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Garage Fire Resistive Construction and Exhaust Fans.

By
Home Inspector with NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Garage Fire Resistive Construction and Exhaust Fans.



Sometimes I have to ask myself, really! What are we doing. I was performing an one year warranty inspection for a client and ran into a bit of a backlash from the contractor.




Here is the story, my client had the washer and dryer moved to the garage to free up some interior space. The contractor put an exhaust fan in the garage to for these appliances. The problem is this now breaches the fire resistive barrier.


In my report I state “ A fan was installed for the laundry in the ceiling that compromised the fire separation.”   

 

The contractor did not see it this way and even went so far to have a “Construction Consultant” state that it was okay.

 

Well maybe I am not the brightest bulb but I think I get what the meaning and intent of the fire separation of the garage from the home. An regular exhaust fan does not meet that standard and I am pretty darn sure this fan it is not listed for use in a fire resistive assembly.



In this picture the arrows point to slots in the fan housing that I can see light and the grill through. Yeah that will work wonders in a fire.



So I did find a fan that would meet the criteria for fire separation (*cost a lot around $300 to $400). This bad boy comes with a fusible link and a thermal shut off and is a listed item.

 

 

 

 

 



The irony of this they could of just put a fan on the exterior wall of the garage and all is well, no fire separation needed, easier to install and no duct work. But the contractor went out of his way to try to prove the home inspector is incorrect.  Can we just accept that a mistake was made and correct it?

 

“If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”

Red Adair

 

NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…  

 

Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Real Estate, Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service

 

www.ncwhomeinspections.com                                                   509-670-9572

 

Comments (6)

Randy Mitchelson,APR
Marketing Advisor & Squeeze Mortgage - Bonita Springs, FL
First Impressions are made at First Click

You know your facts.  Don't ever compromise your values because someone tries to intimidate you

May 10, 2014 07:40 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

And plastic duct on top of it all--no brainer

May 10, 2014 09:48 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Even if an HVAC duct simply PASSES through the garage attic space from point to point, it needs to be metal to comply with fire code issues.  A fan?  Really?

May 10, 2014 09:13 PM
Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Randy, Thanks, I will never compromise.

 

Charlie, Yeah right, I love the building consultant. He told me we will have to just agree to disagree, umm wrong.

Jay, Yeah seems like a no brainer.

 

May 10, 2014 10:11 PM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Hi Donald... I'm no contractor, but cutting a hole through a firewall then putting a fan in it to make sure air is push/pulled past its barrier seems like a total no brainer! ~ just sayin' The outside wall was probably too obvious, simple and cost effective. :O)

May 11, 2014 05:26 AM
Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Rene, I sort of think this also but I guess my "no brainer" is not everyone.

May 12, 2014 03:27 AM