External refuse chute

[Sifu]

I have a proposal for an external refuse chute. I have very little info on it right now but I am curious about what, if any, ICC codes would apply. I do not know if this is temporary, but it is not permitted as temporary so I am going on the assumption it is not. I can't find any applicable code provisions specific to external chutes. My biggest concern is a fire in the dumpster (per plan) or compactor using the chute as a chimney up the side of the building, but I can't put my finger on any code requirements. Does NFPA 82 apply? I read the '21 version and by definition I think this would be a gravity waste chute, for which the definition includes "in a building", so aside from the fact that none of the provisions seem to apply, would not include a chute on the outside of a building.

From the drawing it appears that they are opening a window and dropping waste down 1 story to a dumpster. Aside from the heart attack I think the zoning department may have, I can't find anything that the building department can regulate (we do not do fire inspections or review).

I have requested a lot of additional info from the applicant but I'm not sure what I would do with it id I got it. I simply don't know what I don't know here. Any guidance is appreciated.

 

[steveray]

Is there a roof over it?

 

[ICE]

In most jurisdictions the planning department approval comes before a building permit application. That might kill it before you have be involved. A single story drop is not significant. I can imagine more than just a window to access the chute but code wise??????

 

[e hilton]

Sounds like it is for a demolition, what would it not be allowed for a short time?

 

[ICE]

Sounds like it is for a demolition, what would it not be allowed for a short time?

Why would a permit be required for a temporary demolition chute?

 

[e hilton]

Why would a permit be required for a temporary demolition chute?

Ok, good point. I went back and read again … i assumed it was for construction. He said he didn’t know if it was temporary, mentioned a dumpster, waste out the window … so i obviously wanted it to be construction related.

 

[ICE]

so i obviously wanted it to be construction related

Me too....hard to imagine that they are too lazy to take out the trash.

 

[Sifu]

OK, got some more info. It is permanent, and apparently P&Z are fine with it...in this otherwise very nice facility (quite sure this was a political decision). No roof, accessed by a locking chute access door that will replace a window, but in a stairwell! I have asked for plans to tell me how this works in a stairwell. Not sure how many stories, whether it is an enclosed stair etc. It terminates over an open dumpster, has a vent pipe above and a sprinkler head, so unless there is an issue with it being in a stair once I get the plans I will move on. I am making sure P & Z and fire are set for review, but I still have trouble finding any code for it beyond the attachment to the structure, which they have provided.

I wanted it to be construction related too!

 

[steveray]

That's a big negative woodchuck!

1022.1 General. Exits shall comply with Sections 1022
through 1027 and the applicable requirements of Sections
1003 through 1015. An exit shall not be used for any purpose
that interferes with its function as a means of egress.

1023.1 General. Interior exit stairways and ramps serving
as an exit component in a means of egress system shall
comply with the requirements of this section. Interior exit
stairways and ramps shall be enclosed and lead directly to
the exterior of the building or shall be extended to the exterior
of the building with an exit passageway conforming to
the requirements of Section 1024, except as permitted in
Section 1028.2. An interior exit stairway or ramp shall not
be used for any purpose other than as a means of egress and a
circulation path.

 

[Mr. Inspector]

What steveray says

 

[Sifu]

To follow up...
Ok I was just writing down all the reasons it couldn't be in a stairwell....then the last few posts popped up and stole my thunder. But I'm happy to see we are all on the same page.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

Why would a permit be required for a temporary demolition chute?

In Canuckistan, disposal chutes at construction sites are regulated by the National Fire Code, which kicks back to an entire section in the National Building Code stipulating all sorts of requirements/provisions.

FYI.