Hi all,
We are reviewing plans for a two story apartment building with stacked units so the floor/ceiling assembly will be 1-hour rated. The designer is proposing to install the bathroom exhaust fans in the wall and send the duct up through the top plates rather than installing the bath fan in the ceiling membrane and obviously needing a damper. They feel as long as the duct is firecaulked at the plate line and does not penetrate the ceiling a damper is not needed. Is this acceptable? How do other jurisdictions handle bathroom fans in rated ceilings? How about dryer exhaust ducts? A dryer duct goes into a non-rated wall up through the top plates, into the floor/ceiling cavity and outside. As long as the duct is the proper material and they firecaulk at the plate line is this acceptable? Thanks for any advice. Its been along time since we've seen stacked apartments and I'm a bit rusty.
We are reviewing plans for a two story apartment building with stacked units so the floor/ceiling assembly will be 1-hour rated. The designer is proposing to install the bathroom exhaust fans in the wall and send the duct up through the top plates rather than installing the bath fan in the ceiling membrane and obviously needing a damper. They feel as long as the duct is firecaulked at the plate line and does not penetrate the ceiling a damper is not needed. Is this acceptable? How do other jurisdictions handle bathroom fans in rated ceilings? How about dryer exhaust ducts? A dryer duct goes into a non-rated wall up through the top plates, into the floor/ceiling cavity and outside. As long as the duct is the proper material and they firecaulk at the plate line is this acceptable? Thanks for any advice. Its been along time since we've seen stacked apartments and I'm a bit rusty.