What happens to Quad-Lock walls in a fire?
Concrete structures are far more likely to remain standing through a fire than structures built with wood. Quad-Lock walls have been tested and shown to be an effective 4 hour firewall due to the solid concrete within. In the same tests wood-frame walls typically collapse in one hour or less. Quad-Lock walls are finished with a 15-minute thermal barrier, such as ½” [12.7mm] drywall, which ensures that initially the EPS will not burn and develop smoke. Quad-Lock is made from EPS that has fire retardant qualities. If exposed to a flame, this EPS will melt, but will not sustain a flame on its own; therefore, it is not a fuel source for a fire. The smoke from the EPS was found to be “no more toxic” than the smoke from wood. See Fire Endurance Test. • Are Quad-Lock walls more resistant to rot and mold? Yes. Quad-Lock walls themselves offer no medium for rot or mold to occur because they are solid, high-mass construction, with concrete filling the entire cavity of the forms. Concrete, steel,
