Flame Retardant Material ?

[Doug Shepard]

I caught about 10 minutes of Ask This Old House this last weekend and saw something I'd like to try and find. I cant recall if it was Tommy or the plumbing guy (forget his name) that was helping someone install a new radiator in a bathroom. When it came time to solder the copper pipes, they had a piece of white woven material they put behind the pipe that kept the torch flame from catching fire to the joist behind the pipes. Anybody know what this stuff is called and where to get it? At some point in the future I have to redo a short section of pipe running to the water heater and it's about an inch from the joists. That stuff looks like it would work great.

[Jim Becker]

Nomex comes to mind...your "average" race car driver wears it exactly for this purpose...

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Doug.........I don't know what it's called. I gutted and replumbed an entire bathroom. I used a piece of galvanized flashing material. I have a roll of it and just cut a piece about 8" long. I bent it and placed it between the pipe and the studs in the wall. Worked well.

[Ben Grunow]

I have seen it but cant remember the name. It does work but over time it will get dirty with plumbing grime and then burn through.

I use a tile where gravity allows and in spaces like you are describing a couple of layers of sheetmetal with a small gap between the wood and metal is all you need. Just cut up a piece of cheap ductwork and nail it on behind the pipe until you are done.

[skip coyne]

Ive seen them in the plumbing tool section of the BORG

[David G Baker]

Doug,
I use galvanized or aluminum material as a fire stop while sweating copper pipe near joists or any other flammable material. I use a water spray bottle to wet the wood with a fine mist prior to sweating and spray the wood again after I finish the soldering. I still get some scorched wood on occasion but it's minimal.
I have used the Nomex fire resistant pads, they work great but are expensive, can be hard to find and don't last that long if used frequently.
David B

[Jeffrey Makiel]

As mentioned above, I use bent pieces of metal. I also use scrap pieces of ceramic tile too. I use toggle or F-clamps to hold it in place.

Oh, and another important thought: keep a small fire extinguisher next to you, or a garden hose....and wear safety glasses!

-Jeff :)

[Don Abele]

Doug, the stuff he was using is called Amorphous Silica Fabric (ASF). We use it in the Navy all the time for shielding sparks/flames. The stuff is amazing. I have collected quiet a few "scraps" of the stuff that I use, especially when welding or grinding in the shop. We have it in different thicknesses - either flexible as leather or stiff as cardboard. Both are flame-proof and dissipate heat well.

Here's a link to company that manufacturers the stuff we use: http://www.avsind.com/silicafabrics.html

Be well,

Doc

[Doug Shepard]

Don - thanks for the link. I was going to stop at HD for something Thursday anyway and try Skips reply to see if they had some. Nice to have the proper name for the stuff to fall back on.

[Peter Lyon]

I have a piece of what I believe is the very same stuff that I purchased from Depot a few years back. I think it's asbestos. A lot of people fail to realize that although its illegal to manufacture anything in the US with greater then 1 percent asbestos, its not illegal to sell a product with more asbestos in it. Canada for example is historically one of the largest sources of asbestos in the world (see Chrysotile, Canada).

[Robert Mickley]

Not seeing it, it is either the stuff Don mentions or its kaolin wool. I have some of it on my boiler. 1/2 inch of it on the firebox and yo can lay your hand on it when the fire is going full tilt.

We used to use it in one of the plces I worked. Welders wrapped up pins that had been welded to slow the cooling time

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Doug.........I don't know what it's called. I gutted and replumbed an entire bathroom. I used a piece of galvanized flashing material. I have a roll of it and just cut a piece about 8" long. I bent it and placed it between the pipe and the studs in the wall. Worked well.

Bingo !! ...