# Rated furnace closet doors



## lpiburn

When is it (or was it ever) required to have a rated or solid-core door on a water heater / furnace closet in a residence?

I've recently started doing a lot of assessment work on old housing projects. One of the things I've noticed is a solid-core door whenever there is an interior water heater and/or furnace closet. I haven't seen it on every project, but fairly frequently.

Thing is, I can't find anything in the residential code(s) that would require that a water heater or furnace room to be fire-rated within a single-family dwelling. I did some googling and code-forum-delving and I found some references to older local codes requiring "boiler rooms" to be separated but even that is for multi-family residential under the commercial building codes.

Was there ever such a requirement under one of the legacy codes? If not, did developers just generally add in the one solid-core door as a CYA feature?  I look forward to any insight you can provide.

-LP


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## steveray

I thought there was something about proximity of oil tank to burner at some point.......I will look


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## cda

Don't think it is there

In the good old days the doors had vent openings

Plus if you rate the door seems like you would have to rate the enclosure


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## Pcinspector1

If the GAS furnace and or water heater is in a closet between the residence and the garage then the door has to be self-closing and solid core. IRC2012 sec R302.5.1

pc1


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## Pcinspector1

In a basement when a closet is build around the appliances combustion air is needed for the appliance closet which could be brought in from the outside or with the use of hi-low vents.

We would allow louvered bi-fold doors to be used as well on the furnace closet.

pc1


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## lpiburn

None of the units I am referring to have garages. There are many different configurations, but for the most part it would be in interior closet. Sometimes with, sometimes without a return air platform. Usually (but not always) the water heater is in a separate closet from the furnace. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to when the solid doors were provided, hence my question here.


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## cda

Looks....

Match doors in rest of house ?

Ordering of doors easier?


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## lpiburn

nope, nope, and nope.  When I've found these they are the only solid-core interior door in the whole unit.


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## Chad Pasquini

If a water heater is located in a bedroom then it needs to be solid core self closing and tight fitting with gasket.


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## cda

Chad Pasquini said:
			
		

> If a water heater is located in a bedroom then it needs to be solid core self closing and tight fitting with gasket.


code section and can it even be there??


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## steveray

Maybe there was something in NFPA 31?...Or as a way to reduce the 5'.....?

M2201.2 Above-ground tanks. The maximum amount of fuel oil stored above ground or inside of a building shall be 660 gallons (2498 L). The supply tank shall be supported on rigid noncombustible supports to prevent settling or shifting.

Exception: The storage of fuel oil, used for space or water heating, above ground or inside buildings in quantities exceeding 660 gallons (2498 L) shall comply with NFPA 31.

M2201.2.1 Tanks within buildings. Supply tanks for use inside of buildings shall be of such size and shape to permit installation and removal from dwellings as whole units. Supply tanks larger than 10 gallons (38 L) shall be placed not less than 5 feet (1524 mm) from any fire or flame either within or external to any fuel-burning appliance.


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## JBI

NOT a legacy Code for most, but NYS at one time required that IF a heating appliance were enclosed that the enclosure required a 3/4 hour rating.

I understand this is not applicable outside of NY, just putting it out there.


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## Chad Pasquini

CPC Section 504.1 - water heater installation in bedrooms and bathrooms would need to meet the above statement.


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## Paul Sweet

Chad Pasquini said:
			
		

> If a water heater is located in a bedroom then it needs to be solid core self closing and tight fitting with gasket.


I believe the old CABO code used to allow this, before the mid 1980s.


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## ICE

Chad Pasquini said:
			
		

> CPC Section 504.1 - water heater installation in bedrooms and bathrooms would need to meet the above statement.





> 2014 CPC
> 
> 504.0 Water Heater Requirements.
> 
> 504.1 Location. Water heater installations in bedrooms and
> 
> bathrooms shall be in accordance with one of the following
> 
> [NFPA 54:10.28.1]:
> 
> (1) Fuel-burning water heaters shall be permitted to be
> 
> installed in a closet located in the bedroom or bathroom
> 
> provided the closet is equipped with a listed, gasketed
> 
> door assembly and a listed self-closing device. The selfclosing
> 
> door assembly shall meet the requirements of
> 
> Section 504.1.1. The door assembly shall be installed
> 
> with a threshold and bottom door seal and shall meet the
> 
> requirements of Section 504.1.2. Combustion air for such
> 
> installations shall be obtained from the outdoors in accordance
> 
> with Section 506.4. The closet shall be for the
> 
> exclusive use of the water heater.
> 
> (2) Water heater shall be of the direct vent type. [NFPA
> 
> 54:10.28.1(2)]
> 
> 504.1.1 Self-Closing Doors. Self-closing doors shall
> 
> swing easily and freely and shall be equipped with a selfclosing
> 
> device to cause the door to close and latch each
> 
> time it is opened. The closing mechanism shall not have
> 
> a hold-open feature. [NFPA 80:6.1.4.2]
> 
> 504.1.2 Gasketing. Gasketing on gasketed doors or
> 
> frames shall be furnished in accordance with the published
> 
> listings of the door, frame, or gasketing material
> 
> manufacturer. [NFPA 80:6.4.8]
> 
> Exception: Where acceptable to the Authority Having
> 
> Jurisdiction, gasketing of non-combustible or limited combustible
> 
> material shall be permitted to be applied to
> 
> the frame, provided closing and latching of the door are
> 
> not inhibited.


This code section creates trouble.  It starts out with a "Listed door assembly"  and "listed self closing device".  Then it goes on to describe the components and how they work.  So the contractor puts one together...with a refrigerator door seal because there's an exception to the rule for the most important feature of the whole deal.  When I tell the contractor that a listed assembly is required I hear,  "The code says listed, what is meant by that"?  Listed for what?  I ask for the UL standard for submarine doors.


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## JBI

*IBC 2012 - LISTED.* Equipment, materials, products or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the _building_ official and concerned with evaluation of products or services that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services and whose listing states either that the equipment, material, product or service meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose.


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## Pcinspector1

This may be a stre....tch but look at IBC, 413.2, concealed spaces?

Is a water heater considered combustible material?

It sure seems to me that this was required back in the days of the UBC and UPC.

pc1


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## cda

solid door required as an exception???

2009 ifgc

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:

1. The appliance is a direct-vent appliance installed in accordance with the conditions of the listing and the manufacturer's instructions.

2. Vented room heaters, wall furnaces, vented decorative appliances, vented gas fireplaces, vented gas fireplace heaters and decorative appliances for installation in vented solid fuel-burning fireplaces are installed in rooms that meet the required volume criteria of Section 304.5.

3. A single wall-mounted unvented room heater is installed in a bathroom and such unvented room heater is equipped as specified in Section 621.6 and has an input rating not greater than 6,000 Btu/h (1.76 kW). The bathroom shall meet the required volume criteria of Section 304.5.

4. A single wall-mounted unvented room heater is installed in a bedroom and such unvented room heater is equipped as specified in Section 621.6 and has an input rating not greater than 10,000 Btu/h (2.93 kW). The bedroom shall meet the required volume criteria of Section 304.5.

5. The appliance is installed in a room or space that opens only into a bedroom or bathroom, and such room or space is used for no other purpose and is provided with a solid weather-stripped door equipped with an approved self-closing device. All combustion air shall be taken directly from the outdoors in accordance with Section 304.6.


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