Water Coolers and Break Rooms

[Phil B]

If a facility has a Break Room that has some source of drinking water for the occupants, bottled, dispenser, or similar, then is a separate ADA compliant water cooler required also?

 

[RLGA]

IBC Section 1109.5 states "Where drinking fountains are provided..." If you qualify for the substitution provision in Section 410.4 of the IPC, then you are not providing a "drinking fountain"; thus, a second dispenser would not be required, provided the dispenser complied with the Operable Parts requirement of ANSI A117.1 (Section 309).

Note that the substitution provision is limited to 50% of the required number of drinking fountains. Therefore, if you are only required to have one (two are required per IBC Section 1109.5 unless a high/low fountain is provided), then using a dispenser would be replacing 100% of the required drinking fountains. Thus, you could not use the substitution.

 

[SCBO1]

Is the breakroom open to the public?

 

[Phil B]

The Breakroom is available to all occupants of the building, but it is a private facility not open to the public in general.

 

[steveray]

As Ron said....At least one which typically ends up being bilevel, is required except for small occupancies...

 

[Tim Mailloux]

Note that the substitution provision is limited to 50% of the required number of drinking fountains.

FWIW the 50% substitution provision only comes into play after you meet the minimum requirements of 1 Hi and 1 low fixture.

 

[Phil B]

Thank you all