Fire Rated - Floor Outlet

[Npstewart]

Have a very old multi-story building with a concrete floor. We have a tenant taking up the space and they want a floor box with a outlet and data. If the floor is a fire rated barrier, does the floor box need to be fire rated or are there any guidelines etc?

Thanks

 

[Dennis Alwon]

If it is a concrete floor are you drilling all the way thru it? If not I don't see why a fire rating is necessary.

 

[Mike01]

Fire Rating

Fire Rating

From previous experience anytime you remove concrete from the slab or supported floor you are affecting the fire rating of the floor. The floor has a listed fire rating when you remove part of the floor the rating is no longer valid as the effictive thickness has been reduced. If possible you could use a fire rated poke thru device there are plenty of manuacturers who sell them, if you actually use a floor box and penetrate the entire depth of the slab someone will need to construct a fire rated assembly at the opeining below equal to the rating of the floor around the opening. If you are not breaching the entire floor you may want to check with the AHJ in the area to see what his recommendation is. Just something I have learned from past experiences in my neighborhood..

 

[Npstewart]

The power for the box is coming from a panel on the same floor so I would assume the conduit would have to go through the slab from the panel, then poke through back up into the box. I can get a UL assembly for the conduit, just not sure about around the box itself.

 

[Mike01]

Fire Rated Poke Thru's

Fire Rated Poke Thru's

There are some manufacturers that have fire rated poke thru's depending on the quantity of devices the floor core can range from 2" to 8" some manufacturers are Wiremold ( http://www.legrand.us/Wiremold/Poke-Thru-Devices.aspx ) and Hubbell (http://www.hubbell-wiring.com/press/pdfs/H5190.pdf) to name a few.

 

[RICK NAPIER]

I back Mike01. You need to know if the floor is a rated and if your penetration will affect that rating. Check the building or the local AHJ to see if a previous project had to address this issue. If not you may need a design proffessional to help you.

 

[iwire]

Use a 'poke thru' floor box (Hubbell is one source) and most of them have a 2 hour fire rating. They come with intumescent material in them that will expand and close the holes if heated.

http://www.hubbell-wiring.com/press/pdfs/H5190.pdf

There are rules about how close you can put them to each other, check the specs.