The garage fire shield or often referred to as as the firewall in the garage.
Due to the nature of our business we get to talk to our clients on a regular basis about this subject. What is a a fire shield?. It is any wall or ceiling that the garage shares with the house that has an approved fire rated Sheetrock that is properly installed. Now there can be differences as to exactly what that means from town to town so check with your local building department for specific details and or requirements.
The purpose of the Fire Shield is to slow the spread of fire. However it needs to be intact, common sense will tell you that if you have a fire shield that it cannot have holes or missing areas or it will not work properly. Any holes or missing Sheetrock or missing fire tape on the joints needs to be repaired or be installed as the case may be. Bear in mind there are very strict requirements on how this needs to be done.
This is a very common issue in the home that needs corrections, and it turns up frequently on Home inspection reports in need of corrections. Holes, damaged or missing Sheetrock can occur anywhere in the garage. In our experience it is most commonly on the back wall of the garage or at the water heater or washer dryers areas where past leaks have damaged the Sheetrock or where plumbing repairs have been performed (sometimes that is on the ceiling below a bathroom area). If you have damaged or unfinished repairs anywhere in your garage fire shield then we recommend you hire a qualified licensed contractor right away for corrections to protect you and your home.
To learn more about common items that homeowners fail to maintain or that sellers often fail to correct before a home inspection go to www.beattheinspector.com
All the best out there.
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