Mechanical Room adjacent to Bedroom

[Chop]

In designing a floor plan, I'd like to place both a bedroom and a mechanical room in the basement, and ideally sharing a wall. Attached images shows my basic plan.

Is there any code compliance rules that would prevent me from using the plan as shown?

I suspect that I will need 1/2" or 5/8" sheetrock (similar to a garage)

Thanks in advance.

 

[steveray]

Welcome to THE forum.....I know some of the NH inspectors...Live Free or Die.....Where are you getting combustion air from?

 

[classicT]

Any natural gas, propane, or other combustion appliances in the mechanical room?

 

[Chop]

Thanks to you both!
Hoping to use air source heat exchanger for heat and domestic hot water.
So..not anticipating combustion appliances in this situation.
That being said, I'd appreciate to know the situation either way.

 

[steveray]

Thanks to you both!
Hoping to use air source heat exchanger for heat and domestic hot water.
So..not anticipating combustion appliances in this situation.
That being said, I'd appreciate to know the situation either way.

Without fuel, I don't really think there is a concern.... Manufacturers clearances for service and to combustibles if any....? Door has to be big enough to get the equipment through...

Is the rest of the basement already finished?

 

[Chop]

The basement hasn't been poured. Making plans for building this summer.

Mechanicals will go in before those doors or even walls.

 

[ICE]

Mechanicals will go in before those doors or even walls.

You can always cut them up to get them out… you know… if you needed to.

I'd appreciate to know the situation either way

I no longer have access to the current codes so I won’t copy and paste a section… and I have never had access to NH code however, if there are fuel fired appliances and an inspector treats the mechanical room as a closet (I would), well there are rules for the door between the sleeping room and the mechanical room.

 

[klarenbeek]

Electric or direct vent appliances won't be a problem.
If there's any fuel fired appliances that take combustion air from the space the door between the bedroom and mechanical room needs to be self closing, gasketed and solid core not hollow core. All combustion air will have to come from the outdoors, no transfer openings to get it from somewhere else in the structure.

 

[Yikes]

Side comment for your plan check: don't say "Egress via lightwell", say "Emergency Escape and Rescue Opening via window well".

The word "egress" implies you can walk out a doorway into that well, and then take an exit staircase from that well up to grade.
"Escape and Rescue" allows you to climb out a window, and then climb up a ladder.

For "egress", it looks like you already have an internal stairway that can go to the floor above.

 

[e hilton]

I would omit the door from the mech room to the bedroom, and use a double door into the big room.

 

[bill1952]

And spend money on acoustic isolation around the room with heat pumps. They are noisy suckers. The door is especially a leaky point for noise.

 

[Chop]

Electric or direct vent appliances won't be a problem.
If there's any fuel fired appliances that take combustion air from the space the door between the bedroom and mechanical room needs to be self closing, gasketed and solid core not hollow core. All combustion air will have to come from the outdoors, no transfer openings to get it from somewhere else in the structure.

Thanks. In a previous home, I had an oil furnace and it struggled to use the available air in the mechanical room where it was located...constantly going into lockout. Ultimately, we put in a pipe to get air from the outside, which changed its performance drastically for the positive. That was a Burnham unit. If I were to use a combustion unit again, I'd plan to get the air from the outside.

 

[Chop]

Side comment for your plan check: don't say "Egress via lightwell", say "Emergency Escape and Rescue Opening via window well".

The word "egress" implies you can walk out a doorway into that well, and then take an exit staircase from that well up to grade.
"Escape and Rescue" allows you to climb out a window, and then climb up a ladder.

For "egress", it looks like you already have an internal stairway that can go to the floor above.

Thank you - That is valuable to know. I'll correct my language on the plan for the building permit.

 

[Chop]

I would omit the door from the mech room to the bedroom, and use a double door into the big room.

Yeah, that would solve an aspect of the problem as presented.

I anticipate that my wife and I will rent the home out for the winter season to folks who come up to the mountains for the ski season. It is somewhat common in our area to do a 184 day rental for ski enthusiasts.

My above design was an effort to remove access to the larger basement, where I'll have a full woodworking shop. I would intend to lock off access to the renters (not the rental agency) so they or any children would not have access to tools or equipment that would be dangerous.

I'd love to hear what I need to do with a door into the bedroom to make it legal to code.

 

[Chop]

And spend money on acoustic isolation around the room with heat pumps. They are noisy suckers. The door is especially a leaky point for noise.

Thank you... I did not know that. I have no direct experience with heat pumps. Very valuable as I consider what that wall structure should be like.

 

[ICE]

Thank you... I did not know that. I have no direct experience with heat pumps. Very valuable as I consider what that wall structure should be like.

Heat pumps are usually installed outdoors.

 

[Yikes]

And spend money on acoustic isolation around the room with heat pumps. They are noisy suckers. The door is especially a leaky point for noise.

The noise has historically been true. But there are new PTAC and VTAC heat pumps that are extremely quiet, extremely efficient, provide a fresh air heat exchanger, and are able to function down to very low temperatures before resistance heat is required. Here's an example of one manufacturer, where they have an all-in-one heat pump package that is ceiling mounted and ducts its intake and exhaust to/from your window well: https://ephoca.com/aio-ceiling-ducted/

 

[bill1952]

Heat pumps are usually installed outdoors.

I think he mentioned domestic hot water. I've only seen ones with integral gear pump.