[Firestop Coffee Break]

When you are working in residential or wood framed projects, what do you use for fireblocking?
The building code rattles off a whole list of things you can use, but none of them are useful for plumbers. There is one line that says, "Or other approved materials". What do building officials allow in your area? If they allow foam, please be careful. That stuff is combustible. I would never allow it in my own home. I'm curious what you folks do. Thanks for commenting.

 

[skoronesa]

Why would we bother with fireblocking? That's the carpenters job. I think the carpenters around here use that yellow fire stopping foam.

 

[goeswiththeflow]

I use first year apprentices.

Around here it is the responsibility of whoever makes the penetration to firecaulk it, or so I've been told with what little new con I've done.

 

[asapmarty]

This is a good link with basic information. There are many differences in methods depending on type of construction and single or multi family. Also the definitions of the words used and how they are not interchangeable.

Fireblocking firestopping draftstopping

 

[Plumbus]

I use first year apprentices.

Around here it is the responsibility of whoever makes the penetration to firecaulk it, or so I've been told with what little new con I've done.

In the words of Larry, the Cable Guy:

 

[Plumbus]

It's not our job. For plumbers, framing is an obstacle. I've committed to memory the sections of the building code which give the tolerances for drilling and notching.
One of my pet peeves is that different TJI manufacturers have different rules for drilling and notching their products.
Another is that residential architects aren't taught to consider plumbing in their floor plans, especially when designing multiple story structures. For a 2nd story bathroom that's not under any walls, how hard is it to put an interior wall below where the joists run parallel to the direction to the bathroom rather than perpendicular?

 

[Sstratton6175]

Echoing what others have already said. The fire blocking is the responsibility of the general contractor. I’ve seen different guys use all of the methods mentioned above. If I was building a house for myself I’d want the Hilti Firestop I see used in all the commercial new construction jobs

 

[goeswiththeflow]

I've also used fire caulking as a fairly reliable indicator of what skill an apprentice has for anything else. Around here the big companies use first year apprentices to start fire caulking, and some do it all day, every day for weeks at a time. You can tell who they are by the amount of fire caulking on their shirts, which tends to increase the more they do it, and also tells how neat they are with their work. I knew one who was still coming into school with a fire caulk stained shirt in his 3rd year. Big red flag, no pun intended, about what type of work he was capable of.

 

[Bill]

Insulation contractors job, not mine. Im here to install the pipes, not put in insulation

 

[TerryTotoSucks]

I can’t get inspections until all the holes I’ve drilled are sealed with foam.

 

[ROCKSTARPLUMBER]

Most commercial prints in our P drawings, there are details on how they want it caulked. 3M makes some pretty hard core sh!t in a caulk gun tube. we usually just use that. Some counties as Terrance mentioned, require us to foam our holes also if they are over drilled.

 

[dhal22]

I can’t get inspections until all the holes I’ve drilled are sealed with foam.

So smoke protection only is the requirement?

 

[TerryTotoSucks]

So smoke protection only is the requirement?

It’s for energy efficiency.

 

[dhal22]

Hospital designers would have a heart attack over your average house fire protection. I started in hospitals and it took years for me to accept the absolute carelessness in home construction.