Fire/smoke damper required?
Fire/smoke damper required?
(OP)
We have an exhaust duct penetrating a fire partition wall equipped with a combination fire/smoke damper. The problem is that the equipment we are exhausting generates smoke which triggers the smoke damper everytime it's on. We can't reroute the duct to miss the fire wall so we are pretty much set with the location. Does anyone know if there any exceptions to code regarding this? The project is located in California.
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance





RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
That is part you can check in building documents as fire wall is not necessarily smoke bareer.
Smoke bareer also does not have to have full fire rating, so you can possibly move damper elsewhere if it is intended to protect some specific space from smoke intrusion.
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
If you ganged hoods on multiple floors, then...
Local code here, allows subducts w 24/7 exhaust as an alternative to a smoke damper.
You may still be able to add them. It will add pressure drop to the current system, but if the motor is over sized, it should be able to compensate.
To remove the fire damper requirement you could have used firewrap.
knowledge is power
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
9.1.1 Dampers shall not be installed in exhaust ducts or exhaust duct systems.
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
It really depends on the application as others have said.
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
3.3.20 Duct(or duct system): "A continuous passageway for the transmission of air and vapors that, in addition to the containment component themselves, might include duct fittings, dampers plenums, and/or other items or air handling equipment."
note: we could consider that the definition above apply to exhasut duct system regardless what is the application.
3.3.26 Fire wall: a wall separating buildings or subdividing a building to prevent the spread of the fire and having a fire resistance rating and structural stability.
there is no a definition for fire barrier
7.1.1 says: Ducts shall not pass through fire walls
7.7.1.2 says: in all buildings where vertical fire barriers are penetrated, the duct shall be enclosed in a continuous enclosure extending from the first penetrated fire barrier....etc"
it is little confuse
if we back to the question, he says that they have a duct is penetrating a fire wall equipped with fire/smoke dampers.
how they have built this project from the first, they know they have a smoke damper and sure they know what equipment to be exhausted they have.
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
RE: Fire/smoke damper required?
Smoke dampers are not required when part of a smoke control system (in life safety systems), I'd say this is your application, except for your case, it is "process" requirement, not life safety requirement.
You need to look at an "engineered control system", eliminate the smoke dampers which hinder your process, install a motorized damper that would be triggered by say activation of fire suppresion system, space heat detector or something like that.
Fire wall or fire barrier is irrelevent, you can penetrate with a duct if part of an "engineered control system" (exception in IBC).
What you cannot penetrate is a rated wall that is used as a building separation wall between two buildings.