Code enforcement ups safety
Q : A home inspector cited our house for not having a one-hour firewall in the garage. This seems unfair because the house is nearly 60 years old, and firewalls were probably not even required that long ago. A home should not have to comply with requirements that were not in effect at the time of construction. Don’t you agree? — Charles
A : It is true that buildings are not subject to code requirements that predate construction (with some exceptions, such as smoke alarms). Firewalls in garages, however, were definitely required when your home was built. The code that specifies a one-hour fire separation between a house and a garage has been in effect since the first edition of the Uniform Building Code was issued in 1927. Therefore, your 60-yearold home should have had a firewall in the garage when it was built. The fact that it does not means someone goofed.
Regardless of these requirements, strict legal compliance is not as important as the general intent of the code. In this case, its purpose is essential fire safety of the occupants, and such concerns should take precedence over the letter of the law or the age of the building. The majority of household fires start in garages, and the function of a firewall is to slow the spread of fire from the garage to the dwelling area.
Fortunately, a firewall is neither difficult nor expensive to install. All that is needed is a layer of 5/8-inch, fire-rated drywall over the wall or ceiling surfaces that separate the garage from the dwelling. Unfortunately, this requirement has been downgraded in recent years: ½-inch drywall is now approved for garages. Shame on those who approved that change in the code.
Additionally, all drywall seams should be taped, and any air ducts passing through a fire wall should consist of fire-rated materials such as sheet metal. If there is a door between the house and garage, it should be fire-rated or solid-core and equipped with a selfclosing device. Compliance is strongly advised.
Q : The inspector who checked my home recommended a pressure relief valve in the main water line, and the buyer insists I comply. I checked with my neighbors, and no one on either side of the street has a pressure valve. If these valves are not standard equipment in my area, why should I pay to install one? — Linnea
A : For some unknown reason, various building codes are routinely ignored, and because they are not enforced, lack of compliance becomes the standard of practice. In some areas, this has been the case with pressure relief valves in water supply lines. Even where required, they are usually omitted.
To determine whether water pressure concerns are warranted in your neighborhood, you should test your pressure. The maximum pressure allowed for a residence is 80 pounds per square inch. In cases of excessive pressure, water leaks may occur, particularly at appliances.
The most common method for preventing water pressure problems is to install a pressure regulator, rather than a relief valve. However, regulators should be checked periodically, because they usually fail after a few years.
To test your water pressure, a gauge can be purchased for about $15 at most hardware stores.