Question about sealants in laundry closet

last month

last modified: last month

I am looking to seal around drain pipes, supply lines and electrical line (240v) in the laundry closet as the holes are wider than these lines and letting cold drafts in. When I talked to a friend, he suggested fire stop sealant and mineral wool but they seem to be expensive. Are there any alternatives that I can use in this scenario?

Thank you!

Featured Answer

3onthetree

last month

You can use any caulk - silicone, siliconized, polyurethane, etc depending on how wide the gap is.

There is not a need for "fire stopping" penetrations in the floor plane in a single family dwelling, contrary to ALL the wives tales you will hear (nor in the garage-to-house wall as is also popular to misstate). Of course, you can always use the fire-retardant foam if you'd like, but it should be covered as it will get dirty and break down being exposed.

You can read IRC R302.13 yourself.

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Comments (7)

Kiran K
Original Author
last month
@3onthetree Thanks. Even if the lines are coming from crawl space, I do not have to worry about "fire stopping" penetrations?
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3onthetree
last month
Call it "draft stop" rather than "fire stop." The material to block drafts does not have to be fire rated material. A local inspector might like to see the reddish foam/caulk, but it is not called for in base code for single family dwellings.
Kiran K
Original Author
last month
Thanks @3onthetree the only reason I have been thinking twice is because of the electrical conduit.
Kiran K
Original Author
last month
I purchased Gardner Bender duct seal compound so I will go ahead and use that!
w0lley32
last month
you might not want to put any sealant around the open pipe shown by your smaller lefthand arrow on the bottom, it looks like it might be a condensate drain for an A/C evaporator. Blocking that could cause the pan to overflow.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last month
Ask yourself "If I were a rat, could I chew through this?"