I need to seal the penetrations around the piping for two boilers and a couple of electric panels so my building inspector will be happy.
Some of the gaps around the pipes were cut large enough for insulation to fit so I have a 1 1/2″ gap to fill.
1) Other than intumescent caulk are there any products anyone can recommend.
2) The wiring and conduit above the panel box is going to be very tricky to seal and the building inspector wants it smoke proof. How do I seal this???
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Replies
Find some 'rock wool' through an insulation supplier. Most inspectors will accept this as a firebreak when it's stuffed tightly into gaps.
David
Thanks for the reply. Rockwool kind of scares me. I think asbestos.
Harpo
http://www.hilti.com/holcom/modules/prcat/prca_navigation.jsp?OID=-9655
carpenter in transition
Tim,
Thanks a bunch!!! Looks exactly what I'm looking for.
Harpo
Tim,
I just checked the price on CP 620 from Hilti.
$290 for 12 tubes and they won't sell less than 12?
Is this the real deal?
Harpo
If you have a local Hilti store you can purchase loose cans there.
Maybe try Roxul? It's mainly used for sound absorption but has a high fire resistance. I 've used it once, it's a little itchy to work with, like ibsulation but without the paperbacking. If there's have a Marjam near you I know they carry it. Or try marjam.com
Thanks for the suggestion.
Does it look like insulation? My inspector made a point of telling me that the insulation had to be cut back. As he put it "It's as porous to smoke as the filter in a cigarette". So I rather skip anything that looks like insulation.
Harpo
Rock wool is perfect for this kind of application (big, uneven hole, need to be able to remove later, fireproof, cheap and simple).
To work with rock wool it is best to use rubber gloves, pulled over your long sleeve cuffs, a hat and wear a fully covering outfit that you can wash right afterwards and a face mask if you're gonna really move a lot of it (ie, get it into the air and stuff). To plug up a few holes though, just rubber gloves are enough for me.
The stuff is a byproduct of the steel industry (if I recall correctly) and it pretty benign, but very itchy. I do know one person who had an apparent allergic reaction to being covered in it (working in a lot of it, in an enclosed space, for a whole day).
The nice thing about using rock wool so stuff up a hole for fireproofing purposes is that you can just pull it out someday when you want access again and stuff it back when you're done.
Hope this helps,
Norm
The stuff you describe kind of sounds like the same thing I'm recomending.
Rock wool --- Roxul
Probably the same stuff with a different name" Looks good from my house!!"
O.K. Thanks Everybody,
I got a free book from the Hilti store about the size of a phone book that lists UL approved fire block systems.
Guess what it recomends for my situation.
Rock-wool with intumescent caulk troweled over it to the thickness of the drywall.
Thats what I'll go with. Thanks for the input.
Harpo
Well , I guess is does but I would say much more of a tighter wrap than insulation. It kind of comes off in chunks rather than fiberous strands like insulation would but you can cram it in the cracks, holes or any other places like that. I guess its worth a shot I think it was priced the same or a little more than standard R-19 bats. The name is Roxul . I actually have a pamphlet if you're interested, I'm done with it I just picked it up for personal reference. Send an E-mail with your mailing address if so....good luck" Looks good from my house!!"
Why the objection to intumescent caulks?
I have seen a couple of cases where these caulks have prevented much greater damage. Possibly saved a the building and the business in one case.
If the objection is that these caulks are difficult to remove, a consideration if your planning to renovate or add circuits or conduits, you could use one of the several brands of intumescent putty. Those can be thumbed into place and removed and reused quite a few times.
Larger cross-sections are closed by using blocks of this material. These are used in hospitals where machines, and their associated cables, have to be relocated. I have seen horizontal chases about 16" across closed this way. The bags and blocks of material are restrained by a metal mesh screwed in place.
I don't have an objection to caulk, I was just hopeing there was an quick, easy, and cheap way to seal around a bunch of wires. Like a spray foam.
Also, I didn't think caulk would span the large gap I had around the pipes in the boiler room.
I went to the Hilti store in Buffalo and they told me I needed to buy a whole kit to apply the foam product. Special gun and 12 tubes. They would not sell less than 12.
I will check into the intumesent putty. This is the kind of info I was looking for. I have no experience with fire stop material. Thanks