Firestop Selection Basics

We replay a practical guide to firestop selection and explain why the right choice starts with the barrier, the penetration, and the tested UL system. We break down mechanical and non-mechanical firestop systems so you can seal penetrations correctly, support future cable adds, and avoid costly code violations. 
• four selection factors: assembly type, barrier construction, penetrants, sealing method to restore rating 
• mechanical firestop systems for vibration and shock tolerance 
• cable transit systems and how inserts compress around cables 
• fire-rated pathways for easy moves adds and changes 
• factory fabricated sleeves, bushings, mineral wool, and AHJ approval 
• non-mechanical options: putty, firestop caulk, cementitious materials, pillows, bricks, blankets 
• firestop properties: intumescent expansion, endothermic heat absorption, ablative char formation 
• why grout and plaster crack and fail as firestopping 
• membrane penetrations versus through penetrations with real examples 
• annular space limits and why too much or too little material fails 
• seven jobsite tips: follow UL drawings, never mix materials, label and document, watch curing hazards and fumes 
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Transcript

Welcome And Firestop Rerun Reason

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey Wow Monkeys, welcome to another episode of Let's Talk Cabling. This episode we're talking about firestop selection. It's a rerun, but let me explain why.

SPEAKER_02 0:11

Let's talk cabling. Yeah, let's talk cabling. Cap for fiber structure to right. Get connected. Stay connected. Do it right.

Four Factors In Firestop Selection

SPEAKER_01 0:33

Welcome to the show where we tackle the tough questions submitted by apprentices, technicians, installers, project managers, estimators, designers, customers, even IT personnel. We we are connecting at the human level so that we can connect the world. If you're watching this show on YouTube, would you mind hitting the subscribe button and the bell button to be notified when new content is being produced? If you're listening to us on one of the audio podcast platforms, would you mind leaving us a five-star rating? Those simple little steps helps us take on the algorithm so we can educate, encourage, and enrich the lives of people in the ICT industry. Wednesday nights, 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. What are you doing? You know I do a live stream where I do where I talk about installation, design, certification, project management, estimation. I even do career path questions. But I can hang over chucking, grab my truck and take me over fuzzy. Breathe in, breathe out. I record them so you can watch them at your convenience. And finally, while this show is free and will always remain free, would you mind clicking on that QR code right there? You can you can become a Patreon member, you can buy Let's Talk Hilling t-shirts and support this podcast, because it's free, but it still costs money to run this show. So as you can probably tell, I'm not in my podcast studio. You can probably tell this is not my radio voice. Yes, Chuck was on vacation last week. Chuck was visiting his mom and ICU in in Baltimore, and Chuck caught influenza B and was quarantined for five days. And I am just now getting to the point where I can actually talk without being exhausted. Well, maybe not quite exhausted, but you know what I mean. So that's why I'm choosing to do a reload for this week's episode, Firestop Selection. I broadcast this back in 2022. It's a good video that I think people need to know. So enjoy the video and hope everybody we'll see everybody back in full production on next week.

