334.10

334.10

  • Agree, it should fail

    Votes: 3 30.0%

  • Disagree, it should pass

    Votes: 7 70.0%
  • Total voters
    10
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mcclary's electrical

mcclary's electrical

Senior Member
Location
VA
Commercial metal building, Type V construction on interior partitions for offices. 2x4 walls, non load bearing, partitions, 1/2" sheetrock. 10' walls, but ceilings are lowered to 8' with grid and tiles. Sheetrock stops just above the drywall. We ran all HR's into the wall in MC, but once we got into the wall, below the ceiling, we ran NM around to all receptacles. The inspector has failed it. On all exterior walls, I ran BEHIND partitions (so I didn't have to drill) and any walls with sheetrock on both sides are drilled through studs. Rough in inspection passed fine. Agree or disagree?
 
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It sounds like you are compliant unless there is a fire code or some other issue not part of the NEC. I have done very few office buildings but I always check with the AHJ before I would proceed on something like that.

The fact that it passed the rough in would really tick me off and I would fight that. They want it changed then they should pay for it since it was passed by their office.
 
I've done it, too. It sounds like his complaint is that the wall isn't finished on both sides.

Voted it should pass. How can we help?
 
Per the second sentence of 334.10(3), I'll bet you didn't arrange the transition box to be in the
sheet rock or the NM in the insulation, so no I don't think you made it...

Lift the box off the wall place a piece of rock on both side of the stud bay to either side.
 
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LarryFine said:
I've done it, too. It sounds like his complaint is that the wall isn't finished on both sides.

Voted it should pass. How can we help?
Click to expand...



His complaint was the open bays at the top do not make up a 15 minute fire rating. NFPA 5000 and 220 both do not require a non load bearing, partitioned wall to carry a fire rating.
 
cadpoint said:
Per the second sentence of 334.10(3), I'll bet you didn't arrange the transition box to be in the
sheet rock or the NM in the insulation, so no I don't think you made it...

Lift the box off the wall place a piece of rock on both side of the stud bay to either side.
Click to expand...

The NFPA states the rating of the wall applies to the entire wall, not just a bay at a time
 
Well, OK now you seem to know what the Code says :)...

First seems the GC or the Sheet rocker didn't make their walls all Class rated either if any bays above the Ceiling is open to the insultation below.
I'll bet that they did use a Hat channel at the top of the SR on their wall! Who's at fault now?

mcclary's electrical said:
The NFPA states the rating of the wall applies to the entire wall, not just a bay at a time
Click to expand...

Going back to my orginal statement;
Ok if you capped or enclosed the stud run with a piece of a header track(in the vertical) on each bay and put a piece of sheet rock as I orginally stated a piece on the track, I'll downdown that you can run it by the powers to be you will not be ripping out anything.

Either get the SR or the GC to help or the inspector to fail the wall construction cause there is open insulation anywas, and does not meet your own electrical code and that not the orginal design and they didn't meet the orginal application of a Class V wall partition.

Due tell what happens.
 
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After careful review, the NEC in 334.10 (3) references the 15 minute fire rating, in regards to NM in other than dwelling units, and references NFPA 220 for definitions of building constructions.

NFPA is an excerpt from NFPA 5000 chapter 7, after reviewing both carefully, I've concluded the inspector was (is) right. The open bays at the top do not meet the 15 minute fire rating. And secondly, the article ends by saying all listed building constructions are examples only, the AHJ makes the final decision on your finish wall fire rating. So basically, we have no argument whatsoever. We went in today and sheetrocked up to the top of all walls that had nonmetallic in them. Lesson learned.
 
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