Attic Concrete Chimney Fire Blocking Old Homes
The bottom block stops the fire from getting into the wall cavity to begin with.
Attic concrete chimney fire blocking old homes. After a fire has been put out by the fire department they may say the house is basically safe structurally or that it is not safe and the city building inspector checks the house for safety. Since the space between the studs may vary each reinforcing fire block may need to be individually cut. But imagine what happens if you do put a solid piece of wood at the bottom and top of the wall in between all of the wall studs in this house. Basically have your chimney lined as soon as possible.
We do this by blocking off the fireplace damper and pouring the cast in place lining material down the chimney. If a fire starts within the wall the top block stops the fire from getting into the attic. They are more subject to cracking leaning and leaking. On average seven people died in home fires every day between 2011 and 2015.
You can think of it like we re filling the smoke chamber with concrete. If fire blocking or stopping is not in place the space between each of the wall studs acts like its own high velocity chimney. Most any problem you can imagine. Block chimneys are really meant to be surrounded with bricks.
Block chimneys in old houses. Draft fire blocking fire departments in the united states respond to more than 350 000 home structure fires each year according to the national fire protection association. Fire blocking between studs. Block chimneys do work but as a general statement they are less than desirable.