Mechanical Firestop System Options

Non-Mechanical Systems And Key Properties

Picking Putty Caulk Cement Pillows

Membrane Versus Through Penetrations

Seven Tips UL Labels And Liability

SPEAKER_00 2:26

This week we're gonna cover the different types of firestop systems. Now each firestop system is gonna consist of four distinct items for consideration. The first component is what is the architectural assembly that is being penetrated? This can be a wall, a floor, maybe a roof, it can even be a ceiling. The second component that you need to think about is what is the thickness and the construction of that barrier that you're going to be penetrating. This can be a drywall wall, for example, made out of gypsum board, it could be cinder block wall, it could be a concrete floor less than five inches, more than five inches. The third thing to consider is what will be the items that are going to be penetrating that barrier. It could be conduit, it could be interduct, it could be balanced twisted pair cabling, it could even be fiber optic cabling. In some instances, it might even be cable tray. And then the fourth thing to think about with firestop systems is the materials and the methods that you're going to use to seal that penetration so that architectural barrier is brought back to its original rating, the the two-hour rated or the four-hour rating. A mechanical firestop system is going to provide you protection from fire, smoke, water, and even some blast pressures, which is why it's a common reason why they're used on ships. They often come in a welded type frame that's going to be pre-sized and shaped to fit around commonly used types of cabling. They make them for ICT cabling, they make them for electrical cabling, and they make them for other types of cable as well. These types of systems are far superior when it comes to accommodating vibration and shock. Now mechanical firestop systems generally come to you in their final form, and we you will have to disassemble them to reassemble them during installation, and some you don't have to disassemble. Some common categories that mechanical systems come in include cable transit systems, fire-rated pathways, and factory fabricated sleeve systems. And I got examples of all three here today. In the metal cable transit type of system, it's a mechanical type of firestop system that's got a metal frame. And then on top of that metal frame, there's some type of a nut that when you screw it down, it compresses that there's multiple layers. In between those layers, you will find an elastomer component, usually some kind of Tecron-based rubber type materials. To insert a cable into that system, you have to loosen up the bolt, again, located near the top. This releases the pressure from that frame. And I'll put a picture of it here on the screen. At that point, you will disassemble the frame and remove those Tecron rubber inserts that they have in those layers. Once you've got that out, then you can remove one layer at a time until your cable fits exactly inside of that insert. And then you place the insert with the cable through that cable tray system and then you recompress that system. Mechanical systems that are fire-rated pathways are modular systems that integrate with built-in fire stop system. The advantage here is the elimination of having to remove all of the firestop materials. This makes this type of fire stop mechanical system great for moves, adds, and changes applications. And I've got one here to show you. For example, the Easy Path. It's a mechanical system, you just put cables through it, you don't have to mess with it at all. Real easy to do moves, ads, and changes. The final mechanical system is a factory fabricated sleeve system. They usually come in kits that include the cable tray the tube itself, usually some type of compression, and some type of a wall barrier to put this on there. And then it's got some kind of a lock nut that you're going to spin down that's going to crimp this on both sides of that wall. Sometimes it'll give you mineral wool. Sometimes it'll give you uh plastic bushings to put on the end of it, right? To make sure that that penetration is smooth when you're pulling cables through it. So if that sleeve is used for cable penetration, then you may not necessarily have to use a plastic sleeve if that end of that firestop system has been reamed. This one hasn't been reamed, so it needs that bushing. Of course, this is all subject to the approval of the authority having jurisdiction. Now let's shift to the non-mechanical firestop systems. The advantage of the non-mechanical firestop systems is the material can be easily formed. It can be easily molded to fit into that opening to give you a nice good solid seal. Some examples of non-mechanical firestop systems include non-hardening putties and caulk, cementuous material, not grout, we'll talk more about that in a minute, intermesant strips or intermescent wrap sheets, silicone foams, pre-manufactured pillows or bags, even blocks, and then also the plenum shielded blankets. So which one do you use? Well that kind of really depends on the application, of course. Now before we get into the different types of those types of systems, let's talk about the properties that they have that makes them a fire stop system. We need to cover those terms intumescent, endothermic, and ablative. Now many of these systems will have one or sometimes more of these properties. It just kind of really depends on the system. Intumescent means that that material has the ability to expand when it's exposed to fire or heat. When that fire consumes that cable bundle, the size of the bundle will shrink significantly. A material that has intimid property will expand while that bundle keeps shrinking, and the opening stays sealed. Remember from week one, if you remove