This is the final post in our five-part educational series on firestopping and life safety.
Before hiring a contractor to install network cables, cameras, access control or other low-voltage systems, property managers and business owners should ask these questions. A good contractor should be able to answer them plainly.
1. How do you determine whether a wall is fire-rated?
Do you check building plans, wall markings or verify with building management before drilling? Our post on how to tell whether a wall is fire-rated explains why appearance isn't enough.
2. How do you handle penetrations through fire-rated walls?
What steps do you take to maintain the wall's fire-resistance rating?
3. What firestop materials do you use?
Are they part of a tested and listed system appropriate for the penetration? Our post on five common firestop systems shows why there is no single product for every opening.
4. How do you ensure every penetration you make is properly firestopped?
Do you seal each penetration with the appropriate listed firestop system before completing the installation?
5. What happens when you find an existing penetration that isn't properly sealed?
Will you notify the property manager before proceeding?
6. Do you inspect your work before closing ceilings or walls?
How do you verify that penetrations have been properly protected?
7. Do you document completed firestopping?
Will you provide photos and, where required, labels identifying who performed the work and when?
Where cheap can become expensive
An inexpensive cable installation can become a costly problem when fire-rated assemblies are improperly penetrated or left unprotected. The lowest installation price isn't always the lowest final cost, and the highest price doesn't always mean the best quality.
Our free Before You Hire a Low-Voltage Contractor checklist puts these questions alongside licensing, cable, testing and the rest, and our post on six questions for comparing cabling bids covers what else to line up. To see the cabling work we do, visit our computer network cabling page.
Information is provided for general education. It is not a substitute for project-specific design, engineering or manufacturer instructions. Always follow applicable codes and listed system requirements. Project requirements should be verified individually.