AFCI Protection In A Recoding Studio?

[kraftymike]

I have an unusual building that comes with an equally unusual electrical situation. The building is a private shop (vehicle storage w/some hobby tinkering) built near an existing residence. The new shop building has an attached guest house living quarters that has an entrance from both the outside as well as a second entrance from inside the shop. Bellow the guest house is a full basement, built out as a professional recording studio. The studio has only one entrance and it is from inside the shop. As you can imagine the studio has a lot of electrical demands in the form of about 20 dedicated lighting and power circuits that all feed back to a dedicated studio sub-panel in the basement.

My AHJ in this rural area is a super cool, easy going guy. His interpretation of the AFCI code is that the studio needs to be protected due to being accessible from the living quarters even though access is only through the shop. He also says however (being the good guy he is), if I can locate some text that better describes the situation or states otherwise he would wave the need for the AFCI protection in the studio.

I can't find anything in the NEC that addresses this sort of accessibility issue. Do any of you know of any other jurisdictions (possibly your own state or local) that does? I would love to locate something in print that is more definitive.

Thanks for the help,
Mike

 

[LEO2854]

I have an unusual building that comes with an equally unusual electrical situation. The building is a private shop (vehicle storage w/some hobby tinkering) built near an existing residence. The new shop building has an attached guest house living quarters that has an entrance from both the outside as well as a second entrance from inside the shop. Bellow the guest house is a full basement, built out as a professional recording studio. The studio has only one entrance and it is from inside the shop. As you can imagine the studio has a lot of electrical demands in the form of about 20 dedicated lighting and power circuits that all feed back to a dedicated studio sub-panel in the basement.

My AHJ in this rural area is a super cool, easy going guy. His interpretation of the AFCI code is that the studio needs to be protected due to being accessible from the living quarters even though access is only through the shop. He also says however (being the good guy he is), if I can locate some text that better describes the situation or states otherwise he would wave the need for the AFCI protection in the studio.

I can't find anything in the NEC that addresses this sort of accessibility issue. Do any of you know of any other jurisdictions (possibly your own state or local) that does? I would love to locate something in print that is more definitive.

Thanks for the help,
Mike

That would be a "Dwelling Unit" defined in article 100, so I would say that the AFCI's are required, depending on what Year NEC you guys are on.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

I don't see "recording studio" in the list of rooms that require AFCI protection and don't see the recording studio as being similar to the rooms in the list.

210.12(A) Dwelling Units. All 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampe re branch circuits supplying outlets or devices installed in dwelling unit kitchens, family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, parlors, libraries, dens, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways, laundry areas, or similar rooms or areas
shall be protected by any of the means described in 210.12(A) (1) through (6):

 

[jaylectricity]

It's a recreation room.

 

[GoldDigger]

No it is a creation room....

Tapatalk!

 

[mgookin]

I have an unusual building that comes with an equally unusual electrical situation. The building is a private shop (vehicle storage w/some hobby tinkering) built near an existing residence. The new shop building has an attached guest house living quarters that has an entrance from both the outside as well as a second entrance from inside the shop. Bellow the guest house is a full basement, built out as a professional recording studio. The studio has only one entrance and it is from inside the shop. As you can imagine the studio has a lot of electrical demands in the form of about 20 dedicated lighting and power circuits that all feed back to a dedicated studio sub-panel in the basement.

My AHJ in this rural area is a super cool, easy going guy. His interpretation of the AFCI code is that the studio needs to be protected due to being accessible from the living quarters even though access is only through the shop. He also says however (being the good guy he is), if I can locate some text that better describes the situation or states otherwise he would wave the need for the AFCI protection in the studio.

I can't find anything in the NEC that addresses this sort of accessibility issue. Do any of you know of any other jurisdictions (possibly your own state or local) that does? I would love to locate something in print that is more definitive.

Thanks for the help,
Mike

Here in Florida we're not allowed to use zoning to enforce building codes and we're not allowed to use building codes to enforce zoning.

But let's look at some other things.

You say "...The building is a private shop (vehicle storage w/some hobby tinkering) built near an existing residence."
Question 1: Is the new building on the same property as the existing residence?

