Fire-rated sealing and fire stopping in Portchester, Hampshire
Our CSCS-carded applicators take on fire-rated and intumescent sealing of service penetrations and linear gaps in Portchester. Send details for a fixed quote.
- Old intumescent sealant that has split away
- Fire stopping installed outside its tested range
- Damaged fire seals in risers and voids
Fire stopping in Portchester
Tell us what needs sealing and where, with photos or drawings if you have them, and we’ll price it.
Fire stopping for commercial buildings in Portchester
No fire sealant works on its own: its test evidence covers one product in one kind of wall or floor, with set services, gaps, depths and backing. Before we seal anything, we check the opening against the detail it is meant to follow, and raise it with you if it falls outside. If you have unsealed penetrations discovered above suspended ceilings and improvised or mixed-product fire seals, we can put it right. Most enquiries from Portchester start with one failed joint and grow into a wider look at the building: we check the joints around it and give you an honest view of what needs doing now and what can wait.
Buildings in a smaller place such as Portchester that need fire-rated sealing are typically schools, care homes, surgeries, small offices and flats over shops. Around those penetrations, fire-rated sealant is installed if specified, with depth, backing and gap all as tested.
Building owners and contractors get the same cover: a 12-month guarantee on our workmanship. Faults in the structure, damage and other trades’ work fall outside it, and we say so plainly.
- Location
- Portchester (PO16, PO6, PO17)
- Wider area
- Hampshire
- Cover
- 12 months on our workmanship
- Quote
- Fixed quote, scope in writing
- Telephone
- 01277 525 020
- Page updated
- 3 November 2026
Leave it or put it right?
The longer openings stay, the more there tend to be: every new cable or pipe adds another. Keeping on top of it after each round of works keeps the job small. For buildings in places like Portchester, one well-planned visit beats several small ones, so we’d suggest renewing all the joints that are going, not just the worst.
Cost follows what’s involved: removing old material, preparing the joints, the product, the access and how the work is phased. Call for a fixed quote.
Why choose Mastic Doctor in Portchester
- Public liability insurance in place
- Old sealant cut out, never sealed over
- Constructionline member
- Fixed quotes based on photographs, drawings or a visit
See how commercial sealant jobs are priced or how we’re accredited.
Common questions from Portchester clients
Is Portchester too small for you to travel to?
Not at all. Portchester is within our area. We work across Greater London and the South East. Send photographs and a list of what needs doing, and we will plan the job to need as few trips as possible.
Can you work around term dates at a campus such as University of Portsmouth - North Zone?
Yes, holiday working periods are the norm on campus jobs. Any paperwork you need, from RAMS to our insurance certificate and CSCS details, is confirmed with the quote.
What do BS EN 1366-3 and BS EN 13501-2 mean?
BS EN 1366-3 covers penetration seals and BS EN 1366-4 covers linear joints. Classification follows BS EN 13501-2, where E is integrity, I is insulation and the number is minutes, as in EI 60. That rating only holds when the product is installed to its tested detail.
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes, for 12 months. If our installation fails in that time, we return and fix it.
How do you deal with asbestos in old sealant?
Some older mastics, especially in pre-2000 buildings, can contain asbestos. We check the asbestos register before cutting out old sealant in an older building, and if asbestos is suspected, work stops until it’s tested. We don’t remove asbestos-containing materials.
When is resealing likely to be due?
There isn’t a single answer, because life depends on how much the joint moves, how exposed it is and how it’s cleaned and used. Regular inspection is the best way to catch problems early.
Do you take on small jobs?
Whatever the size, the process is the same: details, then a fixed price, then sealing, then a 12-month guarantee.
Keeping the joints sound
For the best life from the joints:
- Agree the fire-stopping specification before services go in
- Record which product was used where
- Make fire stopping part of every scope that crosses a fire-resisting wall
- Leave fire sealant to cure fully before covering it
Never top up a fire seal with foam, ordinary silicone or filler. A repair should use the original product, installed the same way unless the designer specifies otherwise.
Specify fire stopping early on refits, not as an afterthought. The designer can then choose details that suit the services planned, and the work runs in step with the M&E.
From enquiry to sign-off
Inspect, seal, sign off: every visit follows that pattern. We inspect the joints and confirm what’s in scope, then we prepare and seal each joint with the specified product, and the job ends with a walk round and sign-off. Work in places the size of Portchester is planned as a single visit where we can. Photos with rough sizes let us arrive with everything needed.
