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1-HR BEARING WALL IN VA: PROTECT STUDS AT DOOR OPENINGS? Not a fire barrier, fire partition or fire wall

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Lorenbb

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Joined
Oct 25, 2013
Messages
12
Location
United States
Type VA construction using 2015 IBC, bearing walls which are not fire barriers, fire partitions or fire walls clearly must be 1-hour rated per Table 601. The walls we are looking at here are typically wood-framed bearing and/or shear walls within R-2 dwelling units in mid-rise 6-8 story V-on-I buildings. The door might easlily be from bedroom to living room.

Do the studs around openings in these walls need any sort of protection?

We have a building inspector requiring that the non-rated door openings in these walls be wrapped with GWB or get an additional stud at each side to protect the edges of the 1-hour-rated GWB-studs-GWB sandwich from fire.

The walls are not formally protecting anything on one side of the wall from a fire on the other side, they are protected solely due to their structural role.

CAN THIS POSSIBLY BE CORRECT?

Section 602.1 hints that these stud wall edges do not need protection:
  • “Where required to have a fire-resistance rating by Table 601, building elements shall comply with the applicable provisions of Section 703.2. the protection of openings, ducts and air transfer openings in building elements shall not be required unless required by other provisions of this code.”
But of course there is that “unless required by other provisions of this code” text. We have not been able to prove there is NO OTHER PROVISION, so we are stuck

If these walls were secondary structural members, then I also believe that 704.4.1 would give us permission to say that the fire resistance ratings are provided by the GWB membranes, and that the edges of the openings do not need special treatment:
  • “Studs and boundary elements that are integral elements in load-bearing walls of light-frame construction shall be permitted to have required fire-resistance ratings provided by the membrane protection provided for the load-bearing wall.”
I spoke with our structural engineer, and alas they were not able to say with any confidence that these bearing and shear walls are “secondary.”

Anyone got an opinion?
 
The inspector is absolutely incorrect. Each of the FRR assemblies have specific requirements for openings, membrane and through penetrations. Bearing walls have no requirements for openings (or penetrations). Your interpretation is correct. This follows the intent, they are not designed to compartmentalize a fire, only to maintain structural integrity for the required time. While penetrations and openings can reduce that, they will still maintain capacity for the duration required.

Stud bearing walls are secondary by definition.
 
Lets have some fun....The inspector is absolutely correct....The bearing walls in VA need to be 1 hour construction and need to be a complete assembly....The "penetrations" do not need to be protected for the passage of fire, but the bearing members (studs/ jacks/ headers) do need to be part of a complete 1 hour assembly and should not be exposed to fire without something at least similar to 5/8" drywall protecting them...

1668433606801.png
 
steveray said:
Lets have some fun....The inspector is absolutely correct....The bearing walls in VA need to be 1 hour construction and need to be a complete assembly....The "penetrations" do not need to be protected for the passage of fire, but the bearing members (studs/ jacks/ headers) do need to be part of a complete 1 hour assembly and should not be exposed to fire without something at least similar to 5/8" drywall protecting them...

View attachment 9743
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Doors are openings, not penetrations. Show me the code section where openings are protected in interior bearing walls.
Fun indeed, you are laughably incorrect, not even close.
 
Structure is protected.....Everywhere.....

704.4.1 Light-frame construction. Studs, columns and
boundary elements that are integral elements in walls of
light-frame construction and are located entirely between
the top and bottom plates or tracks shall be permitted to
have required fire-resistance ratings provided by the
membrane protection provided for the wall.

You may be able to approve an alternate via 703.2.3 and 104.11....but bear in mind that is you "approving" an alternate.......When the framing is not protected by the membrane (drywall/ gypsum)....
 
redeyedfly said:
Doors are openings, not penetrations. Show me the code section where openings are protected in interior bearing walls.
Fun indeed, you are laughably incorrect, not even close.
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They are neither openings per 716 or penetrations per 714 as their intent is to preserve the structure, not to limit the spread of fire through the building....
 
steveray said:
They are neither openings per 716 or penetrations per 714 as their intent is to preserve the structure, not to limit the spread of fire through the building....
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Doors are definitely openings and 716/714 make no mention of bearing walls; they both mention all the other FRRs, but not bearing walls.
Would you also require door and window jambs to be wrapped in FRR exterior walls also? Code doesn't require that either.
 
redeyedfly said:
Doors are definitely openings and 716/714 make no mention of bearing walls; they both mention all the other FRRs, but not bearing walls.
Would you also require door and window jambs to be wrapped in FRR exterior walls also? Code doesn't require that either.
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yes..... the framing has to be protected from the fire in the building (do you argue that?)...you can do that prescriptively with the gypsum per 704.4.1 or in some other manner...That manner is not a vinyl window or some arbitrary nothing, it might be a rated jamb, it might be a 3/4" wood jamb, it might be whatever gets approved as an alternative, but it needs to be protected...
 
