Civil Engineering Reference
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ment at the end of its service life, it necessary to locate the equipment in
an area where future truck and/or crane access is possible. Design any
equipment screening or sound barriers in removable sections. Finally,
allow adequate space for the potential that future equipment may be
larger and/or configured differently.
Adequate access to outdoor rooftop equipment access is a routine
problem. A roof hatch with a vertical ladder (often located in a janitor's
closet or on the back wall of an electrical closet) is inadequate for even
routine maintenance; a stair to the roof is required.
Indoor equipment must be located within mechanical equipment
rooms sized to accommodate the equipment to be housed and provide
adequate clearances around the equipment for maintenance purposes.
Mechanical equipment room access must include at least one double
door, 5'-6' wide, to allow replacement of equipment components such
as motors, fan shafts and wheels, pumps, etc. If the room houses a chill-
er, removable wall panels or even roll-up doors should be provided so
chiller tubes can be cleaned and replaced and the chiller itself can be
replaced in the future.
Ceiling cavity space should not be used to house any HVAC equip-
ment except for terminal units or small fancoil units. Ceiling cavity ac-
cess to HVAC equipment can be provided by using a removable panel
(lay-in) ceiling. If the ceiling is not accessible, access panels or doors
are required to provide for routine service of terminal units, fire and
smoke dampers, duct-mounted coils and humidifiers, controls, etc. If
the equipment contains a fan and/or a refrigeration compressor, provi-
sions for removal and replacement in the future must be provided.
Mechanical Equipment Rooms for Air-Handling Equipment
While smaller buildings may use outdoor rooftop air-handling
units, larger buildings will require “fan rooms” to house this equip-
ment. The fan room dimensions are based on the size of the air-handling
unit and its required maintenance space. The length (L) and width (W)
of a typical air-handling unit required to serve a given building area can
be determined from manufacturer data and, then, the minimum room
dimensions established as follows:
Room Length = 1.25 x L
Room Width = 2.5 x W
Room Height = 12'-14' (minimum to underside of structure)
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