• Welcome to the new and improved Building Code Forum. We appreciate you being here and hope that you are getting the information that you need concerning all codes of the building trades. This is a free forum to the public due to the generosity of the Sawhorses, Corporate Supporters and Supporters who have upgraded their accounts. If you would like to have improved access to the forum please upgrade to Sawhorse by first logging in then clicking here: Upgrades

Search results

  1. J

    Seperation in Table 508.4

    "People are a hazard no matter where they are" - how true!
  2. J

    Seperation in Table 508.4

    The 2009 IBC notes in Table 508.4 that B and S2 areas need a one hour seperation while B and S1 areas require no seperation. what are we trying to protect, the low hazard stored materials from the higher hazard people? Does this seem backwards to anyone else?
  3. J

    Confirm construction type

    I am trying to establish the correct constrution type for an existing building for purposes of renovation. It is about 100,000sf of one story metal building with the majority of the building used for storage of materials. None of the materials stored are explosive or even flamable. The ancillary...
  4. J

    IBC2009 MWFRS loads or C&C for Hurricane Ties

    You need to use whichever force value is greater. I expect that you will find that, for an individual truss the C&C value will govern. The idea of the MWFRS values is for use on the building as a whole; for use on building sections such as the whole roof system or the shear wall system.
  5. J

    concrete driveways and arrogance

    From the engineering perspective a driveway is obviously a very low risk item, at least in regards to the safety of live, although done badly it can have repercussions in the area of aesthetics and money, and it is generally on the lower end of the monitary scale in a residential and commerdial...
  6. J

    Exterior hotel walls

    Per story height will be less than ten feet, about 9'-8" or so.
  7. J

    Manual transfer switch and panel

    I could be wrong but it looks to me like it is a three pole, two position switch. one set of leads is attached to the left (say from the grid) another to the right (say to the generator) while the third is connected to the switch lever itself (say to the panel). So if you throw the switch to the...
  8. J

    Manual transfer switch and panel

    It looks to me form the picture, although it is rather small, that the switch has two connections, one to the grid which connects the house panel to the supply gird, and another which connects the house panle to the generator. The switch is 'off' when it is in the middle position and thus not...
  9. J

    Exterior hotel walls

    This is a great forum and I want to thank everyone for their assistance.
  10. J

    Manual transfer switch and panel

    It looks to me like that particular switch is a double throw switch and as such acts as both the disconnect and alternate generator connection in one; the connections are mutually exclusive, the house panel is connected to either the power company or the generator. But where to install it?
  11. J

    How to Be a Sawhorse

    jar546 - I use that expression too!
  12. J

    Exterior hotel walls

    Aegis, 1) Yes, we are indeed discussing V-A, NFPA 13 must be the sprinkler criteria, and the sprinlers cannot be used for fire resistive subsitution. 2) Table 601 shows footnote 'f' referring to table 602 for fire rating on exterior load bearing walls for type V-A construction, so should't I...
  13. J

    Unenclosed bridge between two structures as part of exit access?

    I am envious as I've always wanted to design a pedestrian walk between two buildings. Such is the exciting life of an engineer!
  14. J

    Exterior hotel walls

    Steve, they will sprinkle the building and use the sprinklers to increase the area beyond the 12,000sf limit imposed by table 503 thus it must be protected; so it must be built as type A (protected) since the area can be increased by 200% if it is sprinkled but not in a type B (unprotected)...
  15. J

    Exterior hotel walls

    Thanks! As an aside, if I am right does that mean I've done something today and do I get the rest of the day off?
  16. J

    Exterior hotel walls

    Thanks north star, I am glad you are here to guide me. As they say in Muppet Treasure Island, "even in the South China Sea, Polaris is north".
  17. J

    Exterior hotel walls

    I am an engineer who has been charged with designing the structure of a hotel. Our basis is IBC 2009. The builder wants to frame it with wood which is permitted with size and height restrictions - I see it as R-1, type V. They will sprinkle the building and have used that to increase the area...
Top