Wall separating attached garage in single family dwelling.

[nizak]

Building inspector came to job today for a rough framing inspection.

My electrical rough in was approved last week.

He says that CarlonZip boxes are not rated for use in a wall that is garage space on one side and living space on the other.He referred to as a 1 hr rated firewall. I'm not sure that's the correct name for it.

At any rate he failed the inspection and said I need a different style outlet box or use a putty pad and wrap it.

The box is stamped on the inside 2hr.

Unless it's something new I've never had this called out in a single family dwelling ever.

Multi unit common wall I know has stipulations.


Replies welcome.

 

[kwired]

did you ask him what that 2 hour marking means?

 

[rc/retired]

The inspector is wrong! Barring any local amendments, the IRC did away with 5/8" sheetrock on the garage side of the wall.
It is NOT a one hour wall. Plus the 2 hour rating of the box.
Fight it.

Ron

 

[nizak]

did you ask him what that 2 hour marking means?

I was busy changing out the service and adding a transfer switch.

He was talking to the General Contractor, I just kept working.

I sensed it was BS and didn’t think about it until I got home.

 

[James L]

Do you have only a single box, or are there boxes facing opposite directions in the same stud bay?

 

[farmantenna]

Carlon specifically answers this question regarding a garage ceiling and says their boxes can be in a 2-hour fire rated wall or lower.
And you can have boxes less than 24" horizontally apart in opposite sides of a fire rated wall if you use the right boxes, like the Allied Molded 1099n. They boast about being able to space these 3" horizontally apart in the same wall cavity. Carlon blues can be 7".
I've used Allied Molded boxes in multi-family construction many times with all kinds of inspections and was challenged once and presented the Allied Molded marketing materials, always in my hand at the time of inspection.

 

[Mt61]

Garage wall only requires 1/2” drywall (20 minute rated) ceiling requires 5/8” 1 hr rated

 

[cadpoint]

A quick study of your State building codes might well be in order as well as a peak into State energy efficiency requirements
placed on new construction all which have greatly upgraded.

If you have drawings, a hour or two fire rated wall would be drawn with a heavy dash or long dash line down the length
of the wall.

Sometimes this is obtained with deeper stub usage like a 6x 2 or even an 8x 2, with serious installations like rock wool
or above average depth of pink insulation.

I usually work commercial I asked an inspector recently about wall penetration of Gypsum walls in commercial, "if the wall
isn't labeled with a label as fire rated, it's not a fire rated wall." was his reply.