It went from a small exhaust fan to kitchen fire suppression. Too late.
fire/smoke damper for bathroom exhaust
- Thread starter nietzj
- Start date
- Status
It went from a small exhaust fan to kitchen fire suppression. Too late.
gadfly56
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
I did try to steer it back in the second half of my last post.
nietzj
Senior Member
- Location
- St. Paul, Minnesota
- Occupation
- Electrician
Raider,
The answer is no, the venting goes directly from the bathroom to an adjacent exterior wall.
The answer is no, the venting goes directly from the bathroom to an adjacent exterior wall.
- Location
- Logan, Utah
Is the bathfan itself located in the ceiling?
The only reason that I ask is this is an issue with apartment complexes where the ceiling is fire rated to protect the apartment above. If the fan is located in the rated ceiling there is a penetration of the ceiling membrane that must be protected.
What I have seen done to fix this is the fan being located in a dropped ceiling below that actual rated ceiling.
Chris
mgookin
Senior Member
- Location
- Fort Myers, FL
The ceiling can (might) still be rated even if it's attic space above in which case a damper is still required.
OP needs to find out if it's a rated ceiling, and if so, what that rating is (in hours).
- Location
- Logan, Utah
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
Might be a side yard issue.
gadfly56
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
Only if it's less than 5 feet to the adjacent building.
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
Putting the fan in the dropped ceiling area only helps if the duct then goes out the wall(s) or up a fire rated chase and not up to the roof through the fire barrier.
gadfly56
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
Please see post #23 for the answer to that question.
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
Yup. A fan in the structural ceiling could not, by definition, exit directly to the wall. This situation came up in the first place in regard to going through the unit above to the roof.
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
That's only in residential, you have different restrictions in commercial which is where this is located, but he also did not give us all of the particulars.
gadfly56
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
Are you talking about the current case or some other instance?
gadfly56
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
No. The IBC is for commercial as well. The IRC is for residential only.
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
Right and depending on the occupancy you may well be required to have 60' side yards for a commercial building.
gadfly56
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
Sure, but that's a matter for the zoning ordinance. As far as the IBC is concerned you can have unlimited unprotected openings if your separation is 30 feet or greater.
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
If, but he hasn't told us what the actual conditions are or why he's being required to install a damper. So most of us are trying to answer a question that we don't even really know.
NDC Electric
Member
- Location
- Connecticut
- Occupation
- Electrician
would this requirement apply to 2 family houses? the IRC does address something close to that in Membrane penetrations ?
- Status