Need an EIS rated natural smoke damper? Read this.

The industry needed a BS EN 12101-8 classified natural damper, and here it is, the Sertus SND-R.

Developed on the back of the industry standard SLD-R, this new edition to the Sertus lineup retains the same high level of craftsmanship & specification while bringing a whole lot more to the table.

One of the differences is the sheer size of the product. You’d be looking at 750 x 1850mm or 900 x 1550mm dimensions for a single damper, both achieving the 1m2 free area to meet compliance. If it’s 1.5m2 you’re after, two smaller dampers can be used together in order to achieve this for your BRE shaft.

Sertus are thrilled to offer a natural damper which achieves the required free area for compliance. This proved to be a key challenge for the R&D team during development due to the thickness of the blades. But why are the blades so thick we hear you ask? Well, this brings us onto one of the elements we’re most proud of with this product.

The SND-R is an EIS damper. The key here is the I rating in EIS. And to achieve this I rating, the blades had to be thicker as they’re constructed using fireboard. To quickly dip into the technical side of the I rating - this means that the temperature on the front face of the product won’t exceed more than 180 degrees celsius above ambient levels in any one position, or more than an average of 140 degrees over the complete face of the product. This makes the SND-R the absolute highest performing classification of damper. Because of this I rating, the external parts of the damper don’t get as hot as dampers without the rating, which makes the escape route more tenable for escapees in a fire scenario.

As you can imagine, this was no easy feat. We had to work extremely closely with test house specialists to achieve the I rating. The team ensured they maintained all the required performances while using fireboard within the blade construction and mechanism. This means we’ve had to carefully engineer the way the blades are assembled.

It goes without saying that this damper would set you apart from other contractors due to the smoother, no questions asked sign off you would receive, along with the fact that the market increasingly recognises that dampers with the EIS rating are the golden ticket for a project of the highest quality.

It’s only natural for you to be thinking to yourself, but why is this damper different to other products on the market? Well, if the EIS rating wasn’t enough, it’s important to note that all four sides of the damper are uniform to ease the installation process. Typically, on other products in the industry, you’ll find a motor mounted on the outside of the product, creating a major challenge for installation. With our goal being to make the install process as easy as possible, there’s also a hinged grille which makes access for maintenance easier, along with the initial install process. Not just that, but there’s a MES flange on the rear of the product for smooth duct connection.

As you can imagine, creating a product of this quality doesn’t come without its challenges. One of the key battles was preventing smoke leakage. Due to the length of the product, there’s more chance of it distorting under pressure and heat, and this was overcome with the use of intumescent seals and gaskets. We then made sure it was housed in rigid, steel casing in order to achieve our desired integrity. And to make sure it all worked, we installed it into a flexible wall consisting of typical metal stud and plasterboard. This created the worst case first test so that it can also be used in a solid wall.

To bring the SND-R together as the complete package, it’s equipped with a market leading Belimo drive which is complete with end positioning monitoring. It’s also tested to 10,000 continuous cycles for reliability. And what might light up your eyes the most is that it’s available from stock in order for you to receive it promptly.

This product will get you ahead of the rest, as it raises awareness of what a good damper looks like. From launching this product into the industry, it’s setting a new benchmark to ensure full compliance is achieved. It has all the required performances and more, matched with a straightforward installation reducing the number of trades required. You don’t even need to cement it in, due to its shape! And mark our words, that EIS rating will turn the heads of any client. The SND-R leads the industry into a new era of desired compliance. It’s safer, it’s stronger, and it’s more reliable.

If you're interested in finding out some more about this damper, check out the install video. Here's a link to the product page on our site, and also, don't hesitate to contact us if you would like any queries answered.