Is it okay to have a hole in the attic firewall? This is not good.

Is it okay to have a hole in the attic firewall?

This is not good.

After a recent rain, there were some leaks that appeared in the ceiling of the apartment units. The onsite maintenance crew did some checking of the attic for the source of the water. When I met them to talk about what they had seen in the attic area, the first question out of their mouth was,

“Is it okay to have a hole in the firewall?”

What? I have to take a look at this for myself. I was told that the hole wasn’t too big; that concerned me. There is not supposed to be any open penetrations through a firewall. The firewall is designed to contain a fire for a while, slowing down the spread of a fire from one unit to the next. Any opening will create a “hot spot” that the flames will accelerate through to the next unit.

It is important that this firewall is maintained, so any openings must be corrected. It is not uncommon to find these openings in the attic area. It is my experience that since the attic is usually seen by many, some choose to make their job easier by just opening the wall and step through. I have find that there is a cable wire passing through the opening in the firewall – I wonder who cut the hole?

Regardless of the reason, the Sacramento apartment firewall is designed to protect the property and the residents of the apartment building; it needs to be made right in order for it to function properly.