Does the 10-foot vent/window distance account for eaves?

[Anderson]

A question under the UPC, which has a 10-foot requirement for vent distance from an operable window:

906.2: Each vent shall terminate not less than 10 feet (3048 mm) from, or not less than 3 feet (914 mm) above, an openable window, door, opening, air intake, or vent shaft, or not less than 3 feet (914 mm) in every direction from a lot line, alley and street excepted.

My current plans involve the vent penetrating the roof 10 feet from the edge of the eaves on the gable end. The eaves overhang the side of the house about 2 feet. One the gable end of the house is an operable window, which would put the window about 8 feet from the vent if there were no eaves.

Right now, according to my plans, I am coming into the attic with the vent, bending 45 degrees, traveling about 7 feet along the pipe and then bending 45 degrees again to penetrate the roof. I would rather not adjust my plans, but I do have some space for a longer run in the attic if need be.

Does the 10-foot requirement account for the eaves? I have looked all over but haven't found an answer yet.

Thank you all for your help.

 

[wwhitney]

Obviously not specified in the text. So the interpretation is left up to your local authority (building department/plumbing inspector). But I would take it to be the distance along a tight string between the two locations, i.e. not going through the eaves.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Anderson]

Thank you, Wayne. In that case, for anyone else reading this, the distance to my window would be something like 12 feet, if I were to measure that way?

I've already bugged my inspector about a few other things related to this project, so I think I will just move the vent down along the roof to be safe and not ask him anything more. This plumbing project hasn't met its requisite number of trips to the hardware store anyway.

Thanks again for your advice.

 

[wwhitney]

P.S. I think where you wrote "eave" you mean "rake," if I understand your description properly. An eave is a roof edge at constant elevation; a rake is an inclined roof edge.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[John Gayewski]

Take your tape measure stretch it out 10ft. It shouldn't be able to touch a window in any direction. If you were to run a level from the termination elevation (I.E. The elevation you cut the pipe) you need to be 3ft above a window or soffit if your soffit is designed to take in air. The 3ft.above is accounting for your situation or similar.

 

[Anderson]

P.S. I think where you wrote "eave" you mean "rake," if I understand your description properly. An eave is a roof edge at constant elevation; a rake is an inclined roof edge.

Cheers, Wayne

Thank you for the explanation! I did not know that. Now I do.

 

[Anderson]

Take your tape measure stretch it out 10ft. It shouldn't be able to touch a window in any direction. If you were to run a level from the termination elevation (I.E. The elevation you cut the pipe) you need to be 3ft above a window or soffit if your soffit is designed to take in air. The 3ft.above is accounting for your situation or similar.

Excellent, thank you. In my case, the pipe will not terminate 3 feet above the window in question, so I am moving it farther away.

 

[wwhitney]

Excellent, thank you. In my case, the pipe will not terminate 3 feet above the window in question, so I am moving it farther away.

But your tape measure would be over 10' if you wrap it around the rake, and would only be under 10' if it went through the roof deck, correct?

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Anderson]

But your tape measure would be over 10' if you wrap it around the rake, and would only be under 10' if it went through the roof deck, correct?

Cheers, Wayne

That is correct. However, I want to make sure I get it right the first time, no matter how the inspector interprets the rules, so I decided just to move it about 3-4 feet farther from the window.