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More Details About the Risk of Fire Associated with Improperly Maintained Trash Chutes
If they are not functioning properly by not closing or latching automatically then your building is in violation of fire and life safety codes. The potential of loss or damage to property and life has been greatly increased. Studies have shown that when chutes, doors, and compactors are not maintained on a regular basis that grease, sludge, and grime build up in tracks of the doors damaging the hardware and preventing them from closing. This flammable combination of goo covering the inside of the chutes and doors has been proven to ignite at temperatures as low as 180 degrees. Tenants are known to put everything, including burning cigarettes, down trash chutes. The design of a quality chute is to reduce the risk of fire spreading up the building from the collection bin below. If the doors do not close and latch automatically a flash explosion can occur during a fire creating a wind tunnel, greatly increasing the severity of the fire.
If a fire does break out in the facility, though not originating in the trash chute or bin, and there is a faulty door, there is still a potential hazard.
If the temperature rises dramatically and/or the integrity of the chute is compromised, the chute again may become a roaring firestorm, funneling the fire up and down the building. Fire sprinklers become totally ineffective at this point. If you think it can't happen, don't. In recent years, two fires of this exact nature occurred, one in New York, and one in Chicago where seven people died. The trash chutes did not cause the fire, but they caused it to become totally out of control. The chutes were found to have non-functional doors that had not been properly maintained. Seven lives and extensive property was lost, all for the lack of chute door maintenance.
Some facility managers and owners mistakenly replace existing, non-functioning doors with after market wood or sheet metal access doors.
These doors are used for many reasons and all seem reasonable at the time, but when looked at from the issues of fire and safety, the decision is negligent. Access doors are often used as a stop-gap measure until a service technician or installer can be called to come out and replace the door. This stop-gap measure is as illegal, and perhaps more negligent than a non-functioning door. Also, managers or owners in trying to save and cut costs, without realizing the legal and life safety issues involved, have one of the maintenance staff install a wood door. If you have any wood doors on your chutes it is illegal.
No wood or metal access door has been approved by Underwriters Laboratories, or other approved testing agencies, for use on trash chutes.
More important, it increases the fire hazard and potential loss of property and life. If you have any wood doors avoid possible health and fire liability by calling The Chute Doctor. You will be protecting everyone involved; the owner from liability, the facility from possible fire damage, and your tenants from an extreme fire hazard.
The Chute Doctor only installs doors that are UL approved for trash chutes.
Rated access doors are not approved or allowed for trash chutes. Using them will violate fire and safety codes. The following are the minimum legal requirements for every rubbish and trash chute in the State of California:
- A fire rated chute discharge door at the compactor or bin with a fusible link that is triggered by heat and shuts off automatically in case of fire.
- A class B, 1½ hour fire rated, positive latching, self-closing intake door on each floor.
- A sprinkler at the top and bottom floors and on every other floor in between.
- An air vent mounted on the roof to eliminate any gas build up in the chute.
For more information on specific codes, requirements and recommendations related to trash chutes:
See the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publication #82, the Uniform Building Code (UBC), and the Uniform Fire Code (UFC). These publications may be found at your local building department. In addition, your local building and fire department inspectors are available to come and advise you as to your compliance with the codes.
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NFPA: National Fire Protection Association |