Fire dampers in supply and return plenums

[Richard Moore]

Large townhouse complex built in 2001. My unit was a 3 story, mid block unit with a tandem garage occupying almost the entire lower level. Furnace was a very normal Carrier 80% induced draft model. Both the return and supply plenums had fire dampers installed. I presume the purpose of these is to stop the spread of smoke (and flames?) from a fire in the garage, and I have no problem with them being there. The flaps inside were open, and while I'm not clear on the "triggering" mechanism I would assume it's heat?

But...I've done countless similar townhomes, many from the same era and in the same jurisdiction, and I've never seen these installed before. Actually, never seen them in any residence. I guess I'm not used to builders installing extra safety devices unless they are forced to. So my question is...Is there any reason these might be "required" in a particular complex or unit?

Download Attachment: firedampers.jpg

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[Phillip]

I don't know why they where install when other in that areas does not have them. Unless it some insurance company or owned by the state.

In most of the fire damper there is what is called a fire links that part of the strap that hold the blades open.

I would like to know which set up of blades is inside the damper. Was it blades that folded up into the side or a hat or did it have two blades that has fire proof drywall on them that open up to the center like a set of doors?

[Darren]

The fire damper was probably installed with a melt-link connection; some also come with an electrically charged link tied to the fire alarm.

For that damper to be properly installed, it should be even with the drywall ceiling; not any lower. This way there is a continious line of 'seperation' .

Actually, I see that quite often here in NJ. I always open the access door and show my clients the damper & link; I also advise them if the damper closes, there will be no heat or cooling.

There is one condo development here (in Whippany) where the ducts are in the (fire seperation) ceiling that has these dampers at each register and I do believe on one inspection 2 or 3 were closed.

Darren

www.aboutthehouseinspections.com

[energy star]

Nice. Very safe. Don't care for the paint by the furnace.

[hausdok]

Hi Rich,

I haven't a clue. Out of somewhere around 4500 inpsections with about 90% of them with furnaces in the garage I've only seen about 3 or 4 setups like that. As I recall, the last one had a laundry room in the back of the townhome garage and there was a heat duct into the laundry room. In my mind, that was the reason for the damper. Anything like that there?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[energy star]

One of my firsts tasks at a new job was to go up into an attic (Dover NJ) and remove the 140 degree links and replace withe 160 degree. The 140's were melting from the heat in the attic. HOT!

[steve morris]

The dampiers in the duct have fuse links aprox. 160 is the temp. they trip at. When you have a rated ceiling, where the grills are on the surface, the dampiers must be a "CEILING RADIATION DAMPIER" they are different. If you can access them enough, they have a small tag on them telling you the hour rating,(1.5 to 3 hr.), the mfg. of the dampier, and who is the testing/listing agency. The have very specific mounting instructions. Several web sites can give you lots of info.(MIAMI TECH.,LLOYDS, RUSKINS all have their instructions and general info on them).

ON another note the pics. you sent, the duct work dosen't seem to be sealed at the joints. If this is a garage, this is very important due to carbon monoxide. Here in Gainesville, FL. we hade a death due to a car left running(accident)in the garage, The old man was inside the house, with the a/c running. The return air had many joints in the duct none sealed.. This is part of our bldg. code and energy code.

[steve morris]

After looking at the picture again if the red color on the corners of the angles around the dampiers is fire caulk make note of it per most mfgs. no fire caulk is allowed, some of the fire caulk is intersermesent(probely spelled wrong) this means when in a fire it will swell up several times it's size to seal the hole.

[Erby]

You're "Probely" right![][][]

I think you're looking for "intumescent", a property of a substance which swells when heated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intumescent

[energy star]

I will not install a unit in a garage. Those dampers are in a 16 gauge sleeves inside the ductwork and then mechanically fastened. The fire caulk will not be in the way of the damper. I do agree with you about sealing the duct work. The duct does have tape on the connections (Not the best) but the unit itself has so many air leaks its hard to seal them all.

[SonOfSwamp]

Now, about those "dampiers:"

Dampier --

–noun William, 1652–1715, English navigator, explorer, buccaneer, and writer.

Dictionary.com is free and easy to use. I recommend that professional folks use a dictionary, rather than invented spellings. It's really not good to mix up a damper with a pirate...

Not to mention that the word "damper" is written on a big red-and-white sign attached to the very furnace in the picture.

What was it brother Kibbell said? Since folks come here to learn, we ought not confuse them with invented words?

WJ

[hausdok]

Hey Guys,

Here's a tip that'll save you the spelling lectures most of the time. Go to "powertoys for windows" and download the iespell program. It takes about 40 seconds to load at average speed. Then, before you post your responses, right click the composition box and click, "check spelling" and it will find most of those little typos. It won't find errors made with homophones, and it won't spot common typos like spelling "form" when you mean "from" but at least it won't set Walter off.

