readydave8
re member
- Location
- Clarkesville, Georgia
- Occupation
- electrician
firestop
- Thread starter readydave8
- Start date
- Status
readydave8
re member
- Location
- Clarkesville, Georgia
- Occupation
- electrician
Thanks for all the helpful replies, I'm going over to caulk the holes Tuesday.
peter d
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
In case anyone cares: In Connecticut all drilled holes and penetrations are required to be firecaulked in dwelling units, no matter if they are part of a fire rated partition or not. I worked as an apprentice for a new home EC back during the building boom and spent a lot of time caulking holes in McMansions. 
This is an actual building code requirement and not something that came out of thin air. It's also really silly in my opinion.
This is an actual building code requirement and not something that came out of thin air. It's also really silly in my opinion.
readydave8
re member
- Location
- Clarkesville, Georgia
- Occupation
- electrician
Lowe's sells 3 different grades of firestop caulk, $6, $12, $18. I bought the cheapest which evidently is non'combustable but not meant to be used on firewalls. I will leave the empty tubes for the inspector to see.
growler
Senior Member
- Location
- Atlanta,GA
Don't forget to take those empty tubes with you. There is no reason to buy caulk for every job, take the tubes with you and you can use them on future jobs.
Just a little humor there folks.
I buy the cheap firestop caulk myself. I keep some of the good stuff for firewalls.
peter d
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
I remember using some stuff that cost around $3 a tube. It seemed like half the tube was air. :roll:
macmikeman
Senior Member
- Location
- Planet macmikeman
I was in a rush to finish a job once (commercial) and needed to install fire stop around a bundle of mc cables that penetrated thru a firewall. Inspection was scheduled for the same day. I stopped at the Hilti outlet cause somebody at the supply house directed me to them. The package that would do the job was priced at 150 dollars. I felt like I got goosed pretty good leaving that store.
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
Have you picked up a tub of lightweight spackle? They're so light, they're almost hard to hold.
Now, that's what I call service!
GeorgeKoehl
Member
- Location
- Washington IL
New Inspector in Town
New Inspector in Town
I've read through the rest of this thread.
My problem is that we have a new inspector in town- he wants every penetration fire caulked as well as every opening on every box; plastic and metal boxes.
Is this over kill?
New Inspector in Town
I've read through the rest of this thread.
My problem is that we have a new inspector in town- he wants every penetration fire caulked as well as every opening on every box; plastic and metal boxes.
Is this over kill?
- Location
- Logan, Utah
Most likely all that is necessary is a standard cault and not fire caulk. Fire caulk is required for penetration in a fire rated wall, where as draftstopping and fire blocking can be done with a standard caulk.
Chris
Funny thing.
Had an inspection today. Kitchen remodel, occupied place., relocated refrigerator outlet. The inspector walks in, looks around, looks at the refrigerator (now we have MC and studs exposed, with a 1900 box and an outlet where the refrigerator is), so right away I tell him:"I know we're not supposed to have that receptacle on, but just couldn't let them folks without a refrigerator".
Bottom line: an ounce of honey will get you further than a pound of vinegar, and in our case, an ounce of compassion will get you further than a pound of being right.
Had an inspection today. Kitchen remodel, occupied place., relocated refrigerator outlet. The inspector walks in, looks around, looks at the refrigerator (now we have MC and studs exposed, with a 1900 box and an outlet where the refrigerator is), so right away I tell him:"I know we're not supposed to have that receptacle on, but just couldn't let them folks without a refrigerator".
Bottom line: an ounce of honey will get you further than a pound of vinegar, and in our case, an ounce of compassion will get you further than a pound of being right.
readydave8
re member
- Location
- Clarkesville, Georgia
- Occupation
- electrician
As you suggested I changed my attitude with them, when I met the inspector after I firecaulked we were both very polite. I gave him my card and told him to call me if he ever had a NEC question.
Today he did, he's inspecting the new Walmart and wanted to know if the electrician could put 2 @ 2-0's in the same lug. The best part is I knew the answer, having seen it here on MH forum a few days ago.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
Is same inspector going to crawl through attic and verify all holes are filled even though he may not even know where all of them are? A little suprising he was able to find this problem in first place. I can see it coming up if he sees holes through floor while inspecting basement but I have hardly ever seen an inspector do much in an attic except look at what he can see from access hole, and only if access hole is easy to get at. Some people (myself included as well as some inspectors) can not even make it into some of the crawlspaces I have seen, or been in 50 pounds ago.
Maybe drywallers were there 50 years too soon, maybe they would like to be paid todays rates
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