Central Dust Collection System and Building Codes

[Edward Weingarden]

I'm setting up a new basement shop (non-commercial) and plan on installing a central dust collection system. Some of the cyclone manufacturers advise to check on local building codes. I've searched for residential code requirements but come up empty. Does anyone have any info on the topic, or can direct me to sources of information? Thanks.

[John K Jordan]

I'm setting up a new basement shop (non-commercial) and plan on installing a central dust collection system. Some of the cyclone manufacturers advise to check on local building codes. I've searched for residential code requirements but come up empty. Does anyone have any info on the topic, or can direct me to sources of information? Thanks.

If you have not yet done so, perhaps ask your local building inspector.

[Reed Gray]

Hmm, I have never heard of this. Only problems I can see is if you have a 20 hp system with lots of bags and it is noise, or if you vent directly outside. Most 'basement' sized dust collectors wouldn't create noise problems. Having a home business could. That seems to be more of a 'if some one complains' issue than anything else.

robo hippy

[John Keeton]

JKJ is right on the building inspector, but if you sell any of your work, you may have bigger problems as Reed has hinted at. It takes very little in the way of sales to exclude coverage on your tools and possibly even your structure. Definitely check with your homeowners agent.

[Edward Weingarden]

I went back to find the comments about checking the local building codes, and of course I couldn't find them. If I find them, I'll post them.

John - you make a good, and very important point with respect to selling items and homeowners insurance. I'll have to investigate that further.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Building codes vary greatly from one area of the country to another. Also from city to rural. The reasons to regulate dust collections can be anything from noise, to nuisance dust to explosive potential. Most municipalities here at least cite which of the various building codes they have adopted on their internet site. Zoning ordinances are often set forth on the net in their entirety. My zoning ordinance has provisions about sound, dust & smoke, explosives and nuisances in general. My local zoning ordinance even covers temperature and light pollution. Forr instance, no activity may cause the air temperature at the property line to be elevated by more than one degree fahrenheit. People get busted for having fires too close to the property line. However, just installing asphalt next to the property line could do that on a sunny day. The building code covers wiring, and construction of the systems. It is conceivable that dust collection may also be covered by the fire code regulations. If a commercial operation, then of course OSHA regs would apply. Human beings have sure found a way to mess with the lives of their fellow humans, Beware of how you approach the government idiots involved. They speak English but in a combination of code words that make no sense to the average person. Words and phrases like Variance, Grandfathered, Special Exception, prior use, and strange referenced to districts like multi density residential or medium commercial sans industrial zones. They have concocted special meanings for these words and phrases that are not readily understood by lay people in order to satisfy their need to feel aloof and to be condescending to their fellow humans. When two or more gather together the gibberish factor is overwhelming. I sincerely believe the only true qualification for their jobs is the ability to recite a poem by Lewis Carroll entitled "Jabberwocky" (A Judge once threatened to hold me in contempt of court for referring to a zoning officer as a "frumious bandersnatch" during a trial and in a closing argument before a jury. The jury foreman, a retired literature professor understood entirely what I meant. My client was found not guilty of the zoning violation..)

[John Keeton]

A stroke with a broad brush, Perry. Sad that your bad experience has tainted your outlook. I doubt all building inspectors/code enforcement officials should be characterized quite as harshly.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'd suggest that if the two gentlemen who built my carport had built it "to code" and had it inspected, I wouldn't have had to rebuild the trusses in place. Prior to rebuilding the trusses with 9" of snow on the ground I had a 2 3/8" sag in the middle of the "header" these two gentlemen installed. A double 2x6 over a 19' span with a splice in the middle. No glue and they saved money on nails. Luckily, the roof didn't come to the ground before I replaced their header with a 4 1/2 x 12 glue-lam header as specified by a structural engineer.

Building codes and inspectors do have their place. One does have to look beyond your own personal experience to see the need.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Moved this here from another forum. Hopefully someone can help the OP with his questions.

[Reed Gray]

A double 2 by 6 might have worked with the splice in the middle, depending on how the splice was made. Butt joint with square ends will not work as you have one 1 board working at the joint. A scarf joint, where rather than a 90 degree cut you cut at about a 30 degree angle across the board (more pointy 30 degree, not more blunt 60 degrees type angle) is much stronger. Still for that distance, the glue lam is a lot better.

