floor registers, illegal or not?

[DBCOOPER]

I've looked. Never found it. Nobody has ever provided a reference. If its code what code? You right its exhausting looking for something that's not there. Would love to have somebody prove me wrong but the best I can tell its just an internet myth that keeps being repeated enough times that it must true. I don't think its a good idea myself but I don't believe its against any code.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I've looked. Never found it. Nobody has ever provided a reference. If its code what code? You right its exhausting looking for something that's not there. Would love to have somebody prove me wrong but the best I can tell its just an internet myth that keeps being repeated enough times that it must true. I don't think its a good idea myself but I don't believe its against any code.

Let's see you have looked in the code manuals for every state, county, and town because that is what it entails. That should have cost you just a few dollars. I can't even read the code online for my town, you have to visit town hall to get a copy of it or read it there (read if you want to walk out with a copy you buy it).

 

[CaptSpiff]

For Maine one can start by reading all of these:

<Snipped>

ETA: For sh**ts and giggles my son showed up with a copy of the 2009 IRC (he sort of works in the field) as it pertained to building a deck, we built one back in 2012 during the hot spell. It didn't apply and further I wouldn't build a deck attached to any structure using the so called minimum specification fasteners. They were available at Lowe’s and clearly marked as IRC code complaint. All I could see is my deck parting company from the house.

Just to lighten things up:
When I first got started in building things for others, I thought "The Code" was just there to slow me down or get in my way. Then an old bull told me "remember that if you're building to code, you're building to the absolute minimum standard acceptable to human habitation". I can't seem to get that out of my head, and I hear it every time people start discussing whether something is, or is not, up to code.
My 2 cents.

 

[begreen]

I've looked. Never found it. Nobody has ever provided a reference. If its code what code? You right its exhausting looking for something that's not there. Would love to have somebody prove me wrong but the best I can tell its just an internet myth that keeps being repeated enough times that it must true. I don't think its a good idea myself but I don't believe its against any code.

A visit to your local inspecting authority is the best bet.

PS: I don't believe DB Cooper jumped out of a helicopter either.

 

[DBCOOPER]

Let's see you have looked in the code manuals for every state, county, and town because that is what it entails. That should have cost you just a few dollars. I can't even read the code online for my town, you have to visit town hall to get a copy of it or read it there (read if you want to walk out with a copy you buy it).

So your saying it might be in some obscure local code somewhere. Lets try one. Lets take Standish Me as an example. The building inspector Dan Hill there seems like an fairly intelligent guy but as a local government employee I doubt he has the education or background to write the codes for Standish. He would have to be a subject expert in plumbing, electric, and fire protection just to mention a few. Yet he's the man that does the inspections, how do they do it? A little more digging reveals that the government in Standish realizes that they don't have the expertise to write their own code so they do what every other government does and adopt a code. In this case its the IRC Residential Code 2003. Link below. In this code it does not address the cutting of registers thru floors for the purpose of transferring heat.

Just for reference the IRC code doesn't make stuff up, they use international codes for the mechanical plumbing electric and fire protection. So you see local codes are just adopted national and international code. They can be amended to suit local purposes.

So yea, it might be in some local code and I keep reading on here its a code violation to do it, but have yet to see a reference for it. Might make a good Myth Busters episode.

IRC Residential Code 2003
http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/irc/2003/

www.standish.org/public_documents/standishme_code/index‎

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

So your saying it might be in some obscure local code somewhere. Lets try one. Lets take Standish Me as an example. The building inspector Dan Hill there seems like an fairly intelligent guy but as a local government employee I doubt he has the education or background to write the codes for Standish. He would have to be a subject expert in plumbing, electric, and fire protection just to mention a few. Yet he's the man that does the inspections, how do they do it? A little more digging reveals that the government in Standish realizes that they don't have the expertise to write their own code so they do what every other government does and adopt a code. In this case its the IRC Residential Code 2003. Link below. In this code it does not address the cutting of registers thru floors for the purpose of transferring heat.

