Thermal breaks are installed within exterior walls, roofs, and framing connections to provide a break in structural connections that conduct heat through the exterior insulation. These thermal breaks can require a fire resistance rating. Firestops are designed to prevent fire from moving too easily up a wall to the room above or into another area of the house. They are typically achieved in walls by using wall top plates or wood-framed walls to string a straight wall and keep it straight.
Firestops are not necessary for all walls, but they can be used between floors, between a top story and a roof or attic space, in furred spaces, or cavities between studs in wall assemblies. Fireblocks are usually arranged in a grid-like pattern, ensuring that any fire is contained within one section of the grid. Materials used for fireblocking must be fireblocked at the platelines and any spaces that exceed 10 feet heights. 4′ blocks are typically used for blocking edges of exterior walls.
In modern residential home design, structural blocking has two main purposes: providing rigidity at mid-span for tall walls (in our code anything over 10′-0″) and increasing resistance to shear. Fireblocking strategies can be used in various ways, such as using soffits on exterior walls, installing firewalls, and arranging fire breaks in a grid-like pattern.
In conclusion, firestops are essential in modern residential homes to prevent fires from spreading and causing damage. They are typically installed between or through buildings, structures, or electrical systems, and are designed to provide a fire-resistant barrier to prevent the spread of flames.
📹 What Is Fire Blocking?
You’ll notice fire blocking here, this is at the eight foot level. They’ve just begun, in this home, putting this in. This house isn’t …
How do you know if a wall is a fire wall?
Firewalls possess a distinctive structural stability, whereby the collapse of the structure on either side is not accompanied by the collapse of the wall itself, even when exposed to fire conditions. This is a distinctive feature not observed in other fire-resistant walls.
What is the difference between a fire wall and an exterior wall?
Firewalls are sturdy walls designed to withstand fire for up to four hours, ensuring the building remains standing even if other parts collapse. These thicker walls stretch from the foundation to the roof, and are considered separate buildings if they are subdivided. They must meet ASTM fire-resistance building standards and can be supported with pilasters or buttresses. Standard firewalls are made from concrete or masonry and lack windows, doors, or other openings. Expansion joints allow the material to expand to withstand fire heat. Firewalls also need to withstand force from other collapsed structures or items within the building.
What is an exterior wall vs interior wall?
The interior side of a building is typically covered with drywall and reinforced with sheathing, while the exterior side is wrapped in a weather-restrictive barrier like Tyvek paper. Brick is rarely used for load-bearing walls in residential construction, as contemporary homes use veneered walls instead. Concrete masonry units (CMUs) are commonly used for exterior walls in commercial construction, residential construction, and for retaining walls, load-bearing walls in basements, and foundations. These walls are resistant to termite damage and provide insulation.
What is a fire break in a wall?
Concrete interlocking blocks can be used to construct firebreak walls, acting as a protective barrier against wildfires. These walls should be securely stacked and designed to withstand potential fire conditions. Local regulations and fire safety guidelines should be considered during construction. Prefabricated concrete blocks are a practical and efficient approach, with clear vegetation and excavation needed.
Blocks should be placed according to the predetermined design, with access points designated for firefighting equipment and personnel. Drainage elements should be integrated to prevent water accumulation behind the walls.
Do external walls need to be fire rated?
In order to comply with the requirements set forth in Section 3 (Means of Escape), Section 6 (Load-bearing Elements of Structures), or Section 11 (Resisting Fire Spread from One Building to Another), an external wall may be required to demonstrate fire resistance.
Do you have to FireStop both sides of a wall?
The text outlines the requirements for firestopping in various applications, including floors, walls, and walls. For floors, one layer of firestop is typically installed from the topside, while walls require firestopping on both sides. For wall installations, firestopping on both sides is required. For more information, contact the Fire Protection Engineering Team at 1 800 879 8000 or via the Hilti Construction Platform. Hilti has launched its engineering website, the HILTI CONSTRUCTION PLATFORM (HCP), which can be accessed at hilti.
Com/ej (US) or hilti. ca/ej (Canada). Additionally, Hilti has launched a mobile app called the Hilti Firestop Selector, which allows users to access the Hilti Fire Protection Design Team from the jobsite, on the road, or in the office. The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. For any questions, customers can contact the customer service team at 1-800-879-8000 (US) or 1-800-363-4458 (Canada).
Where is firestop required?
Firestop is necessary in all openings in a fire barrier, including those in walls or floors for building movement. The provisions of 8. 3. 5 govern the materials and methods used to protect joints in fire barriers, between fire barriers, and at the perimeter of fire barriers. Blank openings, often created as old service lines or equipment moves, must be restored. These provisions govern the materials and methods used to protect fire barriers.
Is an exterior wall a fire rated wall?
The fire resistance rating for exterior walls is determined by construction type, occupancy, and fire separation distance, as defined in Section 6 of the IBC. The rating ranges from no required rating to 3 hours. However, walls 10 feet or less from the property line must have a fire resistance rating based on proximity to adjacent buildings and interior occupancy conditions. The 2009 IBC increased this distance from five to 10 feet. Openings in exterior walls typically consist of windows and doors, and codes distinguish between “protected” (fire-rated doors, windows, shutters) and “unprotected” (no fire rating).
Do exterior walls have fireblocks?
Fireblocks are a requisite element in a multitude of construction applications, including floors, roofs, attics, furred spaces, wall cavities, horizontal and vertical connections in floor joists, trusses, soffits, drop or cove ceilings, and combustible exterior wall finishes.
What is the difference between a fireblock and a firestop?
It is important to distinguish between the fire block and the fire stop, which are two distinct types of firefighting equipment. The fire block is designed to impede the flow of air, preventing the combustion of fuel. In contrast, the fire stop is designed to suppress the spread of a fire over a specified period of time.
What is a FireStop in a wall?
Fire sleeves are fire stops designed to seal gaps created by pipes and cables passing through walls or ceilings. They expand rapidly during a fire to seal the space between pipes and surrounding materials. If used with plastic pipes, the sleeve crushes the pipe to prevent smoke or fire from spreading. Fire collars, similar to sleeves, expand under high temperatures to maintain fire resistance levels and prevent gas or flames from spreading. Fire covers are designed to stop fires in ceilings, expanding internally to fill the entire space with a fire-resistant, insulating char.
📹 Wall Fishing Tools & How To Use Them When Dealing With Fire Stops and Insulation
Structured Cabling And Racks/Accessories https://www.amazon.com/shop/lawrencesystemspcpickup?listId=4IL2963UNMJS PIA …
Fantastic. I was simply going to go the “Wreck it Ralph” method and keep destroying plasterboard walls until I eventually fished it through. Granted there would have been some interesting collateral damage, however, I could still honestly say that the sat TV cable had been successfully installed…..lol
Thanks for the article. I learned something so wanted to reciprocate: you can run a wall sensor from the planned outlet location on up to the spot where you would insert the fishing wire. If there’s a fireblock then it saves you from making a hole. Building code says the integrity of a fireblock must be maintained so I’ve just slid over and picked a new spot so I didn’t have to mess with it. But I realize that may not be an option for some installs.
Honestly being an electrician and network installer for many years I see a bunch of issues with this article. First off when marking out cut in data rings NEVER use pen or marker. Always use pencil and mark it lightly so that you can erase any mark in the case of something being behind where you plan on putting your ring in. Secondly, you have a magnepull, a good pointer for anyone that has a magnepull would be to use the fish end (the leader end that goes in the wall) to find the drywall screws so you will know where the studs are before you even plan on marking out your spot as no wall in real life would have the screws exposed with no drywall mud on them. Third, when cutting your data ring in ALWAYS start in the centre of your ring shape mark and cut either way horizontally to make sure nothing is behind the wall where you want to put the ring in. Also good to start in the centre and cut vertically up then down from the centre line incase for the odd reason there is something lower or higher then your box you can adjust your marks before you have to fix the drywall. And last but not least, make sure you tape your wire onto your fish sticks, magnepull, fish tape or whatever means of fishing you are doing really well as sometimes fishing walls may take lots of time depending on how easy it is to fish and you don’t want to do it twice. Anyways, those are my pointers. Have a good day everyone
i love that even while shooting a article in a controlled environment you were able to show the things that go wrong. i love a flex bit but dam can they be a pain sometimes. and the coax coming off of the magnet there at the end was priceless, yet lucky. I’ve had that happen countless times mid wall and had to pull it back out and start over, oh well that’s how we learn.
Nice article. Try doing a article that solves what people actually encounter in the field. 2.4 meter high internal stud wall (which many houses are). Vertical stud half way down, and insulation all throughout. Running cable from ceiling, down the wall to an outlet 300mm Above-floor-level, and customer wants to holes made in-between to access magnapull when you hit the vertical stud
10:08 1 1/4 bit (hole) on a 2×6 wall could be a building violation of code. Most electricians keep their inspector happy by drilling 3/4-in. holes dead center on a 3-1/2 in. wide stud. I advise anyone drilling holes in bearing or non bearing walls to understand dia. size. must keep the structure strong heres a general list: Holes in bearing wall studs (exterior and interior walls that bear the weight of the roof and/or other stories above) may not exceed 40 percent of the width of the stud. Notches in bearing wall studs may not exceed 25 percent of the stud’s width. Holes in non-bearing walls can’t exceed 60 percent of their width. Notches in non-bearing walls can’t exceed 40 percent of their width. The edge of a hole must be at least 5/8 in. from the edge of a stud. A ceiling joist or floor joist allows a hole of 33% of the size of the lumber, but holes cannot be bored within 2 inches of the top or bottom. On a stud, holes cannot be bored within 5/8 of an inch from the edge, but Article 300.4 of the NEC requires holes bored within 1-1/4 inch from the edge to have nailer plates. * yes I realize this is Low voltage cable and NM-B would not be (should not be by code) in the same raceway/holes.
What was it you used to attach the drill bit for a long extended drill into the fire break/block? I’m looking to fish CAT5 cable down from the attic to the floor of a 2nd story room. (I’m trying to mount a security cam on the ceiling of my front porch, adjacent to that room.) All cams are one CAT5 cable for all article, audio, and power; going to the master bedroom walk-in closet, where the NVR and POE power injector is located.
I’ve got a 10ft-12ft living room wall with firestops. I’m debating trying this long flexible drill bit to get holes in the beams from my attack and down from the original outlet. I’d love to hear what you guys think. I figure this way I can get the holes drilled and from there I can just make small drywall cuts to assist with running the cat5. I doubt snaking the wall blind through multiple beam holes would work without make drywall cuts.
You should put a disclaimer on the article on the use of all tools especially the use of a sawzall blade. Without having a fat grip at the end of the sawzall blade like a drywall saw, a persons hand could slip off the blade and slide along the sharp teeth of the blade causing a very deep laceration on the hand. You expect a certain degree of common sense from your viewers but that is not always the case. Just cover yourself. I love all your articles very informative. Thanks!
GREAT article, thanks Tom! Next, can you please do a article on pulling a bunch of new drops through an attic, by yourself, with j-hooks, around corners, without the cables getting tangled? That’s what I’m working on now and it’s a real PITA! I’m lacking the formal training so a article would be amazing! Thanks for all the time you spend on educating us youtubers.
One of these days I’m going to buy a magnet pull. But they are a bit pricy. My cheap method that works is to take a cheap tape measure, cut the end off with tin snips. Form it into a bit of a point and you can manually work it down the wall between the drywall and the insulation. The tape measure method costs about $5 for a cheap tape or free if you a have a “bad” tape measure you were not using. The magnet pull is $125 in your link and much more here in Canadian rubles to buy. Actually the tape measure is also a reasonably good pole replacement and for reaching across suspended ceiling tiles too and it’s easier to carry up a ladder than a set of poles. I love my stupid cheap cut off tape measure for pulling wires. It’s my favourite tool hack. Now there are problems with cutting the end off a tape measure. It will want to retract into the body of the tape measure. You have to avoid that, but after the first time it does it and you end up opening up the housing you can take a few windings out of the spring so it has less tension when retracting. I just tape up the end with electrical tape around the body of the tape measure when done so it doesn’t let go and retract rather than rely on the brake mechanism. Also the end gets a bit chewed up over time as you frequently kink the end while pushing down through walls but just cut it back again when it happens. Another tip, cut it off at exactly 1 ft or 2ft mark and you can know if you pushed it far enough down the wall. So an 8ft wall you cut 1 ft off, once you see you pushed 9ft of tape down the wall before you hit something and you know you hit the bottom plate and not a fire stop, or if you only go 3.
I have literally been dreading running new wiring in my house that was built in 54 with no grounds because it has a lot of additions and shoddy fixes all over the place. There is no way of telling where the fire blocks are or anything like that so I have just avoided doing it. I just came across this article and I never knew there was a drill bit that is attached to the end of a fishing wire, that is a total life saver!
Guys I really need expert advice. I followed all your instructions, bought all the tools suggested. I was lucky enough to have no insulation or fire wall, but after my job was completed, no Stella came out of the wall. So I repeated the process about dozens of times and I still can’t find the Stella’s. Now my wall looks like Swiss cheese and my wife wants to divorce me. Any help would be great.
Great article for starters. I do cabling from time to time and had everything I’ve learned tossed out the window by one building. The building is/was a 195 year old Hotel. We installed 30 UniFi Protect cameras. I brought all the tools you mentioned in this article along with some extras like a Borescope, and a extra long Steel fish tapes, (120′). This Hotel had been remodeled an unknown number of times. While the current owner had owned it for 40 years, he was completely hands off in terms of maintenance. Current people who were familiar with the building included a 30yr who had worked there for about 5 years and myself. I have been the IT person for over a decade. The hotel had never had cameras and the wifi system was limited to a single wired UniFi AP and 2 remote wireless Uplinks, only about 1/3rd of the hotel had usable wifi. One of the ceilings was solid wire mesh and basically isolated each floor like a faraday cage. I planed for 3-5 days. It took 10 days, 10-12 hr a day, and over 5500′ of ethernet. Most of the walls were anywhere from 3-5″ thick with newer sheetrock on top of plaster from the 50s, on top of wood paneling, there was then a gap that varied from 4″ to 10″ and the original walls which were some type of plaster, that literally took chisels to break and was effectively concrete. The older wood, 100yr+, was in a type of petrified state that took hammer drills to get through. In addition there were multiple sections of the building that had granite support walls. These walls were around 14″ thick solid granite.
An endoscope camera with flexible gooseneck shaft is also helpfull. Also, invariably you’ll need a right-angle drill, something with a very low profile (not the plumbers’ or electricians’ gigantic Milwaukee Hole Hawg). Finally, you’ll need a selection of spade and auger bits and three or four 18-inch and/or two-foot drill bit extension wands so that you can extend the drill down inside the wall, assembling it section by section, to reach the firestop; it’s like drilling an oil well!. If the firestop is sheet metal, you’ll need to use a hole saw and suitable drill extension wands. I’ve done it, and it’s tricky….
What’s the difference between the XP1000-3 and the XP1000-6 magnet puller? Also do you HAVE to use the roller? You can’t just use a piece of metal or another magnet to trace it? Not trying to pay $175 for the “kit” if you can get the bullet dropper for $35 and use a piece of metal or a 500lb fishing magnet I already have lol
Former telecom and home theater installer here: another option for fishing a fiberglass insulated wall: a 12 to 16 ounce lead fishing sinker with a string tied to it. It may require a 1″-plus hole in the top stud; but if you jerk on the string and bounce the lead weight, eventually it’ll find the path of least resistance—- between the fiberglass and the sheetrock —- and each time you jerk the string the weight will work its way father down inside the wall cavity. A “bank” sinker, or an ovoid, egg-shaped lead “drail” with pointed ends, worked well for me most of the time, but occasionally, the skinnier and more streamlined the weight, the better, like maybe a piece of 1/2 or 3/4″ copper pipe filled with lead shot or molten lead. This technique is particularly usefull when you can’t drill through the top plate, and/or are working inside a drop ceiling where you don’t have much vertical height or room to manipulate glow rods.
About a minute and a half in, I see one of my pet-peeves of the industry. A bad habit common in the Industry. Why drill a hole damn near equal to the size of the wire, where it will only allow for the one wire? I used to do that when I first started. Very annoying when you return for an upgrade and you cannot add a new wire through the same hole. Cant enlarge the whole with out taking out the wire. So you have to get in there and drill another hole. Sometimes it’s bad enough the first time usually from an attic or crawl space. “Work smart, so you don’t have to work Hard”…my father always said.
What are your options when fishing through a pre-drilled firestop? I’ve got at least two in my wall and I stupidly pulled up some coax without tying a string to the end first. Using fish rods, I just cannot seem to find the existing holes. I can always get past one easy (from either side), but I just cannot for the life of me make it from attic to floor. To make matters worse, they ran electrical through this same path, so I’m hesitant to do any drilling near it, but I’m hoping to utilize the existing hole.
Can someone explain why the hell its called a “Fire Stop”? its just wood, wood burns, we call that a noggin in Australia we use for the sturdiness of the wall and studs, It’s also used on interior walls here. I think that where we have the US beat, we use simple c-clip brackets to mount both electrical and data plates to the wall instead of the mud ring(?)
Hi, thanks for the information. I need some help here. I just bought a 4k lorex camera for surveillance; the problem I have now is that I need 3 180 ft cables in order to connect 3 of 8 cables cat5e supplied with the cables, my plans if GOD help me are to replace all those cat5e with cat6a and install them in between the outside siding and the plywood(inside the siding) and run all the 8 cables around my home and at the point of connection to my Nvr make a junction box to make everything looks nice, more pro and future proof, this cable is just basically for the surveillance system only and in the future ifnI have to upgrade the system just remove, plug and play, it is just from the cameras including a PTZ camera to yhe Nvr using POE method for power and that’s it, also must be not to ridgid because I have to run the cable in 2 corners at 90 degree turns, now, the only problem I have is: what cable is the best option? Cat6a shielded, not shielded, outdoors, plenum, or riser? I am getting crazy 🤪, Can you help me out and tell me what cable you would use in this case? ” I will run the 3 cables altogether, and at some point, they will join the other ones. I don’t know if this can create noise or not, I live in the city surrounded by other homes and of course neighbors with routers and tons of items connected and I have no idea if that can be call “noise”, thanks for any help. Also, do you think those new Flat cat6a really works and can be used in this case? Is this one good?
Cool stuff! But I have a double (almost triple whammy 😢) …. Two firebreaks and insulation. Then the ABS water drain pipe. Older construction dimensional lumber. This house is built sturdy! 1957/8 The water pipe isn’t so difficult but wires must be run through the small gap between the pipe and wall. AND through the insulation and firebreaks. I’m considering a cable chase since I’m running speaker wires, RG6, cat6 and HDMI.
If only my wall were that easy to cut. I have an old plaster wall (actual plaster, not drywall) that for some reason was installed on top of 1/4″ modern drywall. Yeah, strange I know. But it’s as if the builder had a machine and just sprayed the plaster to a certain depth on top of actual drywall, making my wall like 1″ thick and virtually impossible to cut with a hand saw. I have to use a power saw (the kind for cutting trim on a floor so you can install flooring under the trim) with AC and even then it’s difficult as the saw blade dulls out within a few cuts. Next time I’ll probably use a much more aggressive jigsaw, but I don’t want to use that and accidentally cut through AC wire.
If you had an obstacle or for whatever reason you can’t use the hole you put in the wall, your solution shouldn’t be a blank plate. I have customers that would freak over that. Which is why I have a carpenter/drywall subcontractor that would come in and spend an hour patching it like it was new. I had a new hire who I didn’t realize was emotionally unstable, got frustrated and took a hammer to a wall, a bucket of mud and a half a sheet of sheetrock later my contractor patched all the holes, and you could never tell what my jackass new hire did. That employee is now working at Price Chopper in the deli making a fraction of what he could of made if he kept his cool.
Is there a flex bit for metal? I’m working in the hospitals, and we are running access control cable ( banana cable) we have to drop our card reader down the flex into the 1gang box we installed but apparently there are 3 metal fire stops in the wall. We got threw all threw but man it sucked. Do they not make metal shaving flex bits? Bc we had to cut a big squar out of the dry wall to fit our drill and attach 1ft extentions as we got deeper. With our hole saw…. I have a flex bit for wood but can’t seem to find one for metal studs….
