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Firestopping Required for Recessed or Concealed Sprinklers in a 1 Hour Ceiling Assembly

Posted by Casey Kikuyama11 months ago
Firestopping Required for Recessed or Concealed Sprinklers in a 1 Hour Ceiling Assembly

NFPA 13 (2022) 16.2.5.4 states that the use of caulking or glue to seal the penetration or to affix the components of a recessed escutcheon or concealed cover plate shall not be permitted.

Are recessed or concealed sprinklers provided with escutcheons exempted from being firestopped for a through penetration of a 1-hour fire resistive ceiling, or is there a listed firestopping system for this type of penetration

Ceiling,1 hour,fire sprinkler
2 Replies
Posted by Nathaniel Crawford11 months ago
Hilti Verified

Hello Casey - there is no firestop requirement for a sprinkler head as a membrane penetration in an assembly. This guidance for us is provided from 2021 IBC 714.4.2 (exception 5). Essentially this section states that firestop is not required in the annular space around the sprinkler head as long as the annular space is covered by a metal escutcheon plate. Ultimately you should consult with your Authority Having Jurisdiction to align with the relevant approval agencies on this topic.

Regards,
Nate Crawford - Lead FPE

1 comment on this reply
Posted by Casey Kikuyama11 months ago
Hi Nate, I understand that membrane penetrations can be exempted, but if the ceiling was being constructed without a void space to run the piping within, and the piping is above the rated ceiling assembly, wouldn't these penetrations be through-penetrations vs membrane penetrations? It doesn't appear that NFPA 101 or IBC would exempt these cases from firestopping. If this is the case, is there a firestopping assembly that exists, or would the only solution be to create a membrane penetration or provide sprinklers with 401 escutcheons so that a standard firestopping system could be utilized?
Posted by Nathaniel Crawford11 months ago
Hilti Verified

Thanks for the follow up. If I'm understanding correctly, it sounds like what you have is just a UL classified gypsum ceiling rather than an L500 assembly. This is a tricky one that we likely can't provide guidance for. If the piping of the sprinkler is penetrating the assembly, firestop could come into play here with an Engineering Judgment. If it is the sprinkler head itself being the penetrating item, we would not recommend firestop to be installed here. We would not want our firestopping products to come into contact with the sprinkler head itself. I would defer to the AHJ here for situations where the sprinkler head is penetrating the ceiling. If the piping itself is penetrating the assembly, please request an Engineering Judgment as outlined below and we can move forward with guidance there.

Hilti is proud to announce the launch of our engineering website, the HILTI CONSTRUCTION PLATFORM (HCP). This platform will be the home for all of your Fire Protection Engineering needs, including Engineering Judgment requests. You can find more information on how to access this new platform here: hilti.com/ej (US) or hilti.ca/ej (Canada.) 

Thanks!
Nate

1 comment on this reply
Posted by Casey Kikuyama11 months ago
Yes, it would be a gypsum ceiling assembly not an L500 type. Understood. We will submit an EJ if an alternate solution is not found. Thank you for all the help!