On Tue, 19 Jul 2005 07:45:04 -0400, "Bob Chilcoat"
wrote:

My plan is to wall off one end of the basement with steel studs, and then
use double thickness fire-rated sheetrock on both sides of the wall, with
fiberglass insulation between the studs. In addition, the ceiling will be
similar below the joists. The insulation will make the whole room easy to
maintain at the right temperature, and the fire-resistant walls should give
me 4-6 hours of endurance. Nevertheless, I'll still need the door to hold
up. That's why I'm trying to find an industrial fire door that's cheaper
than buying one new.

I have just gone through this sort of info to build a boiler room that
the department of buildings decided was necessary (same boiler sat in
the same place for 50 years, suddenly it is a fire hazard).

Two sheets of 5/8 type x drywall on both sides will only get you a
maximum of a 2 hr rating. To get 4 hr you need 4 sheets min 1/2 in
each, staggered joints on each side. If you have wooden joists, the
best you can hope for on the ceiling is 2 hr. That is for min 10"
nominal joists and 1 1/2" wood flooring. One sheet of 5/8 type x
screwed to the joists, then furred with metal furring and another
sheet of 5/8 firecode screwed to them.

But that's ok. Most doors are only rated 1 1/2 hr. and if the rest of
your house has been burning for a couple of hours, it has probably
collapsed into the basement.

While a used door will get you some protection, the jamb and it's
mounting technique are an integral part of the fire rating. You might
get lucky and find a used one with the right size and mounting
strategy to fit your wall, but it is probably cheaper to pay the borg
their forty pieces of silver.

Consider yourself lucky. Because of a 6'8" ceiling height, my boiler
room needed 2 custom made rated firedoors. $750 each.

Paul K. Dickman