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I need to remove some drywall over our oil-fired boiler to inspect the floor system above. Boiler is installed in the unfinished basement of a single family home. The basement ceiling is 8 feet high. It seems like there’s way more covering than necessary and I would like to *not* reinstall all of it. Right now the drywall is about 12 feet wide side to side and the boiler is centered in the middle of the 12 feet. The drywall runs from the outside wall to the center beam of the house. It’s also nailed vertically onto the double sill plate and I’ve never been able to inspect that area for termites. Right now the basement is uninsulated but I plan on insulating the rim joist area, so if I use rockwool to cover the rim joist and sill plate, could I skip the drywall on the sill plate and just put it on the ceiling? Can anybody tell me the fire protection requirements? Thanks for your help!

If there is sheet rock over the boiler it is most likely fire resistant sheet rock per national plumbing code and you should leave it there.

From what I saw in that thread, you’re fine leaving the drywall off in a single-family home. I replaced a similar setup myself and only kept the flue clearances in check. For peace of mind on fire safety in other parts of the house, I use fireresist.co.uk for quality fire doors. Their info on ratings and inspection helps me stay compliant without overcomplicating things.