arwat23
SAWHORSE
I'm analyzing the existing OL and plumbing fixture count for an existing office building to determine compliance with current plumbing code. I can get the OL for each suite no problem. The issue I'm having is determining how to assign that to the plumbing fixtures in the building.
This is a single-story office building. If all the fixtures were in common restrooms (outside of suites, usable by anyone), this would be easy - take the building OL and make sure there's enough fixtures for that. However, a majority of the restrooms are within suites, with very few in the common restrooms.
I have two designers proposing different ways of determining if there's enough fixtures in the building:
1. Take the total OL for the building and apply it to all the restrooms regardless of where they are. This would consider that all restrooms are usable by anyone in the building, which would lower the number of required fixtures.
2. Take the OL of each suite, subtract the occupants that the fixtures within the suite can serve, add all remaining occupants from each suite that don't have any fixtures, then subtract these remaining occupants that the common fixtures server. For example, let's say a suite has an OL of 120. 60 men, 60 women. The following numbers are from the UPC. 2 WC for men (51-100) and 4 WC for women (51-100) are required. The suite has one WC for men and 2 for women. That would cover up to 50 men (1-50) and 30 women (16-30). So there are 10 men and 30 women who don't have any plumbing fixtures. The common restrooms have 1 WC for each, which would then cover the remaining men, but would only cover 15 women. So there's still 15 women that aren't accounted for in the fixture count.
My gut is telling me that option 2 is the "correct" way to calculate this. After all, someone in suite 105 won't have access to the restrooms in suite 102. However, I can't seem to justify that in code, and option 1 significantly lowers the required fixture count. Any advice?
This is a single-story office building. If all the fixtures were in common restrooms (outside of suites, usable by anyone), this would be easy - take the building OL and make sure there's enough fixtures for that. However, a majority of the restrooms are within suites, with very few in the common restrooms.
I have two designers proposing different ways of determining if there's enough fixtures in the building:
1. Take the total OL for the building and apply it to all the restrooms regardless of where they are. This would consider that all restrooms are usable by anyone in the building, which would lower the number of required fixtures.
2. Take the OL of each suite, subtract the occupants that the fixtures within the suite can serve, add all remaining occupants from each suite that don't have any fixtures, then subtract these remaining occupants that the common fixtures server. For example, let's say a suite has an OL of 120. 60 men, 60 women. The following numbers are from the UPC. 2 WC for men (51-100) and 4 WC for women (51-100) are required. The suite has one WC for men and 2 for women. That would cover up to 50 men (1-50) and 30 women (16-30). So there are 10 men and 30 women who don't have any plumbing fixtures. The common restrooms have 1 WC for each, which would then cover the remaining men, but would only cover 15 women. So there's still 15 women that aren't accounted for in the fixture count.
My gut is telling me that option 2 is the "correct" way to calculate this. After all, someone in suite 105 won't have access to the restrooms in suite 102. However, I can't seem to justify that in code, and option 1 significantly lowers the required fixture count. Any advice?
