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IMC 2003 507.12 Canopy size and location - vertical distance shall not exceed 4 feet

syarn

Silver Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2010
Messages
251
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
what is the significance of the max 4 feet distance per section 507.12 of IMC 2003?

aka why is it 4'? was that determined from industry accepted testing?

"...The vertical distance between the front lower lip of the hood and the cooking surface shall not exceed 4 feet..."

is a toaster considered a "cooking surface" therefore requiring this overhead hood?
 
* * * *

syarn,

Please define toaster..........How many BTU's, size, etc.

Regarding the 4 ft. vertical separation, IMO, I'm guessing that

that dimension will facilitate the capture of the contaminants

being produced during the cooking process more effectively

than a taller dimension will..........If the hood is located 4+ ft. or

more above the cooking surfaces, then all of the

contaminants might not be captured.

* * * *
 
* * * *

syarn,

Your product link states that no ventilation is required, however,

to check with the AHJ for any local requirements and NFPA-96.

How many of these are planned for installation?

In this AHJ, we typically allow them without any Type I or II

hoods for exhausting, ..." IF " it is only the one being installed.

As a recommendation, the AHJ in question in your area, might

want to get a written agreement that only the one will be

installed........Have the business owner sign it and the BO,

...possibly the Fire Official.......That way, if or when a fire

event occurs because of one of these appliances, the AHJ

will have cause to have them removed......If more than one is

planned for installation, then you might want to discuss with

the Fire Official to get their input.

As part of your "due diligence", you might to check the U.L.

certifiation they are marketing on this particular appliance,

...to see exactly what is certified by U.L......Also, you might want

to have them install an approved type portable fire extinguisher

near this appliance, ...in an easily viewable, ...easily accessible

location and mounted not so high that a heavier extinguisher

could be dropped or not accessed in a hurry.....Remember, get

everything in writing up front!.......Written agreements tend to

heighten the sense of responsibility / liability, ...to some

degree anyway.

Hope this helps!

* * * *
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Is there any grease or smoke produced with this appliance? With no grease or smoke produced then a type I hood is not required. Section 507.2.2 of the 2006 IMC added 2 additional exceptions that would allow this appliance to be installed without a hood. Might be able to get there through a code mod. because of the different code editions. Just a thought.
 
ares

thx u.

I do not know exactly if grease or smoke is produced. it is a saladworks so the main food is salad. http://saladworks.com/currentmenu/

my guess is they are "toasting" the bread that goes with some of the menu chocies....maybe smoke if they "burn" something...

anne arundel county, maryland for this location. AA CTY does not appear to have caught up with the state of maryland, etc regarding 2006 I-codes. good idea. will keep in reserve.

at this point the hood stays in however it does appear to be above the 4' distance...
 
north star has "guess" it almost the same as the code commentary.

The exception if tested in accordance with UL 710 and installed per manufacturer guildlines; see 507.1

IFC 904.11.5 requires portable fire extinguishers regardless of hood provisions.
 
Often the maximum dimension (4 feet) from the appliance to to the front lower lip of the hood is exceeded when a "rice cooker" type of appliance is installed. These appliances are basically just a burner set close to the floor to facilitate a large pot for cooking rice. The top of the appliance (in many cases, the burner) far exceeds the allowed dimension. From the commentary: "A maximum vertical separation is specified so that the hood develops an effective capture velocity at or near the horizontal surface of the appliance. This limitation also shields the ascending cooking vapors from the influence of background air currents".So then, if the appliance exceeds the dimension, but the capture test shows that it works just fine, do you fail the inspection? I have several unlisted hoods installed in our jurisdication with this same set-up. By the way, is the hood listed to UL 710? If the hood is listed to UL 710, you cannot enforce this section anyway. See Section 507.1, exception 1.
 
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