WSR 98-02-047

PERMANENT RULES

BUILDING CODE COUNCIL

[Filed January 5, 1998, 3:50 p.m., effective July 1, 1998]

Date of Adoption: November 14, 1997.

Purpose: To adopt amendments to the Washington State Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality Code.

Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 51-13-106, 51-13-402.3(b), and 51-13-502.1.2.

Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 19.27.190, 19.27.020.

Adopted under notice filed as WSR 97-16-112 on August 6, 1997.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, amended 1, repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's own Initiative: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, amended 2, repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, amended 3, repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0.

Effective Date of Rule: July 1, 1998.

January 2, 1998

Mike McEnaney

Council Chair

AMENDATORY SECTION (Amending WSR 95-01-128, filed 12/21/94, effective 6/30/95)

WAC 51-13-106 Conflicts with other codes.

106.1 Conflicts with Other Codes: In addition to the requirements of this Code, buildings must conform to the provisions of the State Building Code (Chapter 19.27 RCW and Chapters ((51-30, 51-32, 51-34 and 51-26)) 51-40, 51-42, 51-44 and 51-46 Washington Administrative Code). In case of conflicts between the Uniform Building, Uniform Plumbing, Uniform Mechanical, and Uniform Fire Codes as adopted and amended in Chapters ((51-30, 51-32, 51-34 and 51-26)) 51-40, 51-42, 51-44 and 51-46 Washington Administrative Code, the provisions of Chapter 51-13 shall govern. This Code is not intended to abridge any safety or health requirements under any other applicable codes or ordinances.

Where, in any specific case, different sections of this Code specify different materials, methods of construction or other requirements, the most restrictive shall govern. Where there is a conflict between a general requirement and a specific requirement, the specific requirement shall be applicable.

Wherever in this Code reference is made to the appendix, the provisions of the appendix shall not apply unless specifically adopted.

106.2 Authority: Local legislative authorities are authorized and directed to enforce this Code. Local legislative authorities are authorized to promulgate, adopt, and issue those rules and regulations necessary for the effective and efficient administration of this Code.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.190. 95-01-128, 51-13-106, filed 12/21/94, effective 6/30/95; 91-01-102, 51-13-106, filed 12/18/90, effective 7/1/91.]

AMENDATORY SECTION (Amending WSR 95-01-128, filed 12/21/94, effective 6/30/95)

WAC 51-13-402 Solid fuel burning appliances and fireplaces.

402.1 General: Solid fuel burning appliances and fireplaces shall satisfy one of the following criteria.

402.2 Solid Fuel Burning Appliances: Solid fuel burning appliances shall be provided with the following:

a) Tight fitting metal or ceramic glass doors.

b) 1. A source from outside the structure of primary combustion air, connected to the appliance as per manufacturer's specification. The air inlet shall originate at a point below the fire box. The duct shall be 4 inches or greater in diameter, not exceed 20 feet in length, and be installed as per manufacturer's instructions;

2. The appliance and manufacturer's recommended combustion air supply, as an installed unit, shall be certified by an independent testing laboratory to have passed Test No. 11 - Negative Pressure Test, Section 12.3, of ULC S627-M1984 "Space Heaters for Use with Solid Fuels," modified as follows:

A) Negative pressure of 8 Pascal shall be initially established with the chamber sealed and the air supply, if not directly connected to the appliance, closed off.

B) The air supply, if not directly connected to the appliance, shall then be opened.

C) The maximum allowable air exchange rate from chamber leakage and intentional air supply for the unit (appliance with combustion air supply) in the test chamber is 3.5 air changes per hour, or 28 cfm (cubic feet of air per minute), whichever is less.

EXCEPTION: Combustion air may be supplied to the room in which the solid fuel burning appliance is located in lieu of direct ducting, provided that one of the following conditions is met:

1) The solid fuel burning appliance is part of a central heating plant and installed in an unconditioned space in conformance with the Uniform Mechanical Code; or

2) The solid fuel burning appliance is installed in existing construction directly on a concrete floor or surrounded by masonry materials as in a fireplace.

The combustion air terminus shall be located as close to the solid fuel burning appliance as possible and shall be provided with a barometric damper or equivalent. The combustion air source shall be specified by the manufacturer or no less than four (4) inches in diameter or the equivalent in area or as approved.

402.3 Fireplaces: Fireplaces shall be provided with each of the following:

a) Tightly fitting flue dampers, operated by a readily accessible manual or approved automatic control.

EXCEPTION: Fireplaces with gas logs shall be installed in accordance with the Uniform Mechanical Code section 901.

b) An outside source for combustion air ducted into the firebox. The duct shall be at least six (6) square inches, and shall be provided with an operable outside air duct damper.

EXCEPTION: Washington certified fireplaces shall be installed with the combustion air systems necessary for their safe and efficient combustion and specified by the manufacturer in accordance with the Washington state UBC Standard 31-2 (WAC 51-40-31200) and UBC section 3102.5.4 (WAC 51-40-3102).

c) Site built fireplaces shall have tight fitting glass or metal doors, or a flue draft induction fan, or as approved for minimizing back-drafting. Factory built fireplaces shall use doors listed for the installed appliance.

402.4 Masonry Heaters: Masonry heaters shall be approved by the department of ecology and shall contain both of the following:

a) Primary combustion air ducted from the outside of the structure to the appliance.

b) Tight fitting ceramic glass or metal doors. Flue damper, when provided, shall have an external control and when in the closed position shall have a net free area of not less than five percent of the flue cross sectional area.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.190. 95-01-128, 51-13-402, filed 12/21/94, effective 6/30/95. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.190(2) and 1992 c 132. 93-02-056, 51-13-402, filed 1/6/93, effective 7/1/93. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.190. 91-01-102, 51-13-402, filed 12/18/90, effective 7/1/91.]

AMENDATORY SECTION (Amending WSR 95-01-128, filed 12/21/94, effective 6/30/95)

WAC 51-13-502 State-wide radon requirements.

502.1 Crawlspaces:

502.1.1 General: All crawlspaces shall comply with the requirements of this section.

502.1.2 Ventilation: All crawlspaces shall be ventilated as specified in section ((2317.7)) 2306.7 of the Washington State Uniform Building Code (chapter ((51-30)) 51-40 WAC).

If the installed ventilation in a crawlspace is less than one square foot for each three hundred square feet of crawlspace area, or if the crawlspace vents are equipped with operable louvers, a radon vent shall be installed to originate from a point between the ground cover and soil. The radon vent shall be installed in accordance with sections 503.2.6 and 503.2.7.

502.1.3 Crawlspace Plenum Systems: In crawlspace plenum systems used for providing supply air for an HVAC system, aggregate, a permanently sealed soil gas retarder membrane and a radon vent pipe shall be installed in accordance with section 503.2. Crawlspaces shall not be used for return air plenums.

In addition, an operable radon vent fan shall be installed. The fan shall be located as specified in section 503.2.7. The fan shall be capable of providing at least one hundred cfm at one inch water column static pressure. The fan shall be controlled by a readily accessible manual switch. The switch shall be labeled "RADON VENT FAN."