Walls & Ceilings Architect/October 2007

FIRESTOP 101 require a ﬁ restop system. The Engineering Judgment must be developed in accord with sound engineering practices to ensure life safety and structural integrities concerns are not compromised. There are some basic rules on Engineering Judgments (EJ) that must be followed: 1. EJ shall not be used when a tested assembly is available. 2. EJ is to only be done by a qualiﬁed ﬁ re engineer. 3. EJ is only to the specific conditions for which that EJ was issued. 4. EJ is only for a specific job; transfer to another project site is not allowed. 5. EJ can only be used in jurisdictions that permit “Alternate Methods.” systems. So let’s cover the basics: INTUMESCENTS: Plastic pipe penetrating a ﬁ re-rated assembly is typically firestopped with an intumescent material. An intumescent swells or expands when exposed to direct ﬂame or high heat (300 degrees F, 150 degrees C). Intumescents come in several forms, such as caulks, pipe collars, wrap strips and pads. A word of caution: New products are coming on the market all the time. For example, Cross Linked Polyethylene (PEX) pipe is a new plastic product used for domestic water supply and is becoming very popular across the United States. The PEX is also used in hydronic heat systems. There are reported cassurrounding materials. Grouts and mortars are more popular on metal penetrations. These products do not expand in high heat. SAFING: Usually a mineral wool product that is used to ﬁ ll the annular space prior to the ﬁ restop material being applied. Saﬁ ng should have the capability of withstanding temperatures of 1,832 degrees F (1,000 degrees C). PUTTY PADS: A rectangular or square pad that is used to seal an electrical box in fire-rated assemblies. The material may or may not be made of an intumescent. FINAL THOUGHTS Installers or contractors are expected to be familiar with the installation of ﬁ restop systems. Contractors should always be looking at furthering their education. Doctors and lawyers are required to continually keep up with the changes in medicine and law. Contractors are expected to keep up with code and industry practices. Contractors must not rely on field personnel who believe the way they have done it for 20 years will always be the right way. Contractors failing to keep abreast on current codes and potential pitfalls will result in lost litigation and insurance claims being paid out on your behalf. Insurance companies will come out ﬁ ne in this kind of situation, as they simply raise rates to cover losses. Contractors should have a person within the company dedicated to attending seminars on the latest code issues and best practices for their trade. This person should disseminate the gathered knowledge to the crews on site. Manufacturers have salespeople that are very familiar with the materials, systems, limitations and code requirements for firestop systems. Use them to your advantage. If there are no seminars in your area and you need to know now, a good source of information is the IFC (International Firestop Council). The IFC has several generic articles and a good library of technical information on proper ﬁ restop procedures. The IFC website is www.ﬁ restop.org. Check this and manufacturer websites and feel free to call on the local representative for assistance. They are there to help. W&C An electrical conduit is a “through” penetration of the rated gypsum wallboard and requires an approved ﬁrestop system. MATERIALS There are many types of firestop materials and there is a good reason for this. The various materials are designed for the many types of penetrations and different penetrating items. For example a steel pipe and a plastic pipe may seem to be the same type of penetration, but the plastic pipe would melt in the event of a ﬁre. This could potentially leave a large hole for ﬁ re, toxic gases and smoke to race through and thus breach the ﬁre-rated penetration. One must also consider the components of ﬁre-rated assembly. For example, concrete walls are very different than framed walls with gypsum wallboard. These would also be examples of where a contractor could still be found liable for using the wrong materials even if the architect speciﬁed the incorrect system or inappropriate use of that system. The ﬁrestop installer is expected to have some expertise and basic knowledge of the es of some PEX brands being incompatible with some ﬁ restop F products. A chemical reaction occurred causing the PEX to prematurely age and develop water leaks. As with any new products introduced to the market, ﬁ restop installers are advised to check the compatibility of materials with each manufacturer (PEX and the ﬁ restop manufacturer) before proceeding. Get it in writing from the manufacturer that the products are approved and compatible prior to proceeding. PI PE COLL A RS: A one-piece device containing intumescent strips within a metal collar that is made to clamp around a plastic pipe to direct the expansion of the intumescent. The IBC refers to the collars as “sleeves.” MORTAR and GROUTS: Mortar or grout compounds are made from a variety of materials (usually cementitious), most are a non-shrinking setting type compound that keys to 32 | Walls & Ceilings Architect | October 2007 http://www.firestop.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Walls & Ceilings Architect/October 2007

Contents Trade News Silver Certiﬁed Airtight The Men of Steel Thinking Thermal Firestop 101 ICFs Create a Tight Envelope The Finish Line The Green Thumb Cracking the Code

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