Trial by Fire

Multi-unit housing requires fire ratings in some demising walls and in ceilings. Local municipal and city inspectors inspect for walls and ceilings that have achieved a one or two hour fire rating. In order for HushFrame to be installed in walls and ceilings of multi-family housing, we needed to undergo fire testing to prove that our product adheres to the strict local municipal and city fire codes. This testing was a trial by fire.

Hurdles With Fire Testing

We faced the hurdle of a burning inferno at United Laboratories (UL) and the tests confirmed that our invention, HushFrame rafts, were a game-changer in the construction industry. As we prepared the HushFramed assembly for testing, an engineer told me that we would learn a lot before likely failing the test…which didn’t happen.

Not only did HushFrame achieve a one-hour fire rating for our HushFrame soundproofing connectors, the ceiling assembly was still intact after the whole chamber had been burned.

Utilizing Sound Proofing In Multi-Family Housing

If you’re a multi-family housing developer looking for fire-rated sound-proofing materials, there are three primary concerns that should drive your spending decisions:

1.        Code compliance (UL certified one hour fire ratings for assemblies)

2.        Durability (no degradation of HushFrame soundproofing connectors after one hour)

3.        Cost effective (no need for expensive cementitious toppings like Gypcrete).

HushFrame underwent trials by fire so you don’t have to.  We are blazing the trail with a new soundproofing technology that not only achieves a one hour fire rating but, when installed correctly, achieves acoustical privacy at levels not achieved by legacy soundproofing products.