The Thermal Insulation Contractors Association (TICA) described the long-awaited publication of BS 5422:2023 as “long-awaited” and “much needed”.
BS 5422:2023 updates the standards for thermal insulating materials for pipes, tanks, vessels, ductwork and equipment operating between -40ºc and +700ºc.
TICA said that the revision by the British Standards Institute (BSI) brought clarity regarding the minimum reaction to fire standards for pipe and duct insulation following the adoption of Euroclass standards and a departure from ‘Class O’ declarations.
BS 5422:2023 also includes tables of minimum insulation thickness for pipe and duct insulation applications including refrigeration, air conditioning, heating and domestic hot and cold applications.
Numerous tables covering enhanced insulation thickness and district heating thicknesses have also been added to the standard.
TICA technical policy manager Chris Ridge said: “The updated standards provide more clarity, and the additional tables will provide greater optionality for the specifier.
“While the number of tables has increased, there has been an attempt to simplify the reading of the tables. For example, higher thermal conductivity values for materials no longer supplied or rarely used, have been removed.
“Reaction to fire is now defined within this publication in terms of Euroclass, which gives a more comprehensive and clear definition of the behaviour of materials exposed to fire. It also states a minimum performance of Euroclass C-s3, d2 in dwelling applications and B-s3, d2 in non-dwelling applications, and this will hopefully serve to reinforce good practice.”
However, he called for a rethink on the number of low temperature heating and domestic hot water tables included in the new standard – with 10 separate tables for low temperature heating services alone.
“This could well prove a challenge for those interpretating specifications,” Chris Ridge said. “We should also consider that whilst the ‘base standard’ tables for heating and hot water services are still included in the new version of the standard, they no longer represent best practice from a thermal insulation specification point of view.”
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