Code Doesn't Necessarily Require Full Gutters

Q: My builder didn't put gutters on a small section of roof on both sides of my house. The water falling two floors off the roof is making divots in the ground and splashing all over the siding. Can't he be forced to do this by code?

A: In many areas of the country, including central and eastern Washington state, houses often have a gutter only over the front door. Find a place with loads of snow or little rain and you will see a decided lack of gutters. Not to diminish your problem, but "the code" can be anything the local building department wants it to be, with guidelines and minimums provided by nationally recognized building rules and standards.

Ask your building department specifically about gutters. There may be water-runoff requirements for individual pieces of property in your area. A lack of gutters tied into a storm-drainage system could be a violation if there were. But first, try to get the builder to provide a gutter simply because it's good practice.

Q: There is a bolt and apparatus on the flue-closing mechanism inside my fireplace that keeps me from closing the pipe off completely. I can't quite reach in to remove it. I imagine a lot of heat is being lost out this hole. Should I double my efforts or hire a monkey to do this?

A: Don't make any trips to the zoo just yet. It sounds like you have an updrafting gas fireplace. This bolt is there to prevent you from closing your flue completely. Gas fireplaces don't produce visible smoke the way conventional wood burners do. Many times people forget to open the damper after lighting their gas fireplaces. The pilot light is producing exhaust continually, potentially poisoning you with carbon monoxide if the flue were sealed shut.

There is a certain irony about losing a small amount of heat out the eternally open vent of a gas fireplace. Almost all of these manufactured fireplace frames are partially open at the sides and rear. Much more cold air comes streaming in through the open grille at the bottom than is lost out the exhaust vent, even fully open.

When you run your gas dryer, stove or oven, all the exhaust is absorbed inside the home (the dryer vent is for the heat and steam). Believe it or not, there are now ventless gas fireplaces on the market. These have no vent to the outside whatsoever.

Gas exhaust is absolutely clean and harmless; it's essentially water vapor . . . unless something is wrong with the burner, and then it can be deadly. Deaths from gas-appliance carbon-monoxide poisoning are extremely rare, but tragic nonetheless. If you own one of these new fireplaces, please get a good carbon-monoxide detector.

Q: In finishing the basement in my home, I want to turn some of the space into bedrooms. Two friends mentioned that I don't have windows for a fire-escape path, although one room has a second door. I plan to cut windows into the wall. What size window is recommended and how high can I make it off the floor? I will be partially cutting a foundation wall.

A: Because you are cutting into the exterior wall and making major structural change, you will need a building permit and plans (you can draw these yourself if you feel up to it).

To save you grief, the red ink at the building department and to make planning and budgeting easier, the actual opening height of the bottom of your "egress" window can be no more than 44 inches above finished floor height. This opening must be at least 5.7 square feet, the width a minimum of 20 inches and the height no less than 24 inches.

B.J. Gaul at Alpine Windows in Bothell reminded me that manufactured homes can meet this uniform building code (UBC) requirement at 5 square feet, rather than 5.7.

You need at least 10 percent of the floor area of a given room in natural light and half of that in natural ventilation. For instance, a 10'-by-10' bedroom gets 10 square feet of glass for light and five for ventilation, minimum.

Bedrooms are required to have two escape routes. A second door can count for egress. An exterior door that has glass in it also can count toward ventilation and light requirements.

Ask The Expert answers readers' questions every Saturday. Send questions to Ask The Expert, Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, or call 206-464-8514 to leave your questions on Ask The Expert's recorded line. E-mail address is dhay@seattletimes.com

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