrier against outside noises.
A healthier home - when used with a mechanical ventilation system, superior indoor air quality provides your family with a much healthier place in which to live.

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Icynene® insulation is a water-based formula that contains no formaldehyde, CFCs, or HCFCs. The insulation has the texture and look of angel food cake and is made up of millions of tiny cells. These cells are filled with air and provide permanent control of air and airborne moisture movement. There are no VOCs detected in Icynene after 30 days.
How long does it take to cure? The foam is created in seconds after spraying. You can watch it expand within seconds to 100 times its original volume, literally before your eyes. It completely cures within a few minutes.
Does the foam absorb water? No, it looks like a sponge but it is actually hydrophobic (i.e., it repels water). If placed in water it will float and on removal it will dry rapidly and loose none of its insulating properties.
Is Icynene® a mold food source? Icynene® Insulation offers no food value; therefore it does not support bacteria or fungal growth. It also does not retain water, making it an unappealing environment for pests.
Is it flammable? Icynene® Insulation contributes no fuel in the event of fire and it will not sustain flame upon removal of the flame source. However, like fiberglass, it will be consumed by flame, and gypsum board or other acceptable thermal barriers are required by applicable building codes.

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R-Values of insulating materials are measured in laboratories and are designated a nominal R-Value per inch. In the wall or ceiling of a building, most factory-made insulation materials suffer a reduction in performance due to air leakage and infiltration. The insulating value of many building components may be as low as 50% of the nominal R-Value of the insulation they contain.

By contrast, the insulation of a wall containing Icynene® Insulation will perform closely to the laboratory tested R-Value of the material and seal the wall cavity from air infiltration as well.

The Icynene Insulation System® is particularly suited to steel frame construction. Icynene® expands 100:1 as it is installed, adhering to surrounding building components. It completely seals joints, crevices and voids, including difficult-to-insulate spaces such as steel stud ''U'' and ''C'' sections, double studs and non-standard stud locations. A continuous air/vapor barrier is formed around the building structure in a single application.

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The science of how all components of a building work together has become known as Building Science or a Systems Approach. The Systems Approach is a method of design, construction, inspection and testing that considers how all building components interact, including the foundation, walls, roofs, doors, insulation and mechanical systems.

Building Science consists of the following principles: (1) creating a continuous air barrier in conjunction with proper mechanical ventilation, (2) moisture management, (3) improved indoor air quality, (4) proper layout design & zoning and (5) appropriate heating and air conditioning system.

Icynene® can help the trade professionals practice Building Science techniques. Its effective air infiltration control allows for HVAC management and rightsizing, delivering energy cost savings of up to 50 percent. As an environmentally-friendly product, it also reduces the intrusion of outdoor pollutants and improves indoor air quality.

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HILTI FAQ:

Firestopping is an integral part of fire protection engineering. Firestop systems protect against the passage of flames, deadly gases and toxic smoke through openings that are created for penetrations, joints and gaps in fire-resistive walls, floors and floor/ceiling assemblies. The integrity of fire-rated assemblies is restored by firestop systems. Building codes require third-party tested systems to be installed whenever fire-rated construction is compromised by such openings.

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To confine a fire to the zone of origin, for a specified time, thereby preventing fire spread and leaving more time for safe evacuation of the building occupants. Specifically engineered containment systems are used as enclosures in instances where specific identifiable hazards within a building need to be independently isolated from the remainder of the building. Fire-resistive enclosures used for containment are subjected to fire exposure conditions specified in various related test Standards.

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Active fire suppression includes mechanical systems such as sprinklers, that are designed to extinguish fires after they have started. Passive fire protection functions to contain fires within the areas in which they start, preventing loss of life by preventing the products of combustion (smoke, hot gasses and flames) from spreading throughout a building.

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Fire is a dangerous enough phenomenon that redundancy in fire protection is necessary. Having passive protection in place helps assure building occupants that there will be time to exit before gases, fire and smoke spread throughout the building. If active systems fail, as they often do, then there is still a passive system in place for life safety.

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No, Hilti firestop products do not contain asbestos.

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Yes, all of Hilti firestop products are UL approved.

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