that fuel source, i.e. the cable bundle, you're going to stop the fire. Examples of intermescent products include sheets, pads, wrap strips, flexible blocks, collars, and even sleeve systems. Next one, endothermic. Endothermic means that material has the ability to absorb the heat and prevent the temperature from increasing on the non-fire side of that firestop system. An example of a material that uses endothermic properties are the tiles on the space shuttle. They absorb the heat from that re-entry process, right, from what's going through the atmosphere, without conducting that heat to the metal skin, to the metal frame of the shuttle. This applies to us because if our system has endothermic properties, then the heat on the non-fire side of that firestop system will not increase. Remember the T test discussion from last week? This is why this all ties together. That's why you got to listen to all three of these episodes. And finally, if a material shows what's called an ablative property, then that material will develop a hard char that resists erosion during the fire and the flames. Now, this is also going to help us keep that system together when the pressure is applied to that fire from the hose as the firefighters are trying to put out that fire. Remember the H test? Again from last week? Getting back to our decision on which type of fire stop system to start off with. Let's start off with the non-hardening putties. Non-hardening putties will remain permanently soft and permanently pliable. This makes this type of material perfect for re-entry when you're going to be having a sleeve where you're going to be coming back and running more cables through them. Many times this type of material will be used with ceramic fiber or wool fiber. This system is best used for your small to your medium size openings. The next one we're going to talk about is caulk. Now I don't mean the caulk that you buy at the big box store. I am talking specifically about firestopping caulk. They usually are dispensed in a standard size caulk tube, but there's also ones available in these like rolled packages, and some of those require a special type of dispensing tool in order to apply that caulk or that sealant to that fire stop system. Now that fire caulk and system has the ability to adhere to multiple types of services. It is also very flexible and it also is moisture resistant. They generally were cure in a short period of time and they will provide you with a nice tight seal. Caul sealant, though, at least in my opinion, is harder to clean up afterwards when comparing it to putties. Putties are better for your vertical openings because they will not drip. Caulk or sealant will drip, and it's going to make a big mess that you're going to have to clean up. Coulk should also be considered when re-entry is going to be a minimum because getting through a caulk firestop system, while not impossible, it is definitely going to be a little bit harder when compared to putty. Caulk can also not be added to an existing caulk system as easily as adding putty to an existing system when doing MAC work. But remember, always stay within the parameters of the UL drawing. The next type is cementous material. This type of fire stop usually comes in a dry powder, and you're going to need to pre-mix it with water. As I mentioned earlier, this is not grout. Get that out of your head. The problem with using ordinary grout or sometimes even plaster is that it's most likely going to crack. And if it cracks, it could fracture and then fall out of that fire stop system. And it's going to be nearly impossible to add cable at a later date. Remember, as it goes through its curing process, it's going to heat up and it's going to expand. So make sure that you take precaution while installing it. Make sure you leave room for the cable and a little bit of cable movement. Cementous materials is also a great choice if you know that you're at your maximum fill ratio and you want to limit the number of times people are going to be going back into that fire stop system. Firestop pillows are going to be really great when re-entry is going to be very commonplace in that fire stop system. That fire stop pillow will become rigid and it's going to swell and seal that hole during an active fire. The major issue with fire stop pillows are twofold. One, generally they're only considered a temporary fire stop, and if you use them during construction, you may be required to do what's called a fire watch. Now a fire watch means that somebody has to be stationed at that hole to make sure that if something catches on fire, that they can alert the fire department. Somebody's got to be there when it's during non-business hours. That's why you don't want to use those pillows because of that reason. The second thing is if you're using pillows, they almost always require you the use of a wire mesh mounted to the wall, and that wire mesh has to be mounted with metallic anchors on both sides. This is how they tested firestop pillows to pass the hose stream test. Now you cannot use plastic anchors because the plastic in the anchors are going to melt. Firestop pillows should not be confused with firestop bricks. Firestop bricks are a little bit different. They generally have one side to them that is sticky and it's going to adhere to another one. These are a lot better than the firestop pillows. By the way, if you're listening to this on one of the audio podcasts, you might want to check out the YouTube video. I'm showing products. Now let's change the conversation and talk about the types of materials used in this fire stop systems. Now that we have covered the types of materials used in the firestop systems, let's talk about the different types of penetrations that you might come across. The two major categories that firestop systems