Firestop products are tested, but they themselves do not carry a rating. The firestop systems carry ratings that can vary from 1 to 4 hours for any given product application. The firestop system consists of the assembly or construction, the penetrating item, and the firestop product and other required accessories.

F-Rating simply stands for fire resistance, and a system should be chosen that matches the F-Rating to that of the assembly that is being penetrated. T-Rating stands for temperature due to the transmission of heat through the firestop. L-Rating stands for leakage, and determines resistance to air passage through the firestop. W-Rating stands for water leakage, and determines the water resistance of the installed firestop system.

It depends. The system will tell you the quantity of firestop required, and it varies from system to system. The system will also define any additional accessories that are required, such as mineral wool or backer rod.

Absolutely not. Firestop products are manufactured under tight regulation to ensure product consistency to what was tested. Any deviation to the product may deteriorate performance.

It is never a good idea for competing products to be placed in the same opening, even if it can be determined that they are chemically compatible.

The answer to this question is less about the ability of the product, and more about the capability of the fire-rated joint system. While a product may display more movement capability than a tested system might indicate, the systems are fire tested at full extension of the joint, which is significantly more severe condition than simply moving a joint system. Each firestop system defines the specific movement capability.

As long as the system is installed in accordance with the design, any system of higher rating can be placed in a lower rated assembly.

Acrylic products can be cleaned with warm water and soap, but this should be done before curing. Red pigment can stain and may require abrasive removal. Silicone products require xylene or similar solvent to clean from surfaces, but likely will stain and/or leave remnants on porous surfaces especially after curing. Keep in mind, these products are designed to adhere well to surfaces.

All surfaces should be clean from debris, rust, oils, or any other contaminant and should be free from frost or surface moisture. Any common sealant surface preparation would be common to firestopping as well.

Product packaging is date coded and most of our products have a 12-month shelf life and are warranted against manufacturing defects for that time period. The product data sheets are more specific on the shelf life of each product.