Guesses? - InspectionNews

Jeff Eastman · #1 (**permalink**) 09-25-2007, 06:50 PM

.................

JB Thompson · #2 (**permalink**) 09-25-2007, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Eastman

This damper vent in the crawlspace between condo units is located on the front wall adjacent to the hallway you use to enter into the condo.... Think of this condo complex as a multi-story hotel with access to the condo units from interior halls. This damper (vent?) goes to the hall way.

Thoughts on what it is for, repairs needed? Also, is the proper terminolgy "crawlspace"?

Hard to picture since I've never done a condo. Are you saying crawlspace as in between the floors? Or between the walls?

I don't know if it is a write-up as far as you're concerned, but it's a great way to spread fire throughout the building.

Bruce

Rick Hurst · #3 (**permalink**) 09-25-2007, 07:01 PM

It's a rodent subway.

Jerry Peck · #4 (**permalink**) 09-25-2007, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JB Thompson

but it's a great way to spread fire throughout the building.

Well, it is not in a fire rated wall, so it is not a fire damper.

I will clarify - that wall is not a fire rated wall, maybe it was supposed to be, but it is not, and, I've never seen a fire damper like that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Eastman

This damper (vent?) goes to the hall way.

Being as that goes to the hallway, all I can think of is fresh air make up air.

Your description leaves a lot to the imagination - is that a 'house hallway' between two condo units, and the floor and ceiling are basically the same as the hallway and condo units, or, is this lower than the hallway and that vent toward the top of the wall here is toward the bottom of the wall in the hallway?

That wall (from your description) *should be* a fire partition (fire rated for at least 1 hour), but that would require that drywall to be taped and sealed, more screws, flange around the damper, and more (just in that limited area in the photo).

What is in that room in the photo?

Matt Fellman · #5 (**permalink**) 09-25-2007, 07:40 PM

I can't tell for sure but will fire off a guess... being that I'm from Oregon, the land of crawl spaces.

With all of the new attached housing it's tough to get adequate airflow to crawl spaces. A lot of times since there are units on each side and a garage slab on the other (god forbid your house be wider than your car) the builder is left with only one side to ventilate the crawl.

Due to the lack of cross-flow I see a lot of mechanical fans that 'force' air through the space. A lot of times they are on a humidistat which is tied to a red light in the garage to let you know it's on. I've also seen them tied to the furnace blower fan (the furnace fan doesn't run in the space, the crawl fan is separate and only comes on when the furance fan does).

In any case I'd bet this has something to do with airflow through the crawl space... I could be way off but, again, I'm not sure in the picture that I know what I'm looking at.

Jim Robinson · #6 (**permalink**) 09-25-2007, 07:48 PM

Kitchen or bath exhaust? Did you run / not run some of the fans to eliminate possible sources such as the bath or kitchen? Was this above grade at the ceiling level of the hallway space or below grade?