steveray said:
T601
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No it doesn't, it tells you where you need FRR assemblies. Ch 7 tells you how to build them. If Ch. 7 doesn't tell you to protect openings, then you don't have to.
Please stop being one of the code officials who doesn't know the differences between FRRs in Ch. 7. There are big differences and they are there for a reason.
 
redeyedfly said:
Doors are definitely openings and 716/714 make no mention of bearing walls; they both mention all the other FRRs, but not bearing walls.
Would you also require door and window jambs to be wrapped in FRR exterior walls also? Code doesn't require that either.
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For windows and similar openings in the rated exterior walls, we are taking Table 705.8 at its word that we can have approriate percentages of "unprotected openings." The inspector has not asked for them to be wrapped.

705.8.3 Unprotected openings.
Where unprotected openings are permitted, windows and doors shall be constructed of any approved materials. Glazing shall conform to the requirements of Chapters 24 and 26.
 
Lorenbb said:
For windows and similar openings in the rated exterior walls, we are taking Table 705.8 at its word that we can have approriate percentages of "unprotected openings." The inspector has not asked for them to be wrapped.

705.8.3 Unprotected openings.
Where unprotected openings are permitted, windows and doors shall be constructed of any approved materials. Glazing shall conform to the requirements of Chapters 24 and 26.
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The inspector is correct on the exterior walls. Now ask him what's the difference between an exterior bearing wall and an interior.

(The interior bearing wall never needs protected openings unless it is also serving as fire barrier or partition, and you could possible have a bearing fire wall)
 
For the interior walls, Inspector is just saying that the studs at doors need protection because he sees no code text that says otherwise.
We'll try lean on 704.4.1's "membranes-are-enough" language.
¯\_(ㇱ)_/¯
 
Lorenbb said:
For the interior walls, Inspector is just saying that the studs at doors need protection because he sees no code text that says otherwise.
We'll try lean on 704.4.1's "membranes-are-enough" language.
¯\_(ㇱ)_/¯
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You can show him how the other types of FRRs require protection at openings and penetrations but those sections are not included in the bearing walls section.
 
So by your idiot logic, we could drywall the 1.5" face of 2x4s, leave all of the sides exposed, call them "openings" and have a 1 hour rated bearing wall?...... Rated openings in an assembly designed to prevent the spread of fire to other parts of the building and rated structure that keeps the building standing in a fire event are 2 entirely different things....Use your head.....704.4.1 says that can be accomplished by the membrane that COVERS the framing....What exempts the "exposed" or non- fire protected per 704.4.1 framing from being 1 hour protected?
 
Yikes said:
A quick search turned up this image from NFPA 80 "Standard For Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives". Hat tip to forum member Lori Green for her valuable website.
https://idighardware.com/2017/01/qq-what-is-the-minimum-gwb-penetration-for-a-fire-rated-frame/

Note in figure (b) that there is no gyp board wrapping around the face of the stud.

View attachment 9749
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Note that it is IIB construction and the framing has no rating to preserve......

I am not saying that a rated opening protective wouldn't be allowed to protect the framing, just that the framing does have to be protected per T601 and 704
 
Another way to think about it:
- A one hour wood-framed structural wall has to keep the structure from collapsing for one-hour (Table 602).
- A one hour separation wall (such as for occupancy separation, separating corridors from dwelling units, etc.) needs to both remain standing, and prevent burn-through for one hour. Another way to think about it is that it gets about 30 minutes to get to the center of the wall.
- OK, IBC table 723.6.2 says that in a typical wood wall where studs are 16" O/C, the studs themselves are good for 20 minutes of fire protection.
- Now imagine 2 studs butted against each other
 
steveray said:
Note that it is IIB construction and the framing has no rating to preserve......

I am not saying that a rated opening protective wouldn't be allowed to protect the framing, just that the framing does have to be protected per T601 and 704
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In post #15, figure (b) shows wood studs, and the subject in NFPA is fire rated openings. How do you interpret the wood studs in that illustration to represent Type II construction?
 
Yikes said:
In post #15, figure (b) shows wood studs, and the subject in NFPA is fire rated openings. How do you interpret the wood studs in that illustration to represent Type II construction?
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Missed that and saw the CFMF and concrete....But really it could be blocking for millwork or trim if I really needed to be right ;) ....But really the question to be asked is, Does the rated door and jamb protect the framing, or the "opening" from the spread of fire, or both?
 
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