I have a residential new construction home in Houston, Texas which has a mirrored home within about 2 feet of each other along the fire-rated wall seen in the attached PDF. At the back of the home there is a HVAC line set chase which also serves as a privacy wall for the back patio. Looking at the drawings, the logical exit point for the line set is directly out the end of the chase which is 1ft wide. However the end of the chase is 8 - 2x6's joined together and carrying the load of an LVL spanning the width of the patio. Because it's structural, we can't cut into it. This leaves us the sides of the chase for the line set to exit. We do not want to exit the chase within the patio space for aesthetic reasons if we can avoid it. We want to exit the chase on the exterior wall between the two homes which are spaced around 2ft apart. This is a fire rated wall in the living spaces of the home, but there is some ambiguity if the section of wall which also serves as the chase and privacy wall is also fire rated. I have one inspector that says it isn't and another inspector that says it is because there is living spaces directly above.
Regardless, is there a way to penetrate this line set chase / privacy wall between the two homes with a hole around 3-4 inches in diameter that retains the fire rating?
EDIT: The home is 2x4 / 2x6 construction with Hardieplank siding.
Hello Richard! We appreciate you reaching out to ASK Hilti!
I am having some difficulty opening up your attachment, but based on you summary the attached system (WL 8141) should meet your application needs.
Note: Hilti does not have a firestop product that is intended to be exposed to exterior elements. If the wall is in fact an exterior wall exposed to exterior elements, we will not have an off the shelf tested and listed system for you to utilize and will need to create an Engineering Judgment (EJ) to accommodate the firestop application you described in your inquiry. EJ's are custom details showing your exact application with the firestop components required to maintain the stated ratings.
We are proud to announce the launch of the HILTI CONSTRUCTION PLATFORM (HCP), our company’s new engineering service website. This platform will be the home for all of your Fire Protection Design needs. Instead of emailing a PDF form for a request, the platform enables you to create new Engineering Judgment (EJ) requests, submit revisions to previously completed EJs or connect with an FPE on a question. HCP also enables you to track the status of your request.
You can find more information on how to access this new platform here: https://www.hilti.com/ej (US) or https://www.hilti.ca/ej (Canada.) For instructions on how to register along with how to navigate the new platform, please see the attached document. If you have any questions or require assistance navigating the platform, please call Customer Service for help at 1-800-879-8000 (US) or 1-800-363-4458 (Canada.)
Best regards,
Joe Newbanks
Fire Protection Design Team
Hilti North America
3701 W. Royal Lane, Suite 100 I Irving, TX, 75063
P 1-800-879-8000 I F 918-254-1679
usfirestopeng@hilti.com www.us.hilti.com/firestop
