I have an R-1 use group, four stories in height, Type VA construction, fully sprinklered. They want to use a subduct system for the exhaust fans serving the bathrooms and eliminate the need for fire and smoke dampers at the shaft penetration. I believe that in order to eliminate both the dampers they must provide all of the following four items:
• Steel exhaust subducts extending at least 22 inches upward into the shaft
• Have a minimum gage of 26
• Have a fan at the top of the shaft which operates continuously
• Provide a secondary power source for the fan
I shared this with the client. They responded saying they’ve never had to provide the secondary power source and suggested I contact a codes consultant they’ve utilized on previous projects. I called this codes consultant and was told that if I made the client provide all of these items I was wasting the client’s money as this was not a corridor and therefore smoke control didn’t apply. I had to scratch my head on that one as I didn’t see the connection to corridors first of all, especially when I read the code language in Section 716.5.3 over the phone to them. Secondly, in all my years of code enforcement, the second that fan shuts down, if there is any smoke in it, it will all go into the guestrooms, which goes against the entire purpose of helping to evacuate smoke.
Am I missing something here?
• Steel exhaust subducts extending at least 22 inches upward into the shaft
• Have a minimum gage of 26
• Have a fan at the top of the shaft which operates continuously
• Provide a secondary power source for the fan
I shared this with the client. They responded saying they’ve never had to provide the secondary power source and suggested I contact a codes consultant they’ve utilized on previous projects. I called this codes consultant and was told that if I made the client provide all of these items I was wasting the client’s money as this was not a corridor and therefore smoke control didn’t apply. I had to scratch my head on that one as I didn’t see the connection to corridors first of all, especially when I read the code language in Section 716.5.3 over the phone to them. Secondly, in all my years of code enforcement, the second that fan shuts down, if there is any smoke in it, it will all go into the guestrooms, which goes against the entire purpose of helping to evacuate smoke.
Am I missing something here?