The Ontario Building Code | Penetration of Fire Separations

9.10.9.6. Penetration of Fire Separations

(1) Piping, tubing, ducts, chimneys, wiring, conduit, electrical outlet boxes and other similar service equipment that penetrate a required fire separation shall be tightly fitted or fire stopped to maintain the integrity of the separation.

(2) Penetrations of a firewall shall be sealed at the penetration by a fire stop that, when subjected to the fire test method in CAN/ulc-S115, "Fire Tests of Firestop Systems", has an FT rating not less than the fire-resistance rating for the fire separation.

(3) Except as provided in Sentences (4) to (12) and Article 9.10.9.7., pipes, ducts, electrical outlet boxes, totally enclosed raceways or other similar service equipment that partly or wholly penetrate an assembly required to have a fire-resistance rating shall be noncombustibleunless the assembly has been tested incorporating such equipment.

(4) Electrical wires or other similar wiring enclosed in noncombustibletotally enclosed raceways are permitted to partly or wholly penetrate an assembly required to have a fire-resistance ratingwithout being incorporated in the assembly at the time of testing as required in Sentence (3).

(5) Single conductor metal-sheathed cables with combustiblejacketing that are more than 25 mm in overall diameter are permitted to penetrate a fire separation required to have a fire-resistance rating without being incorporated in the assembly at the time of testing as required in Sentence (3), provided the cables are not grouped and are spaced a minimum of 300 mm apart.

(6) Electrical wires or cables, single or grouped, with combustible insulationhttp://thehandyforce.com/insulation/" title ="Toronto home insulation">insulation or jacketing that is not totally enclosed in raceways of noncombustiblematerial, are permitted to partly or wholly penetrate an assembly required to have a fire-resistance rating without being incorporated in the assembly at the time of testing as required in Sentence (3), provided the overall diameter of the wiring is not more than 25 mm.

(7) Combustible totally enclosed raceways that are embedded in a concrete floor slab are permitted in an assembly required to have a fire-resistance rating without being incorporated in the assembly at the time of testing as required in Sentence (3), where the concrete provides at least 50 mm of cover between the raceway and the bottom of the slab.

(8) Combustible outlet boxes are permitted in an assembly required to have a fire-resistance rating without being incorporated in the assembly at the time of testing as required in Sentence (3), provided the opening through the membrane into the box does not exceed 160 cm².

(9) Combustible water distribution piping is permitted to partly or wholly penetrate a fire separation that is required to have a fire-resistance ratingwithout being incorporated in the assembly at the time of testing as required in Sentence (3), provided the piping is protected with a fire stop in conformance with Sentence 3.1.9.4.(4).

(10) Combustible sprinkler piping is permitted to penetrate a fire separation provided the fire compartments on each side of the fire separationare sprinklered.

(11) Sprinklers are permitted to penetrate a fire separation or a membrane forming part of an assembly required to have a fire-resistance rating without having to meet the fire stoprequirements of Sentence (1), provided the annular space created by the penetration of a fire sprinkler is covered by a metal escutcheon plate in accordance with nfpa 13, "installation of Sprinklers".

(12) Combustible piping for central vacuum systems is permitted to penetrate a fire separation provided the installation conforms to the requirements that apply to combustible piping in Sentences 9.10.9.7.(2) to (6).

(13) Fire dampers are permitted to penetrate a fire separation or a membrane forming part of an assembly required to have a fire-resistance rating without having to meet the fire stoprequirements of Sentence (1), provided the fire damperis,

(a) installed in conformance with nfpa 80, "Fire doors and Other opening Protectives," or

(b) designed specifically with a fire stop.