If anyone's interested, this comes in handy if you print it out and study it when contemplating the universe in the throne room.

acts/ax

ad/add

ads/adds/adz

aid/aide

ail/ale

air/heir/err

aisle/isle/I'll

all/awl

all ready/already

all together/altogether

allowed/aloud

alter/altar

ant/aunt

arc/ark

assent/ascent

assistance/assistants

ate/eight

aural/oral

away/aweigh

aye/eye

bail/bale

bait/bate

ball/bawl

band/banned

bard/barred

bare/bear

baron/barren

base/bass

bases/basis

bazaar/bizarre

be/bee

beach/beech

beat/beet

beau/bow

bell/belle

berry/bury

billed/build

berth/birth

bite/byte

blew/blue

bloc/block

boar/bore

board/bored

boarder/border

bode/bowed

bolder/boulder

born/borne

bough/bow

bouillon/bullion

boy/buoy

bread/bred

brake/break

brewed/brood

brews/bruise

bridle/bridal

broach/brooch

browse/brows

but/butt

buy/by/bye

cache/cash

callous/callus

cannon/canon

canvas/canvass

capital/capitol

carat/carrot/caret/karat

carol/carrel

cast/caste

cede/seed

ceiling/sealing

cell/sell

cellar/seller

censor/sensor

cent/scent/sent

cents/scents/sense

cereal/serial

cession/session

chance/chants

chased/chaste

cheap/cheep

chews/choose

chic/sheik

chilly/chili

choral/coral

choir/quire

chute/shoot

chord/cord

cite/sight/site

clause/claws

click/clique

close/clothes/cloze

coal/cole

coarse/course

colonel/kernel

complement/compliment

coo/coup

coop/coupe

core/corps

correspondence/correspondents

council/counsel

creak/creek

crews/cruise

cruel/crewel

cue/queue

currant/current

curser/cursor

cymbal/symbol

dam/damn

days/daze

dear/deer

defused/diffused

desert (abandon)/dessert

dew/do/due

die/dye

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doe/dough/do (musical note)

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draft/draught

dual/duel

earn/urn

ewe/you/yew

eye/I

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fair/fare

faun/fawn faze/phase

feat/feet

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gene/jean

gild/guild

gilt/guilt

gnu/knew/new

gored/gourd

gorilla/guerilla

grate/great

grease/Greece

groan/grown

guessed/guest

hail/hale

hair/hare

hall/haul

halve/have

hangar/hanger

hay/hey

heal/heel/he'll

hear/here

heard/herd

heed/he'd

hertz/hurts

hew/hue/Hugh

hi/high

higher/hire

him/hymn

hoard/horde

hoarse/horse

hole/whole

holey/holy/wholly

hoes/hose

hold/holed

hostel/hostile

hour/our

idle/idol

illicit/elicit

in/inn

insight/incite

instance/instants

intense/intents

its/it's

jam/jamb

colonel/kernel

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knead/kneed/need

knight/night

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knot/not

know/no

knows/nose

laid/lade

lain/lane

lay/lei

leach/leech

lead/led

leak/leek

lean/lien

leased/least

lee/lea

lessen/lesson

levee/levy

liar/lier/lyre

lichen/liken

lie/lye

lieu/Lou

links/lynx

load/lode

loan/lone

locks/lox

loot/lute

low/lo

made/maid

mail/male

main/mane/Maine

maize/maze

mall/maul

manner/manor

mantel/mantle

marry/merry/Mary

marshal/martial

massed/mast

maybe/may be

meat/meet/mete

medal/metal/mettle/meddle

might/mite

mince/mints

mind/mined

miner/minor

missed/mist

moan/mown

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moose/mousse

morn/mourn

muscle/mussel

mustard/mustered

naval/navel

nay/neigh

none/nun

oar/or/ore

ode/owed

oh/owe

one/won

overdo/overdue

overseas/oversees

pail/pale

pain/pane

pair/pare/pear

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passed/past

patience/patients

pause/paws

pea/pee

peace/piece

peak/peek/pique

peal/peel

pearl/purl

pedal/peddle/petal

peer/pier

per/purr

pi/pie

plait/plate

plain/plane

pleas/please

plum/plumb

pole/poll

pore/pour

pray/prey

presence/presents

prince/prints

principal/principle

profit/prophet

rack/wrack

rain/reign/rein

raise/rays/raze

rap/wrap

rapped/rapt/wrapped

read/red

read/reed

real/reel

reek/wreak

rest/wrest

retch/wretch

review/revue

right/rite/write

ring/wring

road/rode/rowed

roam/Rome

roe/row

role/roll

root/route

rose/rows

rote/wrote

rough/ruff

rung/wrung

rye/wry

sail/sale

scene/seen

scull/skull

sea/see

seam/seem

seas/sees/seize

serf/surf

sew/so/sow

shear/sheer

shoe/shoo

shone/shown

side/sighed

sighs/size

slay/sleigh

sleight/slight

slew/slue/slough

soar/sore

soared/sword

sole/soul

some/sum

son/sun

staid/stayed

stair/stare

stake/steak

stationary/stationery

steal/steel

step/steppe

stile/style

straight/strait

suite/sweet

surge/serge

tacks/tax

tail/tale

taught/taut

tea/tee

team/teem

tear/tier

tern/turn

their/there/they're

theirs/there's

threw/through

thrown/throne

thyme/time

tic/tick

tide/tied

to/too/two

toad/towed

toe/tow

told/tolled

trussed/trust

vain/vane/vein

vale/veil

vary/very

vial/vile

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wade/weighed

wail/whale

waist/waste

wait/weight

waive/wave

want/wont

ware/wear/where

way/weigh/whey

ways/weighs

we/wee

weak/week

we'll/wheel

weather/whether

we'd/weed

we've/weave

wet/whet

which/witch

while/wile

whine/wine

who's/whose

wood/would

yoke/yolk

yore/your/you're

you'll/Yule

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike