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September 2021 #13266 Page #118
RTUD and ATUD Now UL Listed As a Through-Penetration Firestop System By Thomas Goebel
W
hether you’re designing and building a one- or two-story single-family residence, or doing the same for a multifamily, mid-rise wood-frame structure, fire and smoke protection features must be considered, and in most cases are required. When a fire starts, time is of the essence and the longer the flame and gases can be contained and the spread of the fire to adjacent spaces is kept in check, the greater the chance firefighters and first responders will have to defeat the blaze. Though many building jurisdictions have slightly different requirements and provisions, the three primary modes of fire rating that codes consider are an F-rating (flame), a T-rating (temperature rise), and an L-rating (air or gas leakage). The F and T ratings are gauged on a resistance per hour basis and the L rating is based on a rating of air leakage in cubic feet per minute per square foot of opening, or CFM/sq.ft. These ratings and provisions are in place to help safeguard against the spread of fire and smoke within the immediate structure as well as to contain the spread of fire to other structures. It is standard, and quite necessary, that penetrations exist throughout a structure, where ventilation ducts, plumbing pipes, electrical conduits and countless other utilities snake up, down and through the framing of the building. Not unlike the utility penetrations, many traveling from the first floor to the top floor, the continuous rod system runs vertically beginning at the foundation level and terminates at the roof line or within the wall of the uppermost floor. As the rod remains continuous within the wall cavity (between the framing studs), drilled penetrations through the sill plate, subfloor and double top plate are necessary so the rod can travel the entire building height.
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