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code violation - lacks proper heat per IPMC

David Ford

Registered User
Joined
Sep 26, 2019
Messages
1
Location
Decatur, Al
Code officer cited me with this because I heated the entire 600 ft2 apt with 2 gas ventess heaters rated at 18000 and 10000 btu.. How is this a violation of the 2009 IPMC which only states you cannot heat with a stove? It my be a violation of the IFGC and IRC. code but that only applies to new construction and alterations. Appreciate your input.
 
Listen to the code officer. Give him the opportunity to save a life.

This report only covers portable electric space heaters, which, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), are the only type of unvented heater that's safe for use inside the home. Combustion space heaters work by burning fuel, be it kerosene, gas, wood, etc., which results in having the byproducts of combustion, including carbon monoxide, enter your home if they are not effectively vented to the outside. According to the DOE, most states have banned the use of kerosene heaters in the home, and a handful of states have also banned the use of unvented natural gas heaters.

Non-flued heaters – also known as unvented heaters, ventfree heaters or flueless fires may be either permanently installed or portable, and sometimes incorporate a catalytic converter.[1] Non-flued heaters can be risky if appropriate safety procedures are not followed. There must be adequate ventilation, they must be kept clean, and they should always be switched off before sleeping. If operating correctly the main emissions of a non-flued gas heater are water vapour and carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
 
Whilst inspecting a foundation for an addition at the rear of a house, I noticed copper pipe sticking out of the wall. I suspected that a water heater was moved so I asked the man where it was.......... In the kitchen I found a beat up, thirty year old water heater. That was the only place close to a gas outlet large enough for the water heater. No flue.

The weather at that time was Santa Ana wind and the house was old and drafty. God saved a family. The man was the owner. He was young with a wife and three boys. Perhaps he realized that he almost killed his family....or maybe it was me .....but .....he came real close to crying.
 
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We amended them out, they are not allowed.....period.

Too many problems, folks were not following the use requirements, and having moisture, CO problems.

Not worth the risk.
 
You are correct - In the 2009 code it doesn't say a thing about your ventless heaters. That was changed in later codes, though; see the 2015 text below.

602.2 Residential occupancies. Dwellings shall be provided with heating facilities capable of maintaining a room temperature of 68°F (20°C) in all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms based on the winter outdoor design temperature for the locality indicated in Appendix D of the International Plumbing Code. Cooking appliances shall not be used, nor shall portable unvented fuel-burning space heaters be used, as a means to provide required heating.
Exception: In areas where the average monthly temperature is above 30°F (-1°C), a minimum temperature of 65°F (18°C) shall be maintained.

^^^ That bolded text in the last sentence is not there in the '09 code.

Perhaps your town has updated their codes. Perhaps your inspector recently took a class on the IPMC that taught him the later version. Or perhaps he thinks you're a poor landlord, and that you should put some dang heat in the apartment that you're trying to make money off of?
 
Unvented appliances are still permitted. It is portable unvented appliances that are not permitted.

2009 IPMC
603.2 Removal of combustion products.
All fuel-burning equipment and appliances shall be connected to an approved chimney or vent.

Exception: Fuel-burning equipment and appliances which are labeled for unvented operation.

2018 IPMC
603.2 Removal of combustion products.
Fuel-burning equipment and appliances shall be connected to an approved chimney or vent.
Exception: Fuel-burning equipment and appliances that are labeled for unvented operation.
 
Doesn't Alabama have "habitability" laws for apartments? In CA you are required to be able to maintain a minimum temp. Need a heating unit tied to a stat to do so?
 
Perhaps your inspector inadvertently quoted from the wrong code. The 09 IFGC 621.3 prohibits unvented room heaters as the sole source of heating in a residential unit.
 
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