Building inspectors are human. Some are great at working with you, some are not....

robo hippy

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I have had experience with building inspectors and zoning officers in Va, MD and PA. I will say that at least in VA and MD the inspectors hadd to have experience in the trades. Here in PA, each little principality, er municipality has their own zoning officer and building inspector. Zoning officers are frequently government misfits who could not fit in elsewhere in their relative's administration. Building inspectors unfortunately ware often college kids who could not get another job and took a long weekend "How to be a building inspector" seminar. Usually kids who had never driven a nail, or cut a 2x4. And I am dead serious about the 4 day Building inspector seminar. They really existed and their takers actually found jobs. After complaints from several citizens and builders, my township terminated the 24 year old gal and hired a real code inspector who had actually worked in the trades. Last year I had a new house built and when it came time for the final inspection, I was concerned because I did not have the final gradding around the foundation finished. The guy walked through each room, checked light switches, looked in the attic crawl space, Checked the main panel, went in the basement and spent 10 minutes checking the plumbing. Then he went outside and checked the porch foundation. he spent a long time looking at the porch foundation. Then he announced that it passed and that was the the best built porch he had ever seen and asked who built the porch. He added that I shpould have the builder back to correct a switch in the second floor that was installed upside down.

Zoning officers around here, rarely even have read the zoning ordinances they enforce. Had more than one case where a zoning officer issued a citation for a violation that did not even apply under the ordinance as written. She actually charged my client, a cattle farmer, with putting a fence too close to the property line. The ordinance clearly said, Except for the commercial raising of livestock, fences shall be placed no closer than ten feet from the property line. Now this farmer has 150 acres, close to 50 head of cattle and a huge billboard advertising organic grass fed beef for sale. The sign, out in the middle of his pasture was the subject of a prior citation she gave, which was also thrown out, because it was more than 50 ft from the road. I went to my township zoning officer about a pile of about 20 old lawn mower and tires a neighbor piled up on the property line. They spilled over on to my property. I complained. The zoning officer went out and talked to the neighbor about his kids pile of lawn mowers and tires. He then went back to the township and reported that he saw no pile of lawn mowers and tires. My daughter saw the guy at the neighbors and got a picture of the zoning officer pulling a lawn mower out of the pile. So I sent that to the board of supervisors . He was recorded as saying that he saw no pile, yet the picture clearly showed him at the pile, pulling one out. I have seen and heard stories of the selective enforcement practices of most area zoning officers.

[James Pallas]

Hi Edward, First you should check your homeowners insurance policy regarding home wood shops. There may be some references you will want to know about. Building codes do reference dust collection systems. It is in commercial sections and not the residential code. If something is not referenced in the residential code then the building code would apply. There are more things to consider then generally thought of. I.e. Do you have gas fired heating and water heating in the same area? Is there central heating and return air located in that area? Electrical requirements? Are floor drains located in that area? It's not just a dust collector other systems are affected. Just some things to think about. Spent a career as a code official. I never had my decisions overturned in court and made several appearances over the years. Sorry to see Perry has had bad experiences.
Jim

[Edward Weingarden]

James:
Thanks for your insights. The furnace and hot water heater are in a separate mechanical room outside of the shop area. I do have a supply and return in the shop for heat and AC. Do you raise this issue because of the potential for dust getting into the central system? When the return duct-work is completed, it will have a filter box incorporated into it.

Ed

[James Pallas]

James:
Thanks for your insights. The furnace and hot water heater are in a separate mechanical room outside of the shop area. I do have a supply and return in the shop for heat and AC. Do you raise this issue because of the potential for dust getting into the central system? When the return duct-work is completed, it will have a filter box incorporated into it.

Ed

Yes dust in the system plus most furnace blower are 1/2 hp, it's easy for a 2 hp DC to overcome that in many cases. Depending where the DC discharges it can also pull water from floor drain traps and dry them out. Make sure that the furnace and he heater is not pulling combustion and make up air from the shop space. Just more to it than is thought about sometimes. Just want people to be safe.
Jim

[peter gagliardi]

The codes you have to be aware of and worried about, were developed by the National Fire Protection Association. I have never read them, but I think most states are jumping on the International Building Code bandwagon, and adopting their book in part, or in whole, and they utilize the NFPA guidelines.
Anyway, I have heard that any pipe at or over 8" diameter requires a fire and/or spark suppression system.
Just think of a carbide bit hitting a nail, causing a spark, and that going thru your system, and ending up in the sawdust or baghouse.
Then imagine you don't know it- how could you, but now you have a 1500-3000 cfm fan forcing oxygen to it.
Well, we all know what happens next!!
Dust collectors in my mind shouldn't be inside if at all possible- especially residential, just for this possibility.

I am not saying I follow every code, I certainly don't, because I probably couldn't survive if I did.
But, my shop has a cyclone unit that is outside the building, and vented outside as well. Not perfectly safe, but it has to be much better than anything inside.

So, that ^^^^^^^ above should be your answer and most likely is the states main reason behind the codes legislated in by your friendly insurance companies.