Thread: Living space separation from utility room

What type of separation requirement is needed between living space and utility rooms. This bedroom closet was separated from the utility room by and very thin piece of panel board. It has the taint of a DIY weekend special.

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Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

What type of separation requirement is needed between living space and utility rooms. This bedroom closet was separated from the utility room by and very thin piece of panel board. It has the taint of a DIY weekend special.

Matthew,

None, to the best of my knowledge. You can have the utility room in the family room.

I agree with Gunner

Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

What type of separation requirement is needed between living space and utility rooms. This bedroom closet was separated from the utility room by and very thin piece of panel board. It has the taint of a DIY weekend special.

Originally Posted by Gunnar Alquist

Matthew,

None, to the best of my knowledge. You can have the utility room in the family room.

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Depends on what is in the Utility Room.
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Two gas water heaters, two gas furnaces, 100 btu and 85 btu, distribution panels, fire suppression riser. The works.

Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

What type of separation requirement is needed between living space and utility rooms. This bedroom closet was separated from the utility room by and very thin piece of panel board. It has the taint of a DIY weekend special.

Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

Two gas water heaters, two gas furnaces, 100 btu and 85 btu, distribution panels, fire suppression riser. The works.

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Needs to be a Wall Separation ( not just a piece of panel board.)
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This space could be separated by a louvered door, wall, or nothing at all. If the bedroom is in the basement it has to have a secondary egress or it's not really living space.

Originally Posted by David Bell

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This space could be separated by a louvered door, wall, or nothing at all.

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David,

Please expand this reasoning.

If it is indeed a bedroom as stated .
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There are no requirements i am aware of that say mechanicals can not be placed in basement rooms. The only concern I would have with the wood panel was if it did not have the proper clearance from the equipment.

Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

What type of separation requirement is needed between living space and utility rooms. This bedroom closet was separated from the utility room by and very thin piece of panel board. It has the taint of a DIY weekend special.

Originally Posted by David Bell

There are no requirements i am aware of that say mechanicals can not be placed in basement rooms. The only concern I would have with the wood panel was if it did not have the proper clearance from the equipment.

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What about rooms used for sleeping ?
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David,

It appears I posted before you finished your thoughts evident by your additional comment of "if the bedroom is in the basement it has to have a secondary egress or it's not really a living space."

And your next post about mechanics being placed in basement rooms---

I'm not seeing anything about this being in a basement.

* it very well may be a photo of a basement remodel.

** what am I missing?
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Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

This bedroom closet was separated from the utility room by and very thin piece of panel board.

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

Depends on what is in the Utility Room.

Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

Two gas water heaters, two gas furnaces, 100 btu and 85 btu, distribution panels, fire suppression riser. The works.

Originally Posted by David Bell

This space could be separated by a louvered door, wall, or nothing at all. If the bedroom is in the basement

David,

It does not matter where the bedroom is, if you followed the posts above you would understand that the space WOULD NOT be allowed to "be separated by a louvered door", etc.

So Jerry, are you saying that if the bedroom door was indeed a door and not louvered, you can have it exit into a room containing a furnace, water heater, etc? The house I inspected today has that. There is another exit via a window well in the bedroom. It is large enough for egress.

Originally Posted by Bob Fuhrmann

So Jerry, are you saying that if the bedroom door was indeed a door and not louvered, you can have it exit into a room containing a furnace, water heater, etc? The house I inspected today has that. There is another exit via a window well in the bedroom. It is large enough for egress.

A bedroom requires two means of egress. If the window is a valid means of egress, (less than 44" above the floor, at least 5.7 sq ft openable space, and at least 18-24) AND if you have a second egress, then a third door into a utilty space would not be a problem.

How many doors are in this room of yours and where do they lead? What are the dimensions of the window and far above grade is the window?

Originally Posted by Bob Fuhrmann

So Jerry, are you saying that if the bedroom door was indeed a door and not louvered, you can have it exit into a room containing a furnace, water heater, etc?

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

Depends on what is in the Utility Room.

Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

Two gas water heaters, two gas furnaces, 100 btu and 85 btu, distribution panels, fire suppression riser. The works.

As Billy said, it "Depends on what is in the Utility Room.", then Mat told us what was in that Utility Room "Two gas water heaters, two gas furnaces, 100 btu and 85 btu".

From the IRC.
- G2406.2 (303.3) Prohibited locations. Appliances shall not be located in sleeping rooms, bathrooms, toilet rooms, storage closets or surgical rooms, or in a space that opens only into such rooms or spaces, except where the installation complies with one of the following:
(there are 5 exceptions to the "shall not be located in")

Ok, here is the layout. Down the stairs to a narrow room that served as a laundry room in the past. It has a sink, stool, shower, etc. Passing straight thru another door to the furnace room (furnace, water heater, freezer, sink). Off of the furnace room is a small room closed off with a door (shop area) with window well eggress. Also off the furnace room is the bedroom closed off with a door. Only one other eggress from the room is the window well. It is more than 44" above the floor but meets the other criteria. So you have two eggress points: thru the furnace room, thru the laundry room then up the stairs or out the window well (if you can climb that high). One other item I took issue with was that there was no means to supply the furnace and water heater with combustion air. No louvered doors, no external piping. If all the doors mentioned were closed, who knows!!!

Originally Posted by Bob Fuhrmann

Ok, here is the layout. Down the stairs to a narrow room that served as a laundry room in the past. It has a sink, stool, shower, etc. Passing straight thru another door to the furnace room (furnace, water heater, freezer, sink). Off of the furnace room is a small room closed off with a door (shop area) with window well eggress. Also off the furnace room is the bedroom closed off with a door. Only one other eggress from the room is the window well. It is more than 44" above the floor but meets the other criteria. So you have two eggress points: thru the furnace room, thru the laundry room then up the stairs or out the window well (if you can climb that high). One other item I took issue with was that there was no means to supply the furnace and water heater with combustion air. No louvered doors, no external piping. If all the doors mentioned were closed, who knows!!!

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The Problem is ?

How would this setup be different than exiting a bedroom through a garage with installed supply equipment ?
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18" x 24" is less than 5.7 sq '. Room would have to be enclosed, self closing door, sealed. Combustion air from exterior....etc.

Originally Posted by Bob Fuhrmann

Ok, here is the layout. Down the stairs to a narrow room that served as a laundry room in the past. It has a sink, stool, shower, etc.

Okay, down the stairs to a bathroom with no privacy doors. Got it.

Passing straight thru another door to the furnace room (furnace, water heater, freezer, sink).

Okay, got this too, hallway with equipment in it, just like if the equipment were off to the side in a closet behind doors, except no doors. Got it.

Off of the furnace room is a small room closed off with a door (shop area) with window well eggress.

Off the hallway is a workshop room. Got it.
- If newer, that also needs emergency egress ('may need' emergency egress). If older, it did not at the time of construction.

Also off the furnace room is the bedroom closed off with a door.

Off the hallway is a bedroom. Got it.

Only one other eggress from the room is the window well. It is more than 44" above the floor but meets the other criteria.

Does not really matter if it meets the other criteria, you have Fry Room 1 there as the sill is too high.

So you have two eggress points: thru the furnace room, thru the laundry room then up the stairs or out the window well (if you can climb that high).

Which means you do not have two egress points, you only have one - the window is too high to be considered an EERO.

One other item I took issue with was that there was no means to supply the furnace and water heater with combustion air. No louvered doors, no external piping. If all the doors mentioned were closed, who knows!!!

There is a source for that combustion air: Fry Room 1, now called Fry Room 1/Suffocation Room 1.

Originally Posted by Bob Fuhrmann

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Ok,
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One other item I took issue with was that there was no means to supply the furnace and water heater with combustion air. No louvered doors, no external piping. If all the doors mentioned were closed, who knows!!!

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Oops !

Missed The External " No Combustion Air Supply. "
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* As Setup Must draw Combustion Air from Outside The Conditioned Space.

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