Is it a fire hazard to cover an unfinished basement ceiling with sheets?

Question

I just moved into a house that we’re renting. It’s a 100 year old house with an unfinished basement with open ceilings (can see cords and wires and between beams). It has a low ceiling and we want to spruce and clean it up a bit for storage so we don’t get spiders all over and in our stuff and not brush our heads against the ceiling. Could we hang sheets or cover the ceiling, or is that a fire hazard?

Answer 1

Expanses of fabric are a fire hazard, unless they are treated to be fire resistant or inherently fire resistant. Sheets covering a ceiling are effectively similar to horizontal drapes, and will burn rapidly in the event that a fire starts.

Section 8 of the international fire code has a variety of guidelines, but it's fairly certain that covering the ceiling with regular untreated sheets will be a violation of both code and common sense.

807.2 seems most applicable, which limits potentially flammable covering to 10% of the area. And even so, 807.3 states that those materials should be tested and approved for the use.

I would suggest vacuuming the ceiling regularly if you can't just get along with your spider neighbors. Hardhats before entering the space may also help to keep them out of your hair, as well as preventing other problems from knocking your head into things in the ceiling.

Answer 2

It sounds as if your primary concern is with the spiders; and the low ceiling makes them even more threatening. Hanging sheets or other coverings isn't necessarily against fire codes but I doubt that's going to solve your real concern. The spiders will still be there.
This is something your landlord should deal with. It would have been easier to get agreement on this before you moved in but if the owner is reasonable he/she may still work with you on it. Bringing in a pest control service for a one time clean out would at least get you ahead of the problem. On-going you might suggest to the owner that you'd be willing to do follow up remediation with a can of Raid or some other pest control application.

Answer 3

If you really need a thin, fabric-like material for this...

If someone ever comes across this because they absolutely need a thin, fabric-like thing to serve as a cover for some building part, I would suggest fiberglass welding blankets for this. They are used by welders to shield combustibles from sparks and slag emitted during hot work; while the result wouldn't be fire rated, it would certainly be a far sight better than an ordinary drapery on its side! That said, they aren't cheap, either.