Manthorpe Building Products; REDSHIELD® Cavity Barrier

For many years cavity closers have provided a reliable solution to the problems of thermal bridging at window and door openings as well as preventing the ingress of water tracking around the edges of the framework by acting as a vertical damp proof course, reducing the potential for moisture ingress, condensation and subsequent mould from occurring.

While a traditional cavity closer will act as a thermal break at the reveal opening, they are not enough to act as a cavity barrier and are unsuitable for restricting the passage of fire on their own. This typically applies to fire rated cavity closers also, as this type of closer usually needs to be entirely concealed within a masonry to masonry, fully dry-lined detail before the detail as a whole can achieve the tested integrity.

Building products manufacturer Manthorpe has recognised the industry want for a true one-product cavity barrier which provides the necessary thermal and DPC properties without depending on specific build and material details to fulfil the requirements of a cavity barrier.

REDSHIELD’S unique construction allows the product to be adaptable to suit various cavity sizes, helping to maintain a continuous seal to a range of cavity widths, especially those that may ‘stray’ in size.

The product’s ability to shrink and grow to fill a varying cavity gap, offers a more effective barrier in the event of a fire, expanding significantly to block off any wider gaps and subsequently holding itself secure within the opening.

Tested by Warringtonfire to BSEN1366-4:2006+A1:2010, independently of other additional barrier details, REDSHIELD cavity barriers exceed the mandatory 30 minutes’ fire integrity and 15 minutes’ insulation requirement.

Easily incorporated either in a new build or refurbishment situation and with no special fixing requirements or tools REDSHIELD once installed, will last the lifetime of the building.

REDSHIELD cavity barriers are currently available in four size configurations, plus rebated versions, with a 130-160mm variant available from summer 2020.

To find out more about Manthorpe's REDSHIELD® Cavity Barrier click here.