You say "... The building is a private shop (vehicle storage w/some hobby tinkering) built near an existing residence. The new shop building has an attached guest house living quarters that has an entrance from both the outside as well as a second entrance from inside the shop. Bellow the guest house is a full basement, built out as a professional recording studio. The studio has only one entrance and it is from inside the shop."
Question 2: How many square feet is shop, how many square feet is the residence, and how many square feet is the recording studio?

Question 3: Is there fire separation between any of the three occupancies?

What I'm getting at is maybe your primary occupancy classification is not residential. Maybe the residential is accessory to the other uses. If so, only the residential portion needs to comply with a residence.

It sounds like you're parking automobiles on the floor above the recording studio. Is that right?

A word of advice - no openings are allowed between an area for automobiles and a sleeping room including air ducts. Make sure they have dedicated HVAC systems please.

Sounds like a fun project and I'd guess it's some successful musician who likes Montana. We have many around here from the bands of the 70's & 80 from bands anyone would know their name. They all have studios in their homes and then each usually has something pretty wild like one has an indoor pool in the shape of a bass guitar right in the foyer.

 

[kraftymike]

Here in Florida we're not allowed to use zoning to enforce building codes and we're not allowed to use building codes to enforce zoning.

But let's look at some other things.

You say "...The building is a private shop (vehicle storage w/some hobby tinkering) built near an existing residence."
Question 1: Is the new building on the same property as the existing residence?

You say "... The building is a private shop (vehicle storage w/some hobby tinkering) built near an existing residence. The new shop building has an attached guest house living quarters that has an entrance from both the outside as well as a second entrance from inside the shop. Bellow the guest house is a full basement, built out as a professional recording studio. The studio has only one entrance and it is from inside the shop."
Question 2: How many square feet is shop, how many square feet is the residence, and how many square feet is the recording studio?

Question 3: Is there fire separation between any of the three occupancies?

What I'm getting at is maybe your primary occupancy classification is not residential. Maybe the residential is accessory to the other uses. If so, only the residential portion needs to comply with a residence.

It sounds like you're parking automobiles on the floor above the recording studio. Is that right?

A word of advice - no openings are allowed between an area for automobiles and a sleeping room including air ducts. Make sure they have dedicated HVAC systems please.

Sounds like a fun project and I'd guess it's some successful musician who likes Montana. We have many around here from the bands of the 70's & 80 from bands anyone would know their name. They all have studios in their homes and then each usually has something pretty wild like one has an indoor pool in the shape of a bass guitar right in the foyer.

Question 1: Building is on the same un-zoned ranch property as the residence.

Question 2: Shop is approximately 2,000 sq.ft. Residence (guest quarters) is approximately 1,000 sq. ft. Studio located directly bellow living portion is also about 1,000 sq. ft.

Question 3: No fire approved separation between floors. Single layer 5/8's rock on the basement lid.

HVAC is definitely separate for shop, but common for the residence and studio.

Montana is a great place and I consider myself lucky to take part in all these really cool out of the box builds that come in from all over. Thank you for the help. Your questions bring up some very valid points I hadn't considered. Unfortunately they don't support the pitch I am trying to sell to my inspector. Ha ha

 

[mgookin]

Thanks for the answers. I went back and re-read your post and have a better understanding. Basically they are building a shop and abutting the shop is a full basement with guest apartment above and recording studio below the apartment. There's no way to walk from the guest apartment to the recording studio without going through the shop. Correct me if I'm wrong to this point.

I'm not sure what stage of development this project is in. As I like to say, it's much easier (and cheaper) to fix it on paper than it is to fix it on the Earth.

Also, I'd be concerned about having to egress through the shop if you're in the studio when an adverse event occurs. Consider an areaway. They can be real nice with a roof above. You can even make them wide with french doors and they look super nice.

See if your AHJ will take a bite on this one:
Primary occupancy is Group S2 (Storage) with accessory residential (Group R) and accessory business (Group B) on the logic that a person can not walk from the apartment to the studio without going through the shop. The apartment being 1/4 of the gross area of the building helps you convince the AHJ that it's an accessory occupancy.

Is that sub-panel in the studio fed from the apartment or from somewhere else?

 

[mbrooke]

I have an unusual building that comes with an equally unusual electrical situation. The building is