Appeal 35089

2022 OSMC 1105.6 Ventilation

1105.6.3 requires ventilation for refrigeration machinery rooms. It requires continuous exhaust, as well as emergency exhaust in the event of a refrigerant leak.

The alternate being requested is for refrigerant to activate warning strobes & sirens to alert occupants in lieu of providing an exhaust fan.

Upon detection of a refrigerant leak the system shall activate a warning strobe & siren, shut down the chiller, and alert the BMS.
The refrigerant (R-513A) is classified as A1 and the circuit charge is approximately 50% of the limit for occupied spaces under table 1103.1

KOIN tower is an old existing building there is not a location to route this exhaust which would meet exhaust air clearances to either operable openings or mechanical intakes.
Possible locations were evaluated previously, and a location was determined near the combustion air make-up louver with ducting on the outside of the building. Upon further review, this presents several issues.
First, the room has existing old (1982) natural gas boilers which are sensitive to the room pressure and the exhaust fan could disrupt this.
Second, the location on the exterior alters the appearance of the building and requires review from planning & zoning as a result.
Third, the location of the fan near the combustion air damper and across the room from the chillers is likely to ‘short circuit’ and draw air directly from the combustion air louver to the fan without meaningfully affecting the chillers.
We have met onsite with Brian Quattlebaum throughout this process and both options we have proposed have been denied by Land Use. We believe this is the best path forward for all parties involved.