For the flexible drill rod with bit, just what happens when one is loading 8-16 holes down the wall with a “fire-break” stud not visible? For example, it could be for camera security, RJ-45 Network cables in a large group down the wall to a NVR. (Network article Recorder) for security cameras. 8-16 network cables can get thick to use a small hole. Of course, one can use a spade-bit for the 2-top (double top plate), but don’t have a drill rod that uses a spade bit?
Really, crawl into the attic drill drop a fish rod gow back down and pray where you are about to drill into a wall is the same place you have the rod sitting behind the wall. Then if it is put on a ring tie off your coax now crawl back up the attic and pull up your coax.. You just wasted 25 minutes. You are an armature or you were never tought the right way to fish walls.
Cool and good information, but still doesn’t help me. This seems to assume 2 stories at least so you can come from the top. In a 1 story, I need to run wire down from a breaker box into a crawl space, so I can’t drill from the top anywhere. I’m assuming there’s a 2×4 on top of the sub floor behind the dry wall, doubt there’s a spare hole in it for new wires.
So I’ve been perusal your articles for an hour or so and just now realized you guys are located just down the road from me in Trenton, AND you have my old buddy Corey working for you1 how crazy is that?!? Man, I guess I should have taken him up on the offer to come work for you too a few years back, Maybe I too could have been a youtube star! lol.
I would love to see a more advanced wiring article that goes over metal framed walls, particularly ones that have drywall ceilings. I don’t think it’s “legit” to drill through metal top plates, I’d like to see how that’s done, and how you run the big cable bundles to the MDF through the drywall / drop ceilings and maybe raised floors. Conduit with bushings? Big brush plates? Other?
My favorite ghetto install tool – garden stake from the local hardware store. 3 foot – vinyl coated Cut/peel off the coating and you have a 3 foot aluminum tube with a diameter such that ethernet cable snugs right into it. Use case: Those goddamned walls that inexplicably have a foot or more of space between them, and you don’t have proper fish rods with you. They will flex a little, but not quite as much as a proper fish rod. You can join a couple end to end if you have to. A buck a piece at the nearest hardware/garden store has saved me a couple times when on a remote install in an unfamiliar city from having to call a cab, travel to the nearest place that sells sticks, and return.
These guys are obviously experienced, but I prefer using a vibratory cutter after the layout of the mud ring. When I am handed a box of black mud rings with no holes at the corners, I first make my template by drilling a small hole at each corner for the pen to mark thru. I have the MagnnaPull set and it works on some walls, but not all of them. On occasions, you may want to use the bead chain that MagnaPull supplies in an empty wall to the mud ring cutout. I have pulled wire for about 10 years now, and all tricks are appreciated. The orange mud rings with the layout holes are sold at Home Depot.
I have an older house and 1 of the downstairs rooms only has one electric wire hanging down from the ceiling in the center of the room. It;s connected to a light with a pull string. is there a way to fish wiring from the ceiling through the wall to add a light switch and a couple outlets? Or should I just gut the plaster, do my wiring then drywall and paint?
What an awesome article 🤙🏻 I have one question. We are wanting to put an electrical plug and an wire for satellite tv on a insulated wall (to outside) to use a TV wall mount. This article has given me reassurance that it’s very possible. I’m wondering though; can we fish the wires up from the unfinished basement ceiling? It’s not possible to go from the ceiling because we have very high vaulted ceilings. . Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you:)
What do you do when you can’t get to the top and you have to go through the face and move to the left? An example would be mounting a television over a fireplace where you want to drill through the back of the wall behind the tv to run the wires and have it come out to the left side of the wall approximately 5ft away.
Cool stuff, takes me back – good times, my mod tools were mousie, mousie, and the green monster, string with a chain on the other end, and a plastic perspects rod to get down those walls and dwang’s / studs, 15 years ago, sometimes you just have to be innovative …. Good vid guys, we normally use to get a couple of crates of beers towards the end of the week, job took 1 and a half years good memories 🙂 …
I ran into a situation where a wall had a fire stop but it was made out of metal. Same thin kind the metal studs were made of. I was able to drill through it with a long drill bit, but was concerned about the sharp edge cutting into the ethernet cable. Since this is inside a wall, I don’t see any reason the cable should ever move. What might you have done differently? Would you have done anything to protect the cable somehow?