# Walk-in Coolers and Construction Type



## vitamaltz (Jan 30, 2013)

Hi guys,

I'm wondering how you would classify our situation:

We have a warehouse that is III-B all day long, but has several attached drive-in coolers and freezers. Access to these is through the warehouse. The cooler walls are metal foam sandwich panels that are certainly combustible. I can certainly see the logic that says that these form part of the building envelope and knock the whole building down to V-B status, on the other hand, I know attached coolers are really common and I can't remember seeing them separated by a fire wall before... you'd need an insulated door and a fire door arranged in series in a complicated corridor arrangement. How do you normally handle this out there in the real world?


----------



## north star (Jan 30, 2013)

*= = + = =*



vitamaltz,

Let's start with some basic info.....What codes are you using,

...what are the sizes of the drive-in coolers themselves, ...how

many, ...what is typically driving in these coolers [ forklifts &

& hand trucks I assume ], ...do you know how the warehouse

is classified [ Occ. Group type ], ...are the coolers arranged

side-by-side, or separated,  ...any other pertinent info.

*+ + = + +*


----------



## vitamaltz (Jan 30, 2013)

north star said:
			
		

> *= = + = =*
> 
> vitamaltz,
> 
> ...


Sure... IBC 2009. You're correct... the coolers see fork trucks and hand trucks. The warehouse is S-2... it's all foods. There are two cooler/freezer combinations along one exterior wall of the warehouse. One is 1,285 s.f., the other 2,083 s.f. They are 40 feet apart from one another.


----------



## cda (Jan 30, 2013)

ok you have coolers and then you have COOLERS

I cannot talk to const type, but would say maybe some coolers are pieces of equipment, and then there are COOLERS that are the building or majority of it.

the equipment type should not have to meet building const type, but the large building type would.

Not sure why a rated wall would be required same occupancy as the warehouse, and Construction Types IIIA and IIIB are considered combustible.


----------



## north star (Jan 30, 2013)

*= =*



vitamaltz,

I'm with ** cda ** also!......If the Walk-In / Drive-In type coolers

are part of the overall S-2 occ. group, I do not see a need for

any separation requirements.......Do these additional coolers &

freezers exceed the allowable square footage of the larger

sized warehouse  [ RE: Table 503, `09 IBC ] ?



*+ +*


----------



## cda (Jan 30, 2013)

north star said:
			
		

> *= =*
> 
> vitamaltz,
> 
> ...


I think the main question is type of construction, for this??? can it be a IIIB????


----------



## north star (Jan 30, 2013)

*= =*





> " ...can it be a IIIB????"


Section 602.3, in the `06 IBC would say No!** **


----------



## Builder Bob (Jan 31, 2013)

The foam sandwich panels may meet the requirements for Type V.... See last sentence of second section

2603.4.1.2 Cooler and freezer walls. Foam plastic

installed in a maximum thickness of 10 inches (254 mm)

in cooler and freezer walls shall:

1. Have a flame spread index of 25 or less and a

smoke-developed index of not more than 450,

where tested in a minimum 4 inch (102 mm) thickness.

2. Have flash ignition and self-ignition temperatures

of not less than 600°F and 800°F (316°C and

427°C), respectively.

3. Have a covering of not less than 0.032-inch (0.8

mm) aluminum or corrosion-resistant steel having

a base metal thickness not less than 0.0160 inch

(0.4 mm) at any point.

4. Be protected by an automatic sprinkler system.

Where the cooler or freezer is within a building,

both the cooler or freezer and that part of the building

in which it is located shall be sprinklered.

2603.5 Exterior walls of buildings of any height. Exterior

walls of buildings of Type I, II, III or IV construction of any

height shall comply with Sections 2603.5.1 through 2603.5.7.

Exterior walls of cold storage buildings required to be constructed

of noncombustible materials, where the building is

more than one story in height, shall also comply with the provisions

of Sections 2603.5.1 through 2603.5.7.

Exterior walls of buildings of Type V construction shall comply with Sections

2603.2, 2603.3 and 2603.4.

In other words - Type I, II, II, or IV construction if 2603.5.1 through 2603.5.7 are met-

Fire resistant rated walls (maximum of 4 inch thickness or actual thickness-2603.5.4 )

Thermal Barrier

Potential Heat Release rate

Flame Spread and Smoke Development

test Standard (NFPA 285)

Label - i.e .listed and identified

Ignition -

Exterior walls of buildings of Type V construction shall comply with Sections

2603.2, 2603.3 and 2603.4 (4 to 10 inch thickness 2603.3 exception number 2)

Labeling and Identification

Surface Burning Characteristics (ASTM E84) 75/450

Thermal Barrier


----------



## vitamaltz (Jan 31, 2013)

north star said:
			
		

> *= =*
> 
> vitamaltz,
> 
> ...


Northstar, yes, the issue is that with the coolers and freezers included, it exceeds the area limitation for a VB S-2 use, but is within the maximum for IIIB. It looks like one cooler/freezer combo can be configured with a fire door, which would carve that off into another fire area, leaving the larger fire area less than 13,500 s.f. The larger question persists though... It seems like _everytime_ a large walk-in is attached to an otherwise more resistant construction type, it turns the whole fire area into a VB (just like an unseparated wood-frame office attachment would). I just think that's interesting, because attached coolers seem fairly common on the sides of masonry and steel buildings.


----------



## north star (Jan 31, 2013)

+ + +

vitamaltz,

Non-code compliance is very common, everywhere.......Complying with

the minimum codes is costly [ financially speaking ].......Adding some

more capacity to a warehouse means more profit......Adding code

compliant capacity means a little less profit.

Non-minimum code compliance could cost even more [ referrring

to the most recent fire in South America ].

*+ + +*


----------



## cda (Jan 31, 2013)

when is a cooler a piece of equipment verses a building??????????????


----------



## Builder Bob (Feb 1, 2013)

cda - equipment - plug and play , environmental control systems

building-foundation, walls, and ceiling (also has to be designed to withstand seismic, wind, etc.)

- i.e. not stand alone....   IMHO - Kinda backed up my the definition in the IMC.

IMC

EQUIPMENT. All piping, ducts, vents, control devices and other components of systems other than appliances which are

permanently installed and integrated to provide control of environmental conditions for buildings. This definition shall also

include other systems specifically regulated in this code.

The evaporator, compressors, tubing, drier, etc are pieces of the equipment , the structure that this equipment is installed upon, is a building that just happens to have 10 inch thick foam insulation panels.


----------

