Framing Basement Wall

[Tcm0717]

I am framing a basement wall and it needs to be Fire rated and moisture barrier. I have a french drain in the way where the platic ( not sure what it is ) comes off the wall about and inch or so, may be a seperater of some kind. I wanted to:
1.) Use type x drywall, just on the top at the rafters around the parimiter of my wall
2.) Glue foam installtion to the outside walls ( will not go to the floor as this plastic thing is in the way)
3.) Frame out the wall and put against the foam installation and my header will be under the type X drywall. Will use pressure treated lumber for my footer.

Questions:
1.) Do I need to foam the seems anywhere for fire rating it?
2.) Do I need any other fiber glass installation in the channels or is the foam on the concrete wall enough
3.) Is there anything needed on the bottom plate for fire resistand? I understand you are trying to stop air flow etc..

Just want to make sure I understand if this is the proper way to frame a basement wall considering a vapor barrier and fire retardant.

Thanks

Tim

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

Hi Tim,

First a couple of questions for you:

a) You mentioned a footing, so I am presuming that to mean that there is no floor in your basement, other than a dirt floor.
- - Is that a correct presumption?

b) You said the wall had to be fire resistance rated.
- - Why does it have to be fire resistance rated. If the wall is in a single family house there are few, if any, reasons the wall would need to be fire resistance rated.

[Tcm0717]

The floor is just a concrete slab...in the basement.

And I may have used the wrong term, not fire rated, fire stopped. Which they are referring to, no air flow. The walls must stop any air flow traveling through them, hence the foan installation etc ??

Thanks

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

Okay, I now have a better understanding of what you have.

You have basement walls with a concrete floor and a drain around the inside perimeter of the basement walls. That is an indication that you are water/moisture problems in your basement, not a good sign, but an entirely different issue.

When you attach the furring strips to the basement walls you will need to run a horizontal furring strip around the top of the walls, making sure to abut the vertical furring strips to that horizontal strip. That will cut off the free passage of flame, you want more than just draftstopping (stopping the movement of air). You will also want to run a horizontal strip around the bottom of the walls and have the furring strips abut that horizontal strip too. The containment is required every 10 feet, so you could just make sure the vertical and horizontal furring meets and seals off the areas into 10 foot areas, however, it is better and sometimes almost just as easy to do that at each furring strip (which is why I stated doing it that way even though it is only required at 10 foot intervals).

When you build interior partition walls you will have a sill plate/bottom plate on the basement floor, studs installed vertically, and a top plate, then drywall on both sides (you do not need to use Type X drywall as no fire-resistance rating is required, you can use 1/2" drywall). The bottom plate and the top plate act as the fireblocking. Wherever you cut or drill through the top of bottom plate you will need to seal those openings up.

Hopefully the above helps to this point.