Our success in supplying our regular itl smoke control cabinets has led to, the enquiry for, and the development of, a system of permanently hung smoke control curtains, for use in large factory and warehouse areas. These are used in lieu of a fixed ridged pelmet structure that would other wise be formed to drop 600mm to 900mm under the ceiling of a given area, thus delaying/stopping the swirl of smoke entering the next adjacent segment of the building.

Fixed rigid structures have a disadvantage of cost and the restriction of height to the passage of machinery and transport equipment. On the other hand itl's glass fibre curtains, are very low in cost, easily installed, are able to be temporarily held out of the way for installation of machinery and the occasional passage of lifting and shifting equipment, without having to construct the whole building 900-1000mm higher. The cost savings in many cases can be very considerable.

itl Smoke Control Curtains are "Never in the way, and always there, when needed"

itl Smoke Control Curtains as a substitute for Smoke Stop Lobbies under the New Zealand Building Code Acceptable Solutions.

The acceptable solution requirement for Smoke Stop Lobbies can sometimes be onerous both in terms of cost and of building function, particularly in existing buildings required to have their evacuation systems upgraded under sections 38 or 46 of the Building Act.

In performance terms the main function of Smoke Stop Lobbies is to prevent smoke from the fire floor entering a vertical shaft (escape stair, lift shaft, or similar), where it could deter use of the Exit Way by those on floors above, or spread smoke to other floors in the building.

Alternative solutions for prevention of the smoke entry to such shafts from a fire floor include mechanical ventilation (eg : stairwell pressurisation) or some other sort of smoke barrier. One such alternative barrier is a smoke curtain installed above head height and released automatically in response to smoke detection.

itl's Smoke Control Curtains are made from 100% mineral glass fibre that is inherently resistant to high temperatures. It is light weight, flexible and closely woven, making it ideal for smoke control, but it should not be thought of as having more than a few minutes of fire resistance. It's light weight and flexibility allow evacuation through it without compromising the smoke barrier.

itl Smoke Control Curtains should be installed on the "fire side" of the opening so that the naturally occurring fire pressure causes it to press against the frame or walls when deployed, enhancing the smoke seal as the fire pressure increases. Standard lift doors with frames that project slightly from the wall are usually ideal.

A single cabinet unit is normally suitable for most "narrow" door openings, a double cabinet unit may be required for "wider" doors in goods and cargo lifts. Wider openings may require individual detail design consideration. Unusual door reveals can normally be accommodated by ensuring the curtain overlaps the outer edges of the reveal by at least 50mm. Where the curtains are installed across an Exit Way consideration should be given to including an "Exit" and/or "Part the Curtain and Walk Through" sign on the "fire side" of each drop.