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Range exhaust to the outside required?

Mr. Inspector

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Nov 28, 2009
Messages
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Location
Poconos/eastern PA
I am inspecting a change of occupancy B to I-3 and alterations to a small building that will be a drug rehab. They installed 2 electric commercial stoves with a hood/filter/ansul system but it sends the exhaust back into the room not to the exterior. According to 2015 IMC, Section 505 under the exceptions this is allowed. My problem is the manufacturers installation instructions has this:

Air Supply & Ventilation

Means must be provided for any commercial, heavy-duty Cooking appliance to exhaust combustion waste products to the outside of the building. The usual practice is to place the unit under an exhaust hood. Filters and drip troughs should be part of any industrial hood, but consult local codes before construction and installing the hood.

They're called Electric Restaurant Ranges. There is nothing in the instructions or details that calls it commercial or what type (heavy duty) the range type. The statement that commercial heavy-duty cooking appliance must exhaust combustion waste products waste products to the outside of the building has me confused.

Does this range require exhaust to the outside?
 
My thought process, if those are the installation instructions from that specific unit and those installation instructions do not reference any other type of electric range such as non heavy duty then I would be inclined to presume this unit is heavy duty and shall be exhausted to the exterior.

Ask the applicant/installer for more detail?
 
2. Factory-built commercial cooking recirculating systems that are listed and labeled in accordance with UL 710B, and installed in accordance with Section 304.1, shall not be required to comply with Sections 507.1.5, 507.2.3, 507.2.5, 507.2.8, 507.3.1, 507.3.3, 507.4 and 507.5. Spaces in which such systems are located shall be considered to be kitchens and shall be ventilated in accordance with Table 403.3.1.1. For the purpose of determining the floor area required to be ventilated, each individual appliance shall be considered as occupying not less than 100 square feet (9.3 m2 ).
 
Are there "combustion waste products" with any electric range?

2. Factory-built commercial cooking recirculating systems that are listed and labeled in accordance with UL 710B, and installed in accordance with Section 304.1, shall not be required to comply with Sections 507.1.5, 507.2.3, 507.2.5, 507.2.8, 507.3.1, 507.3.3, 507.4 and 507.5. Spaces in which such systems are located shall be considered to be kitchens and shall be ventilated in accordance with Table 403.3.1.1. For the purpose of determining the floor area required to be ventilated, each individual appliance shall be considered as occupying not less than 100 square feet (9.3 m2 ).
Thanks but, not asking about recirculating systems. I'm asking if the manufacturers installation instructions which can over ride the code is requiring to exhaust to the outside.
 
You are talking about recirc system as you have a hood that does not go to the outside....How are you dealing wth the heat? Ventillation per IMC 403.3.1.1

b. Mechanical exhaust required and the recirculation of air from such spaces is prohibited. Recirculation of air that is contained completely within such spaces shall not be prohibited (see Section 403.2.1, Item 3).
 
Installation instructions are part of the listing. Unfortunately there is no guarantee that the NRTL actually evaluated the installation instructions.
 
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I went back to check that label on this range:

imperial range.jpg

Does this range comply to this section of the code?

917.1 Cooking appliances. Cooking appliances that are
designed for permanent installation, including ranges, ovens,
stoves, broilers, grills, fryers, griddles and barbecues, shall be
listed, labeled and installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions. Commercial electric cooking appliances
shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 197
.
Household electric ranges shall be listed and labeled in accordance
with UL 858. Microwave cooking appliances shall be
listed and labeled in accordance with UL 923. Oil-burning
stoves shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 896.
Solid-fuel-fired ovens shall be listed and labeled in accordance
with UL 2162.
 
I'll concede frustrating that manual is not explicit that this appliance requires ventilation to exterior but, in my opinion, to this is a "commercial, heavy duty cooking appliance" and requires the ventilation to exterior. It's advertised as "commercial range" even if manual does not say that.
 
Does not look like it...

I went back to check that label on this range:

View attachment 8507

Does this range comply to this section of the code?

917.1 Cooking appliances. Cooking appliances that are
designed for permanent installation, including ranges, ovens,
stoves, broilers, grills, fryers, griddles and barbecues, shall be
listed, labeled and installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions. Commercial electric cooking appliances
shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 197
.
Household electric ranges shall be listed and labeled in accordance
with UL 858. Microwave cooking appliances shall be
listed and labeled in accordance with UL 923. Oil-burning
stoves shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 896.
Solid-fuel-fired ovens shall be listed and labeled in accordance
with UL 2162.


And I hope it is a Type 2 or better construction type....Or I guess type V concrete first floor would work....
 
That is a true commercial range by its listing and as such the hood system over it needs to comply with IMC 507, not 505. Chapter 2 has definitions of light- through extra heavy duty appliances, and ranges are considered medium duty appliances. 507.1 exception 2 allows for UL 710B recirculating Type I hoods over commercial cooking appliances. These do need to be electric appliances, not gas fired. Commercial gas fired cooking appliances need hoods vented to the outdoors to get rid of products of combustion from the gas burning process, since the filtration system in recirculating hoods does a great job of extracting grease but does nothing for carbon monoxide.
My guess is that the installation manual is somewhat generic and a lot of the verbage covers both the electric and gas fired versions of this range. That's why it says "products of combustion" are required to be exhausted to the outdoors. There are no products of combustion from an electric range. With a recirculating hood, general exhaust does need to be added to the kitchen at a rate of 0.7 CFM per square foot in accordance with 403.3.
 
Is it installed on a non-combustible floor like the label says?

View attachment 8511
Da, how did I miss this. I was so busy trying to figure out what the manual wants that I missed this. Thanks. Odd that the manual did not have this in it but has all the required clearances. They will need different ranges, the building is all wood.

Is it normal for the manufacturers installation instructions to only have part of the directions and the label to have more instructions?

I can see how this can be frustrating for the designer if not all the instructions and clear information is not on the manufacturers installation instruction when they are deciding on what to use.
 
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