What Is A Fire Block In Framing
Its not a building code thing and its not optional youll more than likely have to install some blocking to complete your wall framing.
What is a fire block in framing. By sealing the pipe cable and duct penetrations you minimize airflow. Masuzi Leave a Comment. As your own Home Builder get practical advice here on covering these details and checking the framing.
If fire can pass through one section and travel to another it needs to be blocked. 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. Blocks are spacers between studs such as where an interior wall attaches an exterior wall and for framing corners such as a three-stud corner with blocking.
Basement walls that are framed up against the concrete foundation walls need to be fire blocked because there is a gap between the framing and the concrete wall. However there is no restriction on the material used. In otherwords where the wall meets the floor and the floor meets a ceiling.
Twelve Die in Fire at West Chase Hilton Hotel Houston Fire Journal January 1983. During a fire that means flames harmful gasses and toxic smoke cannot spread as quickly. Fire blocks objective is to -as the name states- block the flame and gas to easily move through the cavities of the house construction.
Being a handy homeowner doing the framing. Fire Blocking is when you install some type of approved fire-stopping or blocking perimeter to your framed walls to keep the spread of a potential basement fire from making its way up through the framed basement walls and reaching the first floor of the structure hence the name Fire. Its 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.
The purpose of fire blocking is to prevent fire from spreading through the concealed spaces of a building. Sealing these gaps slows or may even stop the spread of flames smoke and gases. In an unblocked balloon-framed building for example a fire that starts in the basement can rapidly travel up the stud.