Just for reference the IRC code doesn't make stuff up, they use international codes for the mechanical plumbing electric and fire protection. So you see local codes are just adopted national and international code. They can be amended to suit local purposes.

So yea, it might be in some local code and I keep reading on here its a code violation to do it, but have yet to see a reference for it. Might make a good Myth Busters episode.

IRC Residential Code 2003
http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/irc/2003/

www.standish.org/public_documents/standishme_code/index‎

IRC 2003 in total may no longer apply in Standish the building code (chapter 111) in the current online system is marked reserved and no entry is available. For all code matters one talks to Dan Hill. Since code can and does frequently change the only place that is current is the local CEO's version.

https://courses.cit.cornell.edu/arch262/calculators/hole-in-floor/holes.html gives but the start of considerations under the 2012 versions of the IBC for cutting any holes between floors.

Your code, your past code, and your future code is not required to be the same as my town or any other town's code and yes a lot of what is passed as local is in fact adopted from elsewhere and is prone to have been modified. Frequently to allow other practices some of which may be better or not.

That is why we always tell folks to check with their code folks.

ETA: BTW Dan loves to have visitors and a good chat. My deck passed and he didn't even get the steel spheres out. The weakest point in the whole project was the ground the footings were in.

 

[chken]

ETA: For sh**ts and giggles my son showed up with a copy of the 2009 IRC (he sort of works in the field) as it pertained to building a deck, we built one back in 2012 during the hot spell. It didn't apply and further I wouldn't build a deck attached to any structure using the so called minimum specification fasteners. They were available at Lowe’s and clearly marked as IRC code complaint. All I could see is my deck parting company from the house.

So, I live in a small town in Maine, one without an existing code, as you point out, that has had to adopt the State code. I had a deck built last year, and I was just wondering about the deck fasteners you are referring to. Just want to make sure my deck stays fastened to my house.

 

[leff13]

i just plan on putting a through the wall fan high up in the partition wall to blow up the stair case, ill just go from there..thanks for all input

 

[AbetterChimneynm]

If space is something you are considering enviro mini makes a very nice and small footprint stove that comes with its own built in floor pad

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

So, I live in a small town in Maine, one without an existing code, as you point out, that has had to adopt the State code. I had a deck built last year, and I was just wondering about the deck fasteners you are referring to. Just want to make sure my deck stays fastened to my house.

They were minimum sized in diameter, they would likely work fine if you were fastening to older stye framing but were under sized to hold what I was building which was going onto newer framing. There are more fastening points with older framing (hopefully). You have to make allowances for that. On an older house you normally get an extra fastener every four feet. I am talking the galvanized lag bolts used to bond the ledger board to the house.

The normal failure mode for decks is due to water getting into the area the lag bolt (or other fastener) penetrates in the house framing etc... , this is the reason for the flashing and such, the bolt and the deck can then be pulled away from the framing due to rot. After that we have the case where the bolt itself can snap. The load placed on such fasteners can require that more than just the minimum be used.

Unprotected untreated wood can be a mess in just a few years once water gets to it. The reason why I built the deck was so I could remove what was there because it was failing.

I also have a narrow long deck on the other side of the house that would be fine using what Lowe's had marked as compliant.

It is the load that counts.

Usually if the deck is made to a readily available plan someone has done some load calculations and the material list has that taken into account.

I had to present a plan for the deck specifying the materials and a lot plan showing the setbacks. The inspection was actual to plan and the CEO passed on the plan prior to issuing the permit. He has a set of tables he uses to verify the material can take the loads.

I also have been accused of over building.

 

[fordf150]

seems i got this post fired up....lol....sry for the pun...

 

[pen]

Seems like the fire is going out, and the topic is changing.

That said, time to close things up.

seems i got this post fired up....lol....sry for the pun...

No harm in sharing info and ideas to help make certain people are able to understand risks and make informed decisions.

I think that has been done and dragging things out further would just muddy the information that is relevant to the original post in this thread.

pen