Warning: New guy on site almost got us flagged for using wrong fire caulk on a 2-hour rated wall
I walked by a fresh apprentice yesterday stuffing regular silicone into a fire damper penetration at the hospital job. Had to stop him before the inspector showed up, anyone else deal with the pressure of training someone on firestop ratings?
Used to think fire caulk was just fire caulk and the ratings were all marketing fluff. Then I watched a 2 hour wall fail in less than 20 minutes during a demo test because someone used the wrong stuff. That moment changed my mind real quick and now I triple check every sealant on site.
Preach. That visual of a wall crumbling in 20 minutes instead of 2 hours is burned into my brain too. Ratings can look like marketing garbage until you see the real world difference with your own eyes. Now I don't even trust the label without double checking the data sheet first. Better safe than sorry when lives are on the line.