Rule 561.
(1) In a
newly constructed, remodeled, or converted large or secure facility with a
laundry, the laundry shall be in compliance with all of the following
requirements:
(a) Be located in a room that is
constructed of materials which have a 1-hour-fire-resistance rating. The
laundry shall be protected by an approved automatic sprinkler system. When a
laundry is located in a nonresident-occupied level, a sprinkler system is not
required if domestic laundry equipment is used.
(b) Have steam lines installed that have at
least a 1-inch clearance from combustibles.
(c) Have dryers that are constructed of
metal. Lint traps shall be cleaned frequently.
(d) Have 100% automatic and manual shutoff
controls for gas appliances other than domestic laundry equipment, which need
only have manual shutoff controls.
(e) Have adequate outside air for combustion
where combustion-type equipment is used.
(2) In a newly constructed, remodeled, or
converted facility, laundry chutes shall be in compliance with all of the
following requirements:
(a) Be enclosed in
shafts that are constructed of an assemblage of noncombustible materials which
have at least a 1-hour resistance to fire.
If the shaft does not extend through the roof of the
building, the top shall be covered with noncombustible material that affords at
least a 1-hour resistance to fire. There shall be no openings into the shaft
other than those necessary for the intended use of the laundry chute. Feed
doors shall be located in an enclosed sprinklered room or compartment that is
separated from other parts of the building by walls, a floor, and a ceiling
which have a fire-resistance rating of not less than 1 hour.
Openings to such rooms or compartments shall be protected
by B-labeled fire doors in labeled frames.
(b) Have a sprinkler head installed at the
top of the chutes and within the laundry chutes at alternate floor levels in
buildings over 2 stories in height.
(c) Empty into a separate room, closet, or
bin which is constructed of materials that have at least a 1-hour resistance to
fire and which is protected by automatic sprinklers.
(d) Have any of the following:
(i) An open vent at the top where the shaft
extends through the roof of the building.
(ii) A skylight which is glazed with ordinary
glass and which is not less than 10% of the shaft area.
(iii) A window of ordinary glass which is not
less than 10% of the shaft area.
(iv) A window of ordinary glass which is not
less than 10% of the shaft area and which is set into the side of the shaft
with the sill of the window not less than 2 feet above the roof level and 10
feet from any property line or other exposure it faces.
(3) In an existing facility,
laundry facilities and laundry chutes that are approved before these rules take
effect shall continue to be approved until the facility is converted or the
portion of the facility which includes the laundry facility or chute is
remodeled.
