TheCommish
Registered User
Is it acceptable to access the EERO through the attached 12x20 walk in closet?
Yeah, I too would expect to see the EERO in the bedroom, but just for fun, let's be daring... Let's think this through outside of the book.
I'm in my bedroom. I'm pretty familiar with it, including the window in the big ass closet. I wake to smoke alarms. I head to the bedroom door and am blocked by fire/smoke. So, I go back in the bedroom. Then I go out the window in my attached closet. The fire that was blocking my bedroom door is not also in my closet. I get out. All is good.
I'm in my bedroom. I wake to smoke alarms. Smoke and fire is coming out of my closet. I leave the room through the bedroom door and head to the egress door of the dwelling.
I'm in the large finished basement with no sleeping rooms. I pass out on the couch. I wake to fire at the top of the basement stairs. I have to go through the rec room, down the hall past the wet bar, through a door to the unfinished portion, turn the corner, pass the furnace and I escape through the only required and compliant EERO for the basement.
I'm going to need help understanding why (outside of the book) it would be too risky for the EERO to be in the closet.
I would preface that with saying the closet has no other door to another part of the house. I"m assuming the closet is bound by walls and is only accessed by the bedroom.
What about if the EERO in the closet was a full size door with stairs to grade, but an EERO in the bedroom would be a minimum size window 3 stories above grade. Hmmm... I'm thinking I'd take the door from my closet over the window...
Come on guys... Dare to close the book and talk this one through with me. I'm sure I'm missing something.
just to be devils advocate....
you are asleep in the bedroom, but are a guest and you have no idea the EERO is in the closet.
HEY CDA.......
What MAN has that many shoes to trip over
Okay... You are a guest in the basement sleeping on the couch. You have no clue the only EERO is in the bedroom with the closed door where the teenager lives. Perfectly compliant and acceptable risk.just to be devils advocate....
you are asleep in the bedroom, but are a guest and you have no idea the EERO is in the closet.
HEY CDA.......
What MAN has that many shoes to trip over
Okay... You are a guest in the basement sleeping on the couch. You have no clue the only EERO is in the bedroom with the closed door where the teenager lives. Perfectly compliant and acceptable risk.
When I am faced with something not perfectly spelled out in the code, I first do a risk assessment. Then I see if that risk is tolerated elsewhere in the code. If it is, then I include that in my analysis.
If it is reasonable that an entire finished basement with no sleeping rooms has only one EERO (not even required in the finished area), then I believe we assume that the risk of shoes on the floor or the homeowners crap where ever is a non-discussion. The argument of "non-familiarity" is a tough one that the IRC doesn't really support. This is why I focused on the occurrence of fire, where is it, and what are the occupants choices.
I just like code discussions that get to the heart of the matters. I have for many editions considered submitting an IRC proposal to require the EERO for a finished basement with no sleeping room to be in the finished part. But I stop at "why"? I usually happens anyway.Glenn,
I understand the logic you wish to apply i.e. the EERO in a closet is no worse than the basement example that you provided, I can't agree with the premise. While the one does not seem worse than the other, when the word "worse" is involved I tend to wonder why we allow the first "worse" ....much less endorse another "worse".
Yeah, but that's more about familiarity with hardware or a product, not a house design. Like hot having to be on the left... sure that's familiarity, but a little different. On another note, "special knowledge" was struck from window operation and window well covers in the 2021 IRC. I didn't support the removal and spoke against it at the hearings. But... well...The argument of "non-familiarity" is a tough one that the IRC doesn't really support.
Code does use “Special Knowledge”
What NSFY said. If no door on the closet, then it is merely an alcove, and it's all in the same room.
Label the closet a bedroom and the bedroom a closet on the plan. No code against accessing a bedroom through a closet. No code against putting closet hardware on the walls of a bedroom.