Sealing pipes and wires through a garage wall in Nepean, who does it?
Sealing pipes and wires through a garage wall in Nepean, who does it?
Sealing penetrations through the wall between an attached garage and the house is drywall work, and a drywall contractor is the right person to call for patching and sealing the board. If the pipes or wires themselves need to be moved or extended, a plumber or licensed electrician handles that part; a drywall contractor deals with the wall surface once the trades are done.
What the Code requires here
Ontario's Building Code (9.10.9.18) requires an air barrier system between an attached garage and the rest of the house that provides an effective barrier to gas and exhaust fumes. The barrier must be continuous: joints in panel-type assemblies are sealed (9.25.3.3.(1)), and penetrations such as electrical wiring, electrical boxes, piping and ductwork are sealed (9.25.3.3.(6)). These are minimums for new work, and you should ask the City how they apply to your renovation.
What that means in practice is that any hole where a pipe or wire passes through the garage-side wall or ceiling needs to be patched and sealed so the barrier has no gaps. Many builders use taped and sealed drywall to form that barrier. The Code does not require 5/8-inch (15.9 mm) Type X drywall between a single home's attached garage and the house; what it requires is that the barrier is continuous and sealed.
A few things to confirm with the contractor before the work starts:
- Which penetrations need sealing (wires, pipes, ductwork, electrical boxes)
- Whether any board needs to be patched or replaced, and what thickness
- What sealant or membrane product they plan to use at each penetration
- Whether the work is part of a larger permitted project, and if so, who is asking the City about the permit
Related service: Garage-to-House Walls & Ceilings
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Drywall Pro IQ -- Built from the Ontario Building Code, Ontario regulations and City of Ottawa sources and real construction experience. Answers are for informational purposes only and are not a professional assessment.
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