FIRECOAT Exterior BAL-40 Certification Burn (0.7mm)

Today we are at Warrington Fire, a NATA-accredited testing centre in Dandenong, Victoria, to conduct a BAL-40 certification test of FIRECOAT Exterior paint. This test is a very strict and rigorous procedure, and most products that undergo it do not succeed.

The test simulates the extreme flame and heat conditions of a bushfire scenario equivalent to a BAL-40 rating. BAL-40 is the second-highest level of bushfire attack intensity, meaning exposure to high levels of ember attack and burning debris, high radiant heat and, potentially, direct exposure to the flames.

What we have here is a test structure made from timber, weatherboards and plasterboard, just like the exterior façade of many Australian homes.

It has been covered with two coats of FIRECOAT Exterior to a dry film thickness of 700 microns, or point 7 of a millimetre.

The test involves setting fire to the structure, then exposing it to a large-scale radiator for 10 minutes. The whole test takes about 60 minutes.

First, we prepare some burning timber crib and place it against the structure, to recreate an ember attack typically seen in a bushfire.

Then the large-scale radiator is placed opposite the structure at varying distances to expose it to the conditions and temperatures experienced in a real bushfire.

When FIRECOAT Exterior paint is exposed to fire, a chemical reaction takes places that causes it to expand and form a protective char layer. This acts like an insulating barrier to stop the structure from igniting, and by absorbing and dispersing the radiant heat energy, it also prevents flames from spreading on the coated surface.

The BAL-40 test for FIRECOAT Exterior paint was a success. Over the 60 minutes, the coating charred up to form a protective barrier between the fire and the weatherboard test structure. This char layer is only on the surface, so it can easily be scraped off and sanded back to the original timber weatherboards; ready to be painted again and brought back to new condition.

To find out more and see the results go to our website. www.firecoat.com.au