There has been a huge emphasis on maintaining the integrity of your facility’s fire-rated walls by including firestop installation for your facility! Why?
Well, the International Fire Code (IFC), the International Building Code (IBC) as well as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), require routine maintenance of a facility’s fire barrier walls. Each state walls should be properly repaired when damaged, altered, breached or penetrated. Any penetrations found should be repaired with approved methods capable of resisting the passage of smoke and fire.
Fire walls, partitions, and smoke barriers are designed to help prevent the spread of both fire and smoke in the event of a fire emergency. However, too often these walls may become damaged from penetrating items. Therefore, firestopping has become a key component to a building’s over all fire and life safety system.
Firestop Installation materials are used to seal up any spaces that surround plastic pipes or wires that may be penetrating walls, ceilings or even the floor. These items will melt or change shape during a fire, which is why some firestop materials will expand in the presence of heat. This swelling action seals and stops the spread of fire and smoke to other rooms and even floors within a building. Here is a list of the most common firestop installation materials and how they are used to help prevent the spread of fire and smoke.
Firestop Installation Materials for Your Facility:
SEALANTS (Silicone, Latex, Intumescent)
Firestop sealant materials are used in combustible penetrations, such as plastic piping, multiple cables, and sleeved piping.
WRAP STRIPS
Wraps are “rolls” or “strips” of intumescent material preformed in thick, thin, wide, or less wide strips. These strips expand 10 – 20 times their original state.
PUTTIES
Putties are hand applied intumescent sealants, which are great for hard-to-reach areas, but typically limited to metal piping and cables.
PILLOWS
Pillows are typically made from unexpanded vermiculite, mineral wool coated with an intumescent spray, and packaged in “bags/pillows”. These firestop products might be protected with stainless steel mesh, in some cases. They also must be stacked to the exact dimension shown in the tested and listed system drawings.
FIRESTOP MORTARS
Mortars are a perlite, foam or vermiculite concrete mortars that expand upon curing to lock themselves in place.
COMPOSITE SHEETS
Composite sheets are usually a 3’ x 4’ sheets of 28 ga. sheet metal, coated with intumescent material, laminated to aluminum foil and wire mesh. Used for large openings, these sheets are excellent for multiple penetrating item systems.
FIRESTOP BRICKS / PLUGS
Bricks / plugs are made of urethane foam with graphite filler as the intumescing agent, and are used as blocks in a large and small openings.
PRE FABRICATED KIT SYSTEMS
These systems are very detailed, with a special insert for each penetrating item. The multiple inserts are surrounded by a steel perimeter cabinet, compressed with steel assemblies. They are great systems for the client who wants both aesthetically pleasing and practical application.
SPRAY PRODUCTS
Firestop spray products are used to increase protection over sealant systems in joint systems such as “top of wall” and perimeter fire containment systems. These systems are applied very thin, to about 1/8” thick for an effective seal.
Each firestop installation materials is specifically designed to be used to seal off any gaps and holes surrounding penetrating items in a particular wall, floor and ceiling. However, firestop materials are manufactured in various types and it is important to make sure that the right firestop installation material is being used.
For more information about firestop installation for you facility, Contact Us Here, or call 888.675.4519
