Fire Blocking In Walls

In modern residential home design this is most commonly achieved in walls by continuous 2x4 or 2x6 top and bottom plates that separate studs from the joists above.

Fire blocking in walls.

All modern american building codes requires fire stopping devices be incorporated in certain walls floors and attics. Materials approved for fire blocking are just common building materials. There will be a 3 5 space between your concrete wall and the framed drywall walls. We ll show some simple examples in a moment although it must be admitted that real world applications of the code s requirements may be more complex than our examples.

Locations for fire blocking in your home. Fire blocking is for the ceiling space behind your basement walls which i m presuming are going to be drywalled. Holes and gaps in wall and ceiling. Fire blocking is a blocking device inserted between the top plate of your exterior wall and the exterior masonry wall.

It s purpose is to prevent the spread of smoke and flames from reaching the bottom of the 1st floor of your home from the basement area thereby burning through and spreading to the 1st floor of the home. Certain assemblies particularly wood frame assemblies result in concealed voids or cavities within walls ceilings and attics which not only affect the spread of fire but also make suppression more difficult. It s that ceiling space that must be fire blocked with drywall or some other material. Fire blocking purposes the international building code ibc has fire blocking requirements that are intended to limit the spread of flames smoke and gases in combustible concealed spaces such as a wood frame wall cavity.

Sorry the video player failed to load. What to fire block every 10 on tall walls drop ceilings cove ceilings any ceiling attached to studs that keep on going into a gable or another story stair stingers the building code calls for a block at the top and bottom of each riser but most inspectors will allow. Wall and ceiling cavities. What every homeowner needs to know the problem.

Irc section r302 11 states in combustible construction fire blocking shall be provided to cut off both vertical and horizontal concealed draft openings and to form an effective fire barrier between the stories and between a top story and the roof space the terms are interchangeably used by novice and experts. During a fire flame and heated products of combustion can spread via paths of least resistance. Here you see the general locations cited in the code. Fireblockingis intended to resist upward movement of flames smoke and gases.