A thread started by Shujinko brought a question to my mind. Being a small-town guy who has seldom even seen a building over 10 stories, I wondered about his "chase" question. How common is it to have a "chase" for utilities in multi-story buildings without fire-stopping between floors ?
Chases/Multi-store Building
- Thread starter augie47
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kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
I never run into this either, but would think it may be possible if the chase is made of a construction that it effectively is isolated from the surrounding areas - like maybe has at least a 1hr wall maybe even a 2 hr wall around it, with firestopping around all penetrations into it. Not sure just how you would ever access the chase without having to repair the envelope around the chase when you are finished though. Just my thoughts on it. Isn't an elevator built in a similar way or even stairways?
renosteinke
Senior Member
- Location
- NE Arkansas
It's more common than you might think.
Chicago is known for some rather demanding electrical and fire codes. Yet, they allow even a 20-storey chase, as long as the chase has a fire-resistant enough construction. They might - maybe - also require sprinklers.
The 'fire resistance' is often little more than a layer of cement board and drywall. Chicago's housing projects were notorious for problems related to this construction: criminals would enter the chase through a hole in the bathroom wall, and have ready access to any apartments that were next to the central core simply by punching through their bathroom wall.
Think of it: what is an elevator shaft but a multi-storey chase?
Chicago is known for some rather demanding electrical and fire codes. Yet, they allow even a 20-storey chase, as long as the chase has a fire-resistant enough construction. They might - maybe - also require sprinklers.
The 'fire resistance' is often little more than a layer of cement board and drywall. Chicago's housing projects were notorious for problems related to this construction: criminals would enter the chase through a hole in the bathroom wall, and have ready access to any apartments that were next to the central core simply by punching through their bathroom wall.
Think of it: what is an elevator shaft but a multi-storey chase?
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
Those codes are probably more related to the elevator than to the fact you also have a chase. Generally I think if it is not associated with the elevator it doesn't go inside the elevator shaft, yet the elevator shaft is constructed in a way that it is essentially a separate structure from the rest of the building in a way.
Cavie
Senior Member
- Location
- SW Florida
In Florida for the most part Fire stopiing is required between floors. During my short stint as a Maintenance tect at a federal courthouse I was instructed to firestop all conduits drilled between 9 floors in all the electric rooms. Fire rated insulation and fire stop caulk. It was a fire code requirement.
Strathead
Senior Member
- Location
- Ocala, Florida, USA
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- Electrician/Estimator/Project Manager/Superintendent
Architects are generally the ones who are trained and qualified to determine wall ratings floor ratings etc. Just like the English language, there is an exception for every rule. If a chase like you describe was warranted, there would surely be some way to construct it an ensure safety. My issue is that it isn't really warranted. You may want to say, share three floors at a time from a common electrical area with transformers and panels, but what advantage would there be to having a chase contiguous from say the third floor to the 22 floor, and end up needing 4 hour walls at every floor in between with the excessive penetration control required.
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