- First we go through the drawings, schedule or specification for the seals.
- On site, each opening is checked against the tested detail it is meant to follow.
- Unsuitable fillers and loose debris are taken out of each opening.
- We fit the backing the detail asks for, to the stated depth.
- Fire-rated or intumescent sealant is gunned in to the specified depth, then tooled.
- If an opening needs something other than sealant, we tell you instead of improvising.
What we need from you
- Point out parking and an unloading spot
- Send any specification or drawings in advance
- Make sure the joints can be reached
Request a quote
Tell us about the building, the joints and when you need the work done, and a fixed quote will follow. To get it moving, give us a call on 01277 525 020 or use the quote form.
Advice
When it isn’t the sealant
Not every problem is a sealant problem, and we are upfront when that’s the case. It won’t fix:
- Designing or specifying fire stopping, which sits with the designer or fire engineer
- Plastic pipes whose detail calls for a collar or wrap
- Fire doors, dampers or other fire safety equipment
If you are not sure, just call the office on 01277 525 020 or email the details over and we will give you a straight answer.
What we seal
- Pipe penetrations
- Service gaps in risers
- Joints between fire-resisting walls and floors
- Small duct penetrations where the tested detail allows
- Linear gaps at wall heads
- Cable penetrations
When to call us in Portchester
When a seal departs from its tested detail, the evidence no longer covers it. Gaps beyond the tested size, shallow sealant, no backing where it was needed, or products from different systems mixed together are the usual culprits.
It’s worth sending us details if you spot any of the following:
- Fire-rated sealant that has cracked or shrunk back
- Builders’ foam or ordinary silicone in compartment walls
- Openings found when ceilings come down for a refit
- Damaged fire seals in risers and voids
Residences at universities like University of Portsmouth - North Zone, 3.2 miles to the south of Portchester, have compartment walls that must be resealed whenever services change.
What to look for in a quote
- How long is the guarantee, and what does it include?
- How they’ll work around occupants
- Is depth set with backing rod, or bond-breaker tape in shallow joints?
- The named product and why it was chosen
Penetration seals near Portchester
A number of hotels sit less than 2 miles from Portchester. Bedroom-to-corridor walls in hotels are normally fire-resisting, so new cabling or pipework through them has to be sealed to the tested detail. Approved Document B is the English guidance that covers fire stopping around openings and penetrations. The national BS 476 classes are due to drop out of it from 2 September 2029, leaving the European BS EN 13501-2 route, subject to transitional arrangements. What we install is set by the specification, and it goes in to the tested detail.
Colleges such as St Vincent College (2.8 miles south of Portchester) add IT and services as courses change, and each new penetration through a fire-resisting wall needs sealing with the specified product. Hospital estates such as Queen Alexandra Hospital, 2.3 miles east of Portchester, are divided into fire compartments, and any service penetration through them should be sealed to the specified, tested detail.
Portchester is about 3 miles north-east of Gosport, in Hampshire. Anywhere in PO16, the process is the same: details in, fixed quote out, then sealing and a 12-month guarantee. 723 places across Hampshire fall within our area, including Portchester.
Business premises anywhere in PO16, PO6 and PO17 are within our area for service penetrations. Among the streets we cover are Cow Lane, Hill Road and Ralph Road, and sites on any of them can send details for a fixed quote. Close to Portchester, our area also takes in Boarhunt (2 miles north-west), Southwick (2 miles north), Elson (2 miles south-west), Wallington (2 miles west) and Priddy's Hard (2 miles south). Bigger towns within reach include Gosport (3 miles south-west), Havant (6 miles east), Eastleigh (13 miles north-west), Fareham (3 miles west), Horndean (7 miles north-east) and Chandler's Ford (15 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Portchester
We work on buildings around Portchester Community School and The Cormorant pub. For rail, the closest station is Portchester station, about 0.5 miles north-west of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Portchester Castle (less than half a mile south-east) and Queen Alexandra Hospital (2.3 miles east). Not far away are West of the River Alver and Portsdown Hill.
What the job involves on each surface
Risers and ceiling voids
Risers and ceiling voids hold most of a building’s service penetrations. Access is often tight, so we agree it with you in advance.
Metal pipes
Metal pipes conduct heat, so their details often call for extra measures along the pipe, and the tested detail may ask for insulation beyond the wall. If the detail needs something beyond sealant, we tell you.