Fire Blocking In Basement Walls
Vertical basement wall fire blocking fire blocking basement walls is installed by nailing on strips of 5x8 or thicker o s b.
Fire blocking in basement walls. Insulators like gypsum mineral wool and particle board are known for their fire retardant qualities. In a residential setting and especially when finishing your basement you are most likely going to fire block. Or drywall to the top. The subject of fire blocking a basement seems to be surrounded by mystery and secrecy.
Hi geoff okay here s the deal with fire blocking your basement with a no drywall ceiling. The rule is intended to prevent all the bays in a wall from being connected when the studs are not drywalled or sheathed on both sides. I know how you feel i have been finishing basements for 27 years and in the old days nobody ever heard of fire blocking. Spray foams that are approved for fire blocking.
Code requirements for adding fire blocking and draft stopping apply mainly to new construction. This is an area that seems to be very confusing for a lot of diy ers finishing their own basement. Fire blocking is for the ceiling space behind your basement walls which i m presuming are going to be drywalled. It s the same as if you had a drywalled ceiling.
There will be a 3 5 space between your concrete wall and the framed drywall walls. But if you re finishing a basement putting on an addition remodeling a room or just running pipes or wires through a plate you ll need to include fire blocking. Fire block and firestop are two different concepts and use different materials. R602 8 item 1 2 states that fire blocking is needed horizontally at intervals not exceeding 10 feet within concealed spaces in stud walls.
Our basement walls trigger a second code requirement. If you re in the process of building a new house you probably won t have to specify that you want fireproof materials as these features are now standard. Insulate your basement with fire blocking materials.