Fire Rating For Electrical Rooms
- Thread starter Shujinko
- Start date
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kingpb
Senior Member
- Location
- SE USA as far as you can go
- Occupation
- Engineer, Registered
Well, technically, the NEC is the NFPA (NFPA 70). anywho... I believe it's a 2-hr but don't quote me on that. The document you need to look at is the IBC. That should give you some direction.
- Location
- Massachusetts
The NEC does not generally require a fire rating of an electrical room.
If you have transformers in the room it might need to be fire rated.
See 450.21 through 450.28.
If you have transformers in the room it might need to be fire rated.
See 450.21 through 450.28.
RICK NAPIER
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
I beleive this is the article that would apply from the IBC 2009. As you see there is no reference to electric rooms as such I beleive there is no such requirement.
508.2.5 Separation of incidental accessory occupancies. The incidental accessory occupancies listed in Table 508.2.5 shall be separated from the remainder of the building or equipped with an automatic fire-extinguishing system, or both, in accordance with Table 508.2.5.
Exception: Incidental accessory occupancies within and serving a dwelling unit are not required to comply with this section.
TABLE 508.2.5 INCIDENTAL ACCESSORY OCCUPANCIES
ROOM OR AREASEPARATION AND/OR PROTECTIONFurnace room where any piece of equipment is over 400,000 Btu per hour input</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemRooms with boilers where the largest piece of equipment is over 15 psi and 10 horsepower</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemRefrigerant machinery room</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic sprinkler systemHydrogen cutoff rooms, not classified as Group H</SPAN>1 hour in Group B, F, M, S and U occupancies; 2 hours in Group A, E, I and R occupancies.Incinerator rooms</SPAN>2 hours and automatic sprinkler systemPaint shops, not classified as Group H, located in occupancies other than Group F</SPAN>2 hours; or 1 hour and provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemLaboratories and vocational shops, not classified as Group H, located in a Group E or I-2 occupancy</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemLaundry rooms over 100 square feet</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemGroup I-3 cells equipped with padded surfaces</SPAN>1 hourGroup I-2 waste and linen collection rooms</SPAN>1 hourWaste and linen collection rooms over 100 square feet</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemStationary storage battery systems having a liquid electrolyte
capacity of more than 50 gallons, or a lithium-ion capacity of 1,000 pounds used for facility standby power, emergency power or uninterrupted power supplies</SPAN>1 hour in Group B, F, M, S and U occupancies; 2 hours in Group A, E, I and R occupancies.Rooms containing fire pumps in nonhigh-rise buildings</SPAN>2 hours; or 1 hour and provide automatic sprinkler system throughout the buildingRooms containing fire pumps in high-rise buildings</SPAN>2 hours
For SI: 1 square foot = 0.0929 m2, 1 pound per square inch (psi) = 6.9 kPa, 1 British thermal unit (Btu) per hour = 0.293 watts, 1 horsepower = 746 watts, 1 gallon = 3.785 L.
508.2.5 Separation of incidental accessory occupancies. The incidental accessory occupancies listed in Table 508.2.5 shall be separated from the remainder of the building or equipped with an automatic fire-extinguishing system, or both, in accordance with Table 508.2.5.
Exception: Incidental accessory occupancies within and serving a dwelling unit are not required to comply with this section.
TABLE 508.2.5 INCIDENTAL ACCESSORY OCCUPANCIES
ROOM OR AREASEPARATION AND/OR PROTECTIONFurnace room where any piece of equipment is over 400,000 Btu per hour input</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemRooms with boilers where the largest piece of equipment is over 15 psi and 10 horsepower</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemRefrigerant machinery room</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic sprinkler systemHydrogen cutoff rooms, not classified as Group H</SPAN>1 hour in Group B, F, M, S and U occupancies; 2 hours in Group A, E, I and R occupancies.Incinerator rooms</SPAN>2 hours and automatic sprinkler systemPaint shops, not classified as Group H, located in occupancies other than Group F</SPAN>2 hours; or 1 hour and provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemLaboratories and vocational shops, not classified as Group H, located in a Group E or I-2 occupancy</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemLaundry rooms over 100 square feet</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemGroup I-3 cells equipped with padded surfaces</SPAN>1 hourGroup I-2 waste and linen collection rooms</SPAN>1 hourWaste and linen collection rooms over 100 square feet</SPAN>1 hour or provide automatic fire-extinguishing systemStationary storage battery systems having a liquid electrolyte
capacity of more than 50 gallons, or a lithium-ion capacity of 1,000 pounds used for facility standby power, emergency power or uninterrupted power supplies</SPAN>1 hour in Group B, F, M, S and U occupancies; 2 hours in Group A, E, I and R occupancies.Rooms containing fire pumps in nonhigh-rise buildings</SPAN>2 hours; or 1 hour and provide automatic sprinkler system throughout the buildingRooms containing fire pumps in high-rise buildings</SPAN>2 hours
For SI: 1 square foot = 0.0929 m2, 1 pound per square inch (psi) = 6.9 kPa, 1 British thermal unit (Btu) per hour = 0.293 watts, 1 horsepower = 746 watts, 1 gallon = 3.785 L.
I have always seen electrical rooms with 2 hr fire walls. I though it was in the IBC and/or UBC.
If this is a new project or one being renovated it should have an architech in charge. They are the ones who are supposed to know these things, They are the ones that put fire ratings on walls.
When working with this kind of thing around here I have found the most knowledgable person was the Fire Marshall. Maybe I just ran into an exceptional one but he and staff knew the codes and the reasons. They were very helpful. Most of the time you had to wait for them to return a call but they allways did.
Our plans were reviewed by the electrical and fire reviewers. You could win an argument with the electrical reviwers but not the fire people.
If this is a new project or one being renovated it should have an architech in charge. They are the ones who are supposed to know these things, They are the ones that put fire ratings on walls.
When working with this kind of thing around here I have found the most knowledgable person was the Fire Marshall. Maybe I just ran into an exceptional one but he and staff knew the codes and the reasons. They were very helpful. Most of the time you had to wait for them to return a call but they allways did.
Our plans were reviewed by the electrical and fire reviewers. You could win an argument with the electrical reviwers but not the fire people.
skeshesh
Senior Member
- Location
- Los Angeles, Ca
Make sure to coordinate properly with the architect. The ratings of the walls may be effected by special functions in the building, client requirements, etc. resulting in higher rated walls. If such is the case you may need to adjust your specifications, details, etc. for conduit penetrations, mounting, or whatever else may effect or be affected by the wall rating. Also, the IBC is a solid source, but I would personally look in the local codes. Out here in Ca I keep a copy of the California Building Code around all the time - it comes in very handy.
TxEngr
Senior Member
- Location
- North Florida
I believe the 2 hour fire rating requirement comes from the insurance side. Factory Mutual (FM) always insisted on this in my facilities and it may exist as one of their standards.
Shujinko
Senior Member
I always thought that fire ratings of rooms were the architect's job...and in the end it is, on the their life safety plan. However, I have been asked this question about fire ratings of the electrical rooms so many times by architects that I want to have the right answer from now on with the correct code citations and all.
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