UK Regulations Section 7 - Protection of Openings and Fire Stopping:
7.4 “Consideration should also be given to the effect of services that may be built into the construction that could adversely affect its fire resistance. For instance, where downlighters, loudspeakers or other electrical accessories are installed, additional protection may be required to maintain the integrity of a wall or floor”.
What worries me is that home insurance companies could reject claims for fire damage caused by the building's ceiling integrity being compromised by the installation of ceiling speakers.
"Ceiling speaker fire hoods are made from intumescent fire-rated material and are fitted over in ceiling speakers with the purpose of maintaining the fire rating of your ceiling."
7.4 “Consideration should also be given to the effect of services that may be built into the construction that could adversely affect its fire resistance. For instance, where downlighters, loudspeakers or other electrical accessories are installed, additional protection may be required to maintain the integrity of a wall or floor”.
What worries me is that home insurance companies could reject claims for fire damage caused by the building's ceiling integrity being compromised by the installation of ceiling speakers.
"Ceiling speaker fire hoods are made from intumescent fire-rated material and are fitted over in ceiling speakers with the purpose of maintaining the fire rating of your ceiling."
Just a thought here because every country is different. But if the ceiling construction is a double layer of "FireStop" plaster then the minimum needed for a speaker enclosure should be a double layer of the same fire rated plaster, if that MDF and plaster enclosure isn't up to spec then I think that you need to add a firehood Really need in fact
If this is the case then no added fibre should be needed, because they are filled with acoustic foam when made.
If this is the case then no added fibre should be needed, because they are filled with acoustic foam when made.
Would you say there is a difference in getting the 1/2 inch or 1 inch foam thickness?
I would choose the 1 inch thickness in order to maximise the absorption of the sound which would otherwise reflect off the back wall of the enclosure and emerge through the cone of the mid/bass driver.
in an almost 50 year pro PA career there's only three times i've caught fire to a loudspeaker (and one of those failures was a Phase Linear going DC) and that was intentional high power abuse so sorry for thinking that in a surround/atmos type use it seems overkill to worry about fire proofing....but building codes and insurance regulations are what they are...
the fire hood thingie would be better than a rigid box, less likely to cause resonances.
the fire hood thingie would be better than a rigid box, less likely to cause resonances.
It's not about the loudspeaker itself catching fire due to current overload, it's a case of helping prevent the spread of a fire in the listening room into the floor above or into a loft.