Rackwick fire stopping
Fire-rated and intumescent sealing of service penetrations and linear gaps in Rackwick and across the Orkney Islands. CHAS accredited and fully insured, with a 12-month guarantee.
- Head-of-wall gaps with no fire seal
- Unsealed penetrations discovered above suspended ceilings
- Penetration schedules that need working through
Fire stopping across Rackwick
Send drawings, photos or a joint schedule, or tell us about the site, and we’ll come back with a fixed quote.
Service penetrations in Rackwick buildings
Under the Scottish non-domestic Technical Handbook, clause 2.1.14, penetrations should be fire stopped to at least the wall or floor’s fire resistance duration, using products tested for the way they’re used. We install fire-rated sealant to that tested detail where it is specified. Being on an island, Rackwick means planning around ferry times as well as the weather. The specification and photos of each penetration let us bring the right products first time.
For buildings in and around Rackwick, fire-rated sealant is installed where it is specified, to the manufacturer’s tested detail. Older community buildings such as Baptist Church that have been rewired or given new heating can have service gaps through walls worth checking against the specification.
Rackwick is about 24 miles north of Kirkwall, in the Orkney Islands. Our applicators travel to Rackwick for work on service penetrations. Rackwick is one of 51 places we cover in the Orkney Islands for service penetrations.
Postcode districts covered here: KW17. Nearby places we also cover include Pierowall (1 mile south), Brinian (14 miles south), Broughtown (14 miles east), Evie (16 miles south) and Lady (16 miles east) for service penetrations. Where a site is remote or on an island, we plan travel and materials carefully, so include the location in your enquiry.
Local landmarks in Rackwick
A little further out are Noltland Castle (1.3 miles south-west). The countryside around Rackwick includes Couters Hill and North Hill RSPB reserve.
How we handle fire stopping in Rackwick
Penetration seals are fire tested to BS EN 1366-3 and linear joint seals to BS EN 1366-4, with results classified under BS EN 13501-2. A rating such as EI 60 only holds when the product is installed as it was tested. Reproducing the tested arrangement on site is the part we take care of. The enquiries we see most involve fire stopping installed outside its tested range and unsealed joints where partitions meet the slab, across joints between fire-resisting walls and floors, linear gaps at wall heads and cable penetrations. For commercial sealant work in Rackwick, you deal with one contact from quote to sign-off, for single jobs and planned programmes alike.
Refurbishments in small hotels, schools and care homes around places like Rackwick can leave gaps around new services. We fit the specified fire-rated sealant as its published detail shows and raise it if another product is needed.
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.
- Place
- Rackwick (KW17)
- Wider area
- Orkney Islands
- Cover
- 12 months on every job
- Quote
- Quoted before any work starts
- Phone
- 01277 525 020
- Last updated
- 3 November 2026
Nearby places to Rackwick
What else we do in Rackwick
Questions about Rackwick
Is Rackwick inside the area you cover, given it’s on an island?
Yes. Islands are part of our area, Rackwick included. We plan island jobs around the ferry and the forecast, and bring everything the job needs on the first crossing.
Can you produce the fire-stopping design for a job in Rackwick?
No, that sits with the designer, fire engineer or building control. We install fire-rated and intumescent sealant around service penetrations and linear gaps where it is specified, to the manufacturer’s tested detail.
Will your applicators have CSCS cards?
Yes. We use CSCS-carded applicators, which many sites require.
Can you quote from photos?
Many jobs can be quoted from photos, drawings or a joint schedule. If the job needs a look first, we will arrange a visit before quoting.
Are you CHAS accredited?
Yes. Mastic Doctor is CHAS accredited and a Constructionline member.
What’s the quickest route to a quote?
There are four steps: send details, receive a fixed quote, we carry out the work, and it’s guaranteed. The first step only needs photographs and a postcode.
Do you seal on top of existing sealant?
No. Failed sealant is removed and the faces cleaned back to sound, dry material first, because fresh silicone will not bond with aged silicone.
Aftercare for building managers
Regular inspection catches problems early. In particular:
- Look above ceilings when tiles are lifted for other jobs
- Ask which product is in place before decorating
- Arrange inspection before areas are covered up
- Record which product was used where
After the work, brief anyone else working in the area that the openings are now sealed. If a seal has to be opened for a new service, it should be reinstated to the same detail, by someone who knows the system.
The simplest way to keep compartment walls intact is to plan fire stopping into every job that crosses them. That way the opening is sealed while the trade and access are still there, not months later.
What affects the price in Rackwick
Before we quote, we look at:
- Working within restricted access windows
- Site requirements such as inductions and permits
- Any access equipment needed
- Removal of failed or old sealant
What a job costs comes down to how many linear metres there are, how much old material needs removing and the access. Call for a fixed quote once you have the details.
Before you send an enquiry
To price the job accurately, we need a clear picture of the site. Useful things to include:
- A wide shot and a close-up of the area
- What the building is and how it’s used
- Asbestos survey details if the building is older
- The postcode of the building
Every quote starts with the facts: what’s there, how much of it, how we reach it and what’s specified. Share whatever details you have and we will fill any gaps with a visit.
What sealant work can’t fix
Not every problem is a sealant problem, and we’d rather tell you before you spend money. These need a different solution:
- Fire doors, dampers or other fire safety equipment
- Plastic pipes whose detail calls for a collar or wrap
- Construction that lacks the fire resistance the seal relies on
Not sure which it is? You can give us a call on 01277 525 020 or send photos by email and we’ll tell you honestly.
Where we work in Rackwick
- Cable penetrations
- Linear gaps at wall heads
- Small duct penetrations where the tested detail allows
- Joints between fire-resisting walls and floors
- Pipe penetrations
- Service gaps in risers
Diagnose, treat, sign off
We bring the products specified for the job, along with primers and backing rod. Joint faces are cleaned back to sound, dry surfaces, primer goes on where the manufacturer specifies it, and the sealant is tooled off neatly. For a building near Rackwick, directions, keys and a contact on the day are worth sorting early. We will confirm the plan with the fixed quote.
- We read the specification, drawings or penetration schedule you send.
- Every penetration is compared with its detail: wall or floor type, service, gap size and depth.
- Anything that doesn’t belong in the opening, such as expanding foam or general-purpose filler, is removed.
- 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.
- Openings that need a collar, wrap, batt or other product are flagged to you rather than filled with sealant.
Getting the site ready
- Confirm the product named in the specification
- Explain the parking and delivery arrangements
- Share your working hours and any access restrictions
Get a fixed quote
Every job follows the same four steps: send details, get a quote, we seal, guaranteed. The first step is to call 01277 525 020 or use the quote form with what you know.
Related advice
Commercial clients in Rackwick
Blocks and communal areas make up much of the work for housing associations and agents. We phase the work so people keep access, and each stage is agreed with your contact.
Agents, factors and owners’ representatives all follow the same route: send the details, accept a fixed quote, and we carry out and guarantee the work. We can agree access arrangements and keyholder contacts beforehand.
Surface by surface
Masonry and concrete
Block walls and concrete floors are common substrates for penetration seals. Dust and loose debris are cleared out of the opening, with backing added if the detail requires it.
Cables and cable bundles
Cable penetrations are frequently sealed with fire-rated sealant where the detail allows. The detail limits bundle size and the gaps between and around cables, so we check before sealing.