# 2018 IMC 306.2 Appliances in rooms.



## Rick18071 (Jul 25, 2019)

2018 IMC
306.2 Appliances in rooms. Rooms containing appliances
shall be provided with a door and an unobstructed passage-
way measuring not less than 36 inches (914 mm) wide and 80
inches (2032 mm) high.

Does this mean I need a door that is 38" wide so the opening is not less than 36" if there is a baseboard heater in the room?


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## cda (Jul 25, 2019)

Do you have the exception



306.2 Appliances in rooms. Rooms containing appliances requiring access shall be provided with a door and an unob- structed passageway measuring not less than 36 inches (914 mm) wide and 80 inches (2032 mm) high.
Exception: Within a dwelling unit, appliances installed in a compartment, alcove, basement or similar space shall be accessed by an opening or door and an unobstructed pas- sageway measuring not less than 24 inches (610 mm) wide and large enough to allow removal of the largest appliance in the space, provided that a level service space of not less than 30 inches (762 mm) deep and the height of the appli- ance, but not less than 30 inches (762 mm), is present at the front or service side of the appliance with the door open.


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## Rick18071 (Jul 25, 2019)

Exceptions are for dwelling units only.

So if there is a heat transfer thingamajig in the suspended ceiling they need to have at least a 38" wide door (36" clear opening) for the room?

APPLIANCE. A device or apparatus that is manufactured
and designed to utilize energy and for which this code provides
specific requirements.

Is a thermostat an appliance?


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## classicT (Jul 25, 2019)

This section is somewhat disturbing as an electric resistance wall heater is an appliance under the IMC. Some of these wall heaters are no more than 18"x12"x10". What is the need for a 36" opening.


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## Yikes (Jul 25, 2019)

Sometimes you find stuff in the code that no longer makes sense, but it just stays in because no one formally challenges it.

My favorite is still in the IBC, table 721.1(3) footnote m:
"m. Double wood floor shall be permitted to be either of the following:
(a) Subfloor of 1-inch nominal boarding, a layer of *asbestos* paper weighing not less than 14 pounds per 100 square feet and a layer of 1-inch nominal tongue-and-groove finished flooring; or..."​


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## ADAguy (Jul 25, 2019)

Rick18071 said:


> Exceptions are for dwelling units only.
> 
> So if there is a heat transfer thingamajig in the suspended ceiling they need to have at least a 38" wide door (36" clear opening) for the room?
> 
> ...



Operational device as in a "control mechanism"


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## mtlogcabin (Jul 25, 2019)

[A] 104.1 General.
The code official is hereby authorized and directed to enforce the provisions of this code. The code official shall have the authority to render interpretations of this code and to adopt policies and procedures in order to clarify the application of its provisions. Such interpretations, policies and procedures shall be in compliance with the intent and purpose of this code. Such policies and procedures shall not have the effect of waiving requirements specifically provided for in this code.

The intent of  IMC Section 306.2 is to provide a 36" X 80" door. Period no clear width measurements required no swing required
In addition "if" a passageway is needed to access that room then it is also required to be a minimum un-obstructed 36" X 80".
If you are following the strict wording of this section since it includes the word "and" it would indicate the passageway is required along with the door. Obviously that is not the intent of this section to require both. Therefore the code official needs to render an interpretation and adopt a policy to clarify how the AHJ will apply this section of the code.

That is why they get paid the big bucks


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## Rick18071 (Jul 26, 2019)

If the intent of the code meant the door does't need to be so big wouldn't the code say:

Rooms containing appliances
shall be provided with an unobstructed passage-
way measuring not less than 36 inches (914 mm) wide and 80
inches (2032 mm) high and a door.

instead of:

Rooms containing appliances
shall be provided with a door and an unobstructed passage-
way measuring not less than 36 inches (914 mm) wide and 80
inches (2032 mm) high.

It only took me a minute to find another example of the same situation. Does the following section means the design should also be in accordance to the IECC or just installed to the IECC?

301.2 Energy utilization. Heating, ventilating and air-conditioning
systems of all structures shall be designed and
installed for efficient utilization of energy in accordance with
the International Energy Conservation Code.

Here's even a better example. Does the opening need to be large enough too or just the passageway?

306.3 Appliances in attics. Attics containing appliances
shall be provided with an opening and unobstructed passageway
large enough to allow removal of the largest appliance.

What if it was written like this:

306.3 Appliances in attics. Attics containing appliances
shall be provided with an unobstructed passageway
large enough to allow removal of the largest appliance and an opening. .


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## ADAguy (Jul 26, 2019)

As to "intent", it comes down to "semantics" doesn't it? They need an English major to test these on before publishing them.
They know want they want and intend to say but often fall short.


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## Rick18071 (Jul 26, 2019)

IBC doesn't require a door for rooms unless it needs to be a fire rated wall. I can't see requiring doors for every room that has an appliance. It would make more sense to me to the IMC required an opening or doorway to a room that the appliance could fit through.

Called the ICC and they were confused too. Said they would get back to me with a mechanical expert.


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## ADAguy (Jul 29, 2019)

Waiting ????


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## north star (Jul 29, 2019)

*@ : @ : @ : @*

Rick, ...while you're waiting on ICC, can the BO
make an official interpretation of the application
at hand, document it for the next Code(s) adoption
in that AHJ, and move forward, or is this a question
of language \ interpretation only ?

*@ : @ : @ : @*


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## Rick18071 (Jul 30, 2019)

The answer I got was:
The "doorway" would be part of the unobstructed passageway measuring not less than 36 inches (914 mm) wide and 80 inches (2032 mm) high.
The "door" itself would also be not less than 36 inches (914 mm) wide and 80 inches (2032 mm) high.
Since a 36" door does not have a 36" unobstructed opening a custom built door may be required or a double door can be used if at least one of the leafs is 36" wide.
He also kept saying "mechanical room" but when I said the code just said "room" it seemed to anger him.

So this seems to indicate that every room that has any kind of appliance that is in the IMC must have a custom built door or a double door.

There is something wrong here. Is anyone requiring this? It seems that the room with the appliance only needs this required door, not a exterior door if you need to go though a hall to get to the exterior door from the room with the appliance..

Maybe I should go with a written interpretation.


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## Paul Sweet (Aug 3, 2019)

"Unobstructed" comes after door, so it would refer to the passageway.  The usual code terminology that triggers a wider door is "clear width".


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## Rick18071 (Aug 5, 2019)

Paul Sweet said:


> "Unobstructed" comes after door, so it would refer to the passageway.  The usual code terminology that triggers a wider door is "clear width".



That was what I thought too, but not the ICC's staff.
Hang on, I should be getting a written interpretation soon.


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## Rick18071 (Aug 9, 2019)

Here you go:

August 9, 2019



Code Section:            Section 1107.6.1.1 in the 2015 IBC



Mr. XXXXXXXXXX


This e-mail is in response to your email of July 31, 2019. You have indicated that the appliances in question are not located in a dwelling unit.


1. Does 306.2 mean any kind or size of room?


                Yes. The code regulates the size of the unobstructed passageway, not the size of the room.


2. Are appliances that are in a suspended ceiling to be considered in a room?


            No. For the purposes of this section, the appliance is not considered to be in a room.


3. Do rooms that have appliances need to comply with 306.2 no matter how small they are, i. e. unit heater, duct fan, electric baseboard heater, instant water heater, exhaust fan, or the inside part of a split AC?


            A room that contains an appliance in accordance with the definition of “appliance” must provide an unobstructed passageway in accordance with Section 306.2.


4. Where there is a small appliance in any room is the doorway considered to be part of the passageway and needs to have an unobstructed not less than 36” wide and 80” high. I’m asking because nowhere else in the ICC codes requires a doorway to have this large of a size of an doorway opening and stock doorways do not come this large of an unobstructed opening (because of the space the door jamb and the space of the pivoting door takes) and custom size doorways and doors would have to be made.


            The door into the room were the appliance is located and the unobstructed passageway must not be less than 36 inches wide and 80 inches high.


5. Where there is any appliance in a room does the room actually have to have a door? They build a lot of rooms without doors and the IBC only requires doors in certain places.


            No. The room where the appliance is located could have a cased opening without a door. It should be noted that if the room is required to be fire-resistance rated in accordance with the IBC a fire rated door will be required.


6. If the room with the small appliance can only be entered through another room does this 2nd door need to comply with the requirements of 306.2?


            Section 306.2 only regulates the door and the passageway in the room where the appliance is located.


7. Do all of the doors including the exterior door that lead to a room with an appliance no matter what size need to comply with 306.2?


            No. See the answer to #6 above.


Code opinions issued by ICC staff are based on ICC-published codes and do not include local, state or federal codes, policies or amendments. This opinion is based on the information which you have provided. We have made no independent effort to verify the accuracy of this information nor have we conducted a review beyond the scope of your question. This opinion does not imply approval of an equivalency, specific product, specific design, or specific installation and cannot be published in any form implying such approval by the International Code Council. As this opinion is only advisory, the final decision is the responsibility of the designated authority charged with the administration and enforcement of this code.


“Copyright © 2019 International Code Council, Inc. All rights reserved.”


Sincerely,


Chris Holland

Senior Technical Staff

Architectural & Engineering Services

International Code Council, Inc.

Central Regional Office

4051 West Flossmoor Road

Country Club Hills, IL 60478

888-ICCSAFE (422-7233) x4314

708-799-0310 facsimile

cholland@iccsafe.org

www.iccsafe.org


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## mtlogcabin (Aug 9, 2019)

Rick18071 said:


> As this opinion is only advisory, the final decision is the responsibility of the designated authority charged with the administration and enforcement of this code.



That kind of sums it up. It does not matter what an ICC "opinion" is, as always it falls back to the AHJ and the building officials responsibility to do his/her job.

[A] 104.1 General.
The building official is hereby authorized and directed to enforce the provisions of this code. *The building official shall have the authority to render interpretations of this code and to adopt policies and procedures in order to clarify the application of its provisions*. Such interpretations, policies and procedures shall be in compliance with the intent and purpose of this code. Such policies and procedures shall not have the effect of waiving requirements specifically provided for in this code.

For some reasons a lot of Building Officials across the country refuse to act on their authority.


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## JPohling (Aug 9, 2019)

The way I read that code section is that:
1.  it requires a door, but no dimensional requirement
2. it requires a passageway to the door that is 36" wide minimum


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