fall under are going to be membrane penetrations and through penetrations. A through penetration basically means that that firestop assembly passes through both sides of that barrier. So the wall would go, you know, somewhere in between. There'd be a little bit hanging out on each end. Examples of those types of through penetrations would be a sleeve like this, or maybe even a split sleeve, which I have one sitting here, which is kind of unassembled at the moment. These two come together and you screw them together and you're off and running. I showed you what a through penetration was, but I didn't show you what a membrane penetration is. This is an example of a membrane penetration. So it's got a metal plate, it's got a metal tube in it at about a 45 degree angle. So when you mount this metal plate on the wall, the tube sticks inside the wall. So this tube does not go through the other wall. It only goes through one side of the wall. That's a membrane penetration. It's different from a through penetration. It may also include barrier penetration plate, core bore seals like this one here. This one here, you just put that in the core in a uh a core bore that's no longer being used, and then uh this tells you that it's a fire stop system. A sleeve system will be a pipe or a conduit or some type of metal tubing that's gonna have putty, maybe mineral wool as well, and some type of a locking flange to hold that system in nice and tight. The cables or the penetrating items are then run through the middle of that sleeve, and then putty is put in the sleeve surrounding that penetrating item. With these types of systems, you need to see if the instructions call out for a minimum or maximum annular distances. The annular distance is measured from the wall of the assembly to the bundle of the cable. Remember, you gotta be between the minimum and no more than the maximum. There has to be enough firestop material so that the intermescent property, remember it swells with heat, of that firestop putty can account for the bundle that's shrinking because it's being burnt away. Too much putty means the putty will expand too fast and then fall out of the sleeve. Not enough putty means openings will start opening up inside that firestop sleeve and smoke will pass through that assembly. Now split sleeve systems are very similar to a sleeve system, but the only difference is that the metal tubing or the conduit is cut in half. This allows you to put this split sleeve system around the existing cable without having to remove the cable. Great labor saver, right? So if you come across a job where they the previous contractor didn't put in a firestop system, you don't have to remove the cable. You can put it in and off you're running. Pathway barrier penetration plates, according to the ICT installation practices field guide, is a firestopping solution that's designed to enable the centralized installation, administration, and maintenance of the current and future firewall penetrations by making it easier for the installers over the life of the building. Now I've never really come across these, so maybe somebody can chime in on that. Generally they're going to be installed by the general contractor or maybe even by a fire stop installation company, and you just make your holes in the penetration that's already been put there for you, and then you seal it when you're done. Core bore seals are units that are going to be put into core bores that are already there in the floor and they're going to seal it. They have two plates on them and then they're connected together. You fill the inside with a fire stop system and then you tighten it down. Or you can use one of the newer ones as well, like I showed you earlier. That's a core bore seal. Now let's cover seven tips that you're going to want to know to become proficient and a better installer of firestop systems. While some of these tips I'm going to mention earlier, while some of these tips I'm going to go through have been mentioned in the last couple of weeks, they bear repeating. They should always be present in your mind when you're designing or installing firestop systems. Number two, build out the fire stop assembly exactly as it's detailed in the UL drawing. Pay attention to the thickness of the material, the annular space requirements, and if there's any ancillary items like mineral wool or cold smoke seals that they'd be add to it as well. 3. You cannot mix and match fire stop materials that are not documented in the UL drawing. Remember the last episode where we talked about how they are tested. They're tested with known quantities. If you start changing those quantities, you will affect the performance of that fire stop system. You could end up with a code violation. And remember this one, number four, you can be held personally responsible if there's property that is damaged, if there's people that are hurt because you did not install the fire stop system correctly. Number five, do not use or specify solvent-based caulk that gives off noxious or toxic fumes, especially in areas that have bad ventilation. And number six, some caulks can remain flammable while they are curing. So exercise due caution. Make sure you read the labels on that instruction sheet. And number seven, when installing any UL system, it is a good practice to install a label which is usually shipped with the Firestop system. It's got some fields on it that you're gonna have to fill out, like the day you installed it, the name of the company, what UL drawing you used. Put this on the wall right next to the system. Take a picture of the label and make that part of the ads built package. So I certainly hope that you were able to learn something from this episode on Firestop Systems. Until next time, remember, knowledge is power.

SPEAKER_02 21:26

Let's talk cable.