Furnace/Mechanical Room enclosure and the building code

[nzwasp]

My friends think its strange that my house built in 2006 doesnt have any walls around the furnace/hotwater tank room. I recently told them I wished it did because its so damn noisy.

Does anyone know when it was changed to make this mandatory? a google search pulls up nothing.

[TomcoPDR]

If it's undeveloped basement, I don't think enclosure is required. If developing basement, I think it's required. (with 24"-36" surrounding access to these units hotwater, furnace, electrical panel)

Anyway, (waiting to get flamed by legit contractors)... lol...

[Mibz]

I don't think it was ever changed to be mandatory. Not sure why building code would ever force restricted access to the electrical panel, furnace and water heater.

EDIT: Assuming undeveloped basement.

[nzwasp]

Yeah my basement is undeveloped and so is all my friends, yet they all have enclosed furnace rooms from when their house was developed. I guess maybe it was a nice thing to do since it was so noisy. Even a house built in 1953 had a furnace room.

[G]

I don't think its code. Go to any show home with an undeveloped basement there is no room around the mechanical area. If it was code they wouldn't have passed inspection like that.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Darell_n]

Undeveloped basements have the furnace enclosed with a door at the bottom of the staircase. Once the basement is finished with an enclosed mechanical room, the staircase door can be deleted.

[nzwasp]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
I believe that you are required to have a separation between living areas and utilities

For homes with undeveloped basements, while there is no enclosure around the furnace there is normally a door to the undeveloped basement/area to provide that separation


Then again, I could be talking out my ass :D

EDIT: Pretty much exactly as I thought

Gas-fired furnaces
In developed basements, gas-fired furnaces and
water heaters must be enclosed in a separate
room from the living space, as required in the
current edition of the Alberta Building Code.

yeah my door is at the top of the stairs. I guess the houses my friends own mostly have stairs with no doors in them.

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by nzwasp
Even a house built in 1953 had a furnace room.

WRONG.

Seen a few old houses with undeveloped basements (this is very rare to find being over 60yrs old)
There's no enclosed furnace room.