Poly tiles as fire hazard

ukthesis123

I am told by someone that the poly tiles I have on my bathroom ceiling are a "fire hazard." What's the truth?

DVardysShadow

They are a particularly nasty product in a fire. They release very toxic fumes and if not fixed correctly, they will drip huge globs of hot liquid.

Although they do not particularly add to the risk of a fire happening, they can make the outcome significantly worse, particularly in terms of the chances of evacuation. I believe firemen loathe them.

Lirin

I have been told the same, and after lighting one in the back yard and seeing how fast it went up, immediately removed them from my kitchen and living room- wasn't too hard.
I've been told they're banned in new builds and recommended to be removed from older housing, but how true this is, I'm not sure.

bob_a_builder

They almost certainly are....

Its not that they burst into flames of their own accord, its how they behave in a fire,.
i.e. they drip lots of burning balls of sticky plastic

I suppose it depends if you think your bathroom might form part of your fire exit route

DVardysShadow

bob_a_builder wrote: »

I suppose it depends if you think your bathroom might form part of your fire exit route

Even if it is not part of the exit route, the issue of toxic fumes would probably make the outcome of a fire much worse.

iamcornholio

The risks, as mentioned, are valid. But on the bathroom ceiling, the likelyhood of a fire situation is very low

Modern (last 20 years?) tiles should be self extinguishing and wont drip or spread flame

muckybutt

More often than not the causes of deaths in fires are not from being burnt but from asphyxiation from fumes and smoke.

level200

Hmmm i'm building a stud wall and was going to use poly insulation from B&Q, is this also dangerous?

iamcornholio

level200 wrote: »

Hmmm i'm building a stud wall and was going to use poly insulation from B&Q, is this also dangerous?

No. It is encased within the plasterboard stud

iamcornholio

muckybutt wrote: »

More often than not the causes of deaths in fires are not from being burnt but from asphyxiation from fumes and smoke.

Yes, but poly tiles will add little to the existing toxins produced by all the other plastic/material/foams/glues etc in a typical home

It would be wrong to imply that removing ceiling tiles would somehow make the property any less dangerous in a fire situation