Fireproofing Wall

[arnobg]

I am setting up a new brew space in my garage and I have run in to a concern. I used to brew with the burner on the floor but I would like to put the burner on a stainless work table, but that means I need to protect my wall from any potential fire hazard.

My first instinct is to put diamond plate aluminum on the wall behind the table, maybe with 1” spacers so it isn’t against the wall. Anyone see any issues with this?

My other idea was to use steel peg board so I could protect the wall and hang stuff from it, but then heat could still get through the holes. Anyone think this would be safe still?

 

[pdcm]

Probably not my best thought train, but how about standoffs with the steel peg board, but ALSO put some flame retardant fiberglass welding blanket between the pegboard and the wall?

 

[arnobg]

Here’s the steel pegboard I’m considering:

Wall Control 30-P-3232GV Galvanized Steel Pegboard Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J6FSDS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0v84EbSGCP78G

 

[arnobg]

Probably not my best thought train, but how about standoffs with the steel peg board, but ALSO put some flame retardant fiberglass welding blanket between the pegboard and the wall?

I think that’s a great idea that I hadn’t considered yet.

 

[Steven Barrett]

Metal is a great heat conductor so it’s not going to provide any insulative properties. Mineral wool on the other hand is an excellent insulator and is used throughout the construction industry for fireproofing application. I would advise keeping your burner from anything combustible.

You might want to look into a zero clearance fireplace as a basis of comparison. Those are insulated enough that they don’t require any clearance from combustibles.

 

[arnobg]

Metal is a great heat conductor so it’s not going to provide any insulative properties. Mineral wool on the other hand is an excellent insulator and is used throughout the construction industry for fireproofing application. I would advise keeping your burner from anything combustible.

You might want to look into a zero clearance fireplace as a basis of comparison. Those are insulated enough that they don’t require any clearance from combustibles.

While you’ve raised some good points, I don’t think heat conduction is a huge concern. My goal is to keep combustibles away from the burner, such as the drywall behind the table. The metal sheet would still transfer heat to the drywall but there shouldn’t be any fire hazard right? Especially if I put 1” spacersand mineral wool between the sheet metal and drywall.

 

[bkboiler]

Yes in general to achieve fireproofness you need a fireproof seal, such as solid sheet of steel and enough insulation so the "temperature" of the drywall is below the temp at which it might catch fire.
what I would do to test is run the burner at full heat for 1-2 minutes with nothing else nearby and aim an IR thermometer at the wall just after you turn off the burner..
If it's below 125F then just leave it as is, unless you plan on cooking with oil on the burner...
If it's above 125F but below 150F, i'd try with just pressing the sheet against the drywall firmly (must make sure it's touching all over) then run the test again.
Metal is a good conductor, but in open atmosphere it will not absorb all the radiant heat from the flame...so just the sheet alone may get you there...
If it's above 150F then you'll need the rock wool, but make sure to seal around the edges as some of these insulative materials are frangible and not food-safe or breathing-safe.

 

[day_trippr]

Screw a piece of cement board to the studs. If it's good enough for free-standing wood stoves it'll be good enough for a gas kettle.
If you want it fancier than that, screw your diamond plate through the cement board...

Cheers!

 

[NeoBrew]

Just an FYI, drywall is routinely used as a fire barrier in construction. There are some that are more resistant than others. Some are specifically designed and tested to be fire barriers. The paper itself is also treated to be fire resistant.

What you are trying to do is stop the paper (and maybe paint) from being singed and discolored. The best answer is to make sure the burner is far enough away from the wall that it won't singe the finish.

 

[Steven Barrett]

@NeoBrew I was going to mention that but the acceptance testing for heat transfer for the fire barrier is on the cold side of the wall (so the exterior of his garage or inside of his house, depending) and the inner face of the gypsum is pretty well destroyed after 1 hour (or whatever the fire barrier is rated for). So I agree, the gypsum itself will probably prevent fire from spreading to his exterior cladding or into his house but his real goal is not to incur damage to his drywall.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

ceramic tile is another option, I'd use the larger ones, like 12x12 or bigger

 

[bkboiler]

Last option not mentioned here..I was concerned about fire on my drywall in my garage...so I just put lockable casters on my brew stand and the gas hose is a BBQ type with a QD...
So when I want to brew I roll the cart away from the wall...
Not what you asked, but just giving an outside the box suggestion