fire

If you are working on a project that involves phone lines, we would like to ask you to take a closer look at the firestop installation for these materials.

 

This next blog series is going to discuss a few challenges we have found with firestopping phone and data lines and we are going to start our discussion in wood framed buildings, despite the fact that much of this information is relevant to other construction types.  Your phone/date teams such as Verizon, Comcast and the rest of them are likely creating a liability on your project when they run their data and phone lines. To those of you who think that I should inform these big companies, I have tried unsuccessfully to find the right person to speak with. The only solution I can think of now is to let the rest of you know about this issue and hope that you can at least make a difference on your projects.

 

These phone and data installers use two different materials from what I have seen. If you see something different in your area, please let me know. One is the white plastic HDPE lines that are relatively small, maybe 5/8” OD and may be run as single lines or may be run as bundles. They cause an array of issues. The first of which there is that only ONE firestop manufacturer that I can find who has LISTED detail for these microducts . That means that if your installers are using a different manufacturer, they are creating a liability because they are not using the materials as they have been designed and tested. It could be worse than that. They could be installing something that we know WON’T work in a fire scenario.

 

This blog series will address the following issues. First, we will discuss HDPE, microduct through wood floor ceiling assemblies as a single line. Next, we will look at what to do when they are in bundles through floor ceiling assemblies. The UL nomenclature for both of these applications is FC 2000. After that, we will look at gypsum walls. These are WL 2000 series details.  Then we will discuss concrete assemblies. We will group CAJ, FA and WJ details in this same discussion and finally we will look at FE details which are similar to FC details except that FC is wood framed, where there is a plywood floor on top of wood trusses and drywall ceiling to complete the rated assembly. FE details are fluted metal deck topped with concrete sitting on metal trusses and then the ceiling on the underside of the assembly is part of the rated floor ceiling assembly. It is similar to FC, but due to the metal framing there are some unique differences that we will discuss as a separate section that, knowing me, will lead us to a whole new discussion about problems with FE assemblies. Here is a common rated floor assembly in case there is any confusion regarding what type of assembly we are talking about.

 

If we don’t get sidetracked before we get to the end, we may address ENT. This is Electrical Non-Metallic Tubing or what I have heard in the field called innerduct. It’s the orange corrugated flexible lines that are between one and one and a half inches in diameter. They have very thin walls and the corrugation gives the material flexibility and strength while keeping it light weight for the installers. This is a different material with different fire dynamics so of course it needs a different assembly.

 

One thing to know before we launch into these individual discussions, is this. Several firestop manufactures’, when asked for a detail for microduct have sent me details for ENT that specifically list PVC. HDPE has very different fire dynamics than PVC. If you were to read about it you may see that it requires a higher melting point than other PE plastics. Polyethylene, when compared to PVC will typically melt much faster. It is true that HDPE requires higher melting temperatures than other PE plastics but let’s put this into the reference of the ASTM E814 fire test. If you have been following this blog for a while, or involved in the industry,  you will already be familiar with the time temperature curve. For this discussion we are going to look at it in reference to plastic pipes.

 

If we were to say that all of these typical plastics, including the CPVC used for sprinkler pipes will melt between 200F and 500F. The difference seems inconsequential when you consider that a one hour fire test will reach 1700F at the one hour mark and 1000F at the 5 minute mark. The difference between 200F and 500F seems inconsequential for this discussion, but the lower temperature plastics will often need a much more aggressive intumescent material to survive the ASTM E814 test. The only way to know what is needed for different applications is to check the third party test details. If you have any questions about a specific installation feel free to reach out for help.

 

When installing (or inspecting) plastic pipe installations the annular space the type of firestop material used and the type of plastic are all critical to ensuring the installation will perform as expected in a fire scenario.  This discussion is not breaking down all those details. We are only focusing on ensuring that the type of plastic you have in the field matches the tested and listed detail. This is critical.

 

Check in on the next blog to see if your team is installing these data and phone lines correctly. We will break each of these discussions into three parts we mentioned earlier.  We will start with the present field conditions we see. We will talk about the problem with that field condition and then we will discuss some solutions to consider.  See you again soon. Until then, keep learning and keep making the buildings you are involved with safer.

 

Please check in for the entire series if you are using this material we want to help ensure it is firestopped right. If we can help with anything please give us a call.

Firestopping Soda Lines- 

This blog series is going to highlight some issues we have seen on projects that are easily overlooked if you are moving too fast, or if you are new in the game. It is our hope that by sharing these things with you and your team that you can avoid the mistakes. If you have any questions let us know. Especially if you have suggestions for supporting the rest of the people out there who want to do firestop right, then please share your ideas. Thanks for taking the time to learn.

 

If you are on a project such as a high-rise office or maybe a hotel that will have a bar or restaurant, then there is a good chance you will have soda lines in your project and they likely won’t get installed until towards the end.   The conduits look like any electrical conduit so it’s easy to understand how someone inexperienced would allow this conduit to be firestopped with a standard detail that allows for steel, cast iron, electrical conduit as the listed type of metallic penetrating items. This would be a mistake.  The fire dynamics are going to be different for metal than they will be fore steel and there is a chance that the firestop requirements will be different as well.  If they are different, then the protection method could be different as well.

 

Then there is the liability. If you firestop it with a detail for steel and something goes wrong, then you are potentially liable for this mistake if you installed this or supervised the installation in any way.

 

Is there a difference, really?

YES, there is a difference between these two metals. Consider this. Melting point of steel is 2750F. Melting point of aluminum is 1221F.  If you have been following this blog, then you may remember the “time temperature curve” (see below). This shows the temperature inside the furnace, for example at the 10-minute mark the temperature inside the furnace will be 1300F.

 

While I have not witnessed a test with aluminium pipe, I have seen photos and videos of the aluminum transoms and mullions of exterior facades and I have seen them drooping and deformed.

 

Is it really going to be firestopped that differently?

Here is a detail that allows a max 8” diameter aluminum pipe but it requires a minimum annular space of ½” and it needs a full inch of sealant. A typical steel detail would only need ½” or in some cases ¼” of sealant and would allow the pipe to touch the edge of the opening. http://productspec.ul.com/document.php?id=XHEZ.C-AJ-1342  or this one that allows a 10” aluminum pipe but requires wrap strip at the top and bottom of a floor assembly. If it’s a smaller pipe the parameters are a bit more familiar. These two details and the differences between the standard metal pipes you are likely familiar with should serve as a reminder to look at these details closer if they are on your project.  http://productspec.ul.com/document.php?id=XHEZ.C-AJ-1112

 

How do I tell the difference?

First thing to do is to ask the question. The vendor installing the bar or restaurant equipment would be the first place I would go.

 

Second thing is to touch a magnet to the pipe. If you wonder whether or not it’s steel, a magnet will tell you. It won’t be attracted to aluminum, so it won’t stick to it.  But be careful because this is not a guarantee that you are dealing with aluminum, because magnets may not stick to stainless steel. So, this brings you back to asking questions of the right people on the team.

 

Third thing to do is to keep your eyes open. You can see in the photo that its clearly marked on the floor SODA.  After today, that should be a red flag for you to stop and ask questions before anyone firestops this.

If all you remember, is to ask questions whenever there is a restaurant or bar, then the time we took to write this was well spent. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us.  We are happy to help if we are able.

If you want to get firestop right, you can start by tackling the things in this article. There is a LOT in here to digest and each item warrants an article on its own, but this is great information to apply to your work if you are in any way involved in a project that needs firestop. Great job Eirene!

 

If you have any questions, email me and I will get you answers and may even do a blog post to clarify your question so others can learn from it as well.