Evolve Mechanical Solutions was hired to design the plumbing system for a Tenant Improvement in Vancouver. The photo below is looking down on a grey sanitary pipe penetrating the floor below and entering the parkade. The yellow substance around the piping is the firestopping the plumber installed.
The photo below is looking up at the sanitary pipe penetrating the parkade floor.
Anytime you penetrate a rated wall/ floor with piping you must provide firestopping around it and follow the manufactures installation method. When Evolve Mechanical Solutions question the plumber about the legitimacy of the firestopping installation he replied back that the pipe is rated to flame and smoke 25/50.
A flame and smoke rating has nothing to do with the firestopping method, it is a measurement of how much flame and smoke the pipe will produce. A good description on flame and smoke can be found at AeroFlex website:
The flame spread and smoke developed index results are reported on a scale from 0 (cement board) and 100 (red oak). The flame spread index (FSI) for pipe and duct insulation used in an air plenum must be 25 or less and smoke developed index (SDI) 50 or less, commonly referred to as “25/50” rated.
Firestopping refers to the amount of time the penetration will be protected. In this case the floor is rated for 2 hours thus the firestopping method must be listed to at least that amount of time before failing. Why should we be concerned about installing correct firestopping? A good video to explain this by IFC below:
Even though this pipe is rated for flame and smoke 25/50 it is still a combustible pipe thus regular fire caulking will not be enough. A firestop collar must be installed around the pipe and secured to the structure as shown in the manufacturers installation literature below. In our case the plastic piping will melt away similar to the piping in the video (time 2:55) thus not protecting the 2 hour rating. If perhaps non-combustible piping was used such as cast iron it would be acceptable.
After the plumber installed the firestop collar we then did our final review. Unfortunately the plumber didn’t follow the literature and installed incorrectly posing a risk to fail/ not operate as intended.
Below is a close up of the firestop collar literature showing that the connections must be either two bolts at 180 degrees or 3 bolts 120 degrees.
Finally after a 3rd attempt the plumber was successful:
Below video is a good example of how to install a firestop collar. AGAIN FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURERS INSTALLATION METHOD as each scenario is specific to the rating of the wall/ floor, the piping material, the wall/ floor construction and the size of opening,
As always please don’t hire inexperienced and unqualified trades to install life safety equipment especially when they do not wish to follow the manufacturer installation requirements.