NON COMMISSIONED AOV WINDOWS IN COMMUNAL HALLWAYS

[Robert Burrage]

since the property was built in 2005 the AOV system for the hallways ( 6 floors small communal hallway) was never commissioned. previous fire safety reports never flagged any issues.

new management company has alleged to a fire safety inspector that the AOV system was broken. we now have a section 20 notice and have to have the windows open 24/7 until its resolved. is this compulsory or can we keep it has its always been (not commissioned) ?

There is an AOV working in the communal staircase they have just never been commisioned in the small hallways. I wonder if it wasnt required so never actioned

[AnthonyB]

Could have been just poor FRAs in the past, too many in the resi FRA sector that don't know what they are doing. Latent defects from date of build generally require remediation as the building thus never complied even with the standards at the time of build.

It's always been required in modern Building Regs history (post 1991) for a flat block of that height/floors to have the lobby adjacent to the stair ventilated.

Unfortunately from experience the vast majority of residential buildings from the last 25 years have some form of fire safety defect dating back to build and it's only since Grenfell that it's started being taken seriously.

[Robert Burrage]

Thank you for your reply.

I am the only flat on my floor (6th) and the exit door to stairwell (stairwell has smoke vent) is only 4m away

 

as I am only 4m from the exit do I still need the window to have an AOV ?

[Guest AB1]

My understanding if ADB is that if each flat has a protected internal hallway then there is no requirement for a protected lobby approach and therefore smoke vent.

[Robert Burrage]

On 27/09/2024 at 08:52, Guest AB1 said:

My understanding if ADB is that if each flat has a protected internal hallway then there is no requirement for a protected lobby approach and therefore smoke vent.

so internally there are smoke alarms mains wired & they are talking about having a heat alarm inside each flat now. 

do you think the heat alarm would be sufficient so the AOVs wouldnt be required ?

 

 

[Robert Burrage]

34 minutes ago, Robert Burrage said:

so internally there are smoke alarms mains wired & they are talking about having a heat alarm inside each flat now. 

do you think the heat alarm would be sufficient so the AOVs wouldnt be required ?

 

 

also there are smokes in the communal hallways linked to a mains system. the heat alarms inside the properties will also be linked to the blocks alarm system 

[Andy62]

See attached document taken from ADB. If flats have protected hall then no lobby is required, so therefore no smoke vent as there is no lobby.

Doc1.pdf

[Robert Burrage]

3 hours ago, Andy62 said:

See attached document taken from ADB. If flats have protected hall then no lobby is required, so therefore no smoke vent as there is no lobby.

Doc1.pdf 168.82 kB · 1 download

I must apologise but im not understanding. what is classed as a protected hall ?

[AnthonyB]

On 27/09/2024 at 08:52, Guest AB1 said:

My understanding if ADB is that if each flat has a protected internal hallway then there is no requirement for a protected lobby approach and therefore smoke vent.

Re read it and look at the height of the block in question. The diagram I have posted is for hallway equipped flats in blocks that do not meet the small blocks relaxation

[AnthonyB]

On 26/09/2024 at 08:55, Robert Burrage said:

Thank you for your reply.

I am the only flat on my floor (6th) and the exit door to stairwell (stairwell has smoke vent) is only 4m away

 

as I am only 4m from the exit do I still need the window to have an AOV ?

No - your block is too big to follow the small building relaxations. It was equipped correctly just not completed so should be restored to the standard that applied at the time of build which was an AOV (& was in previous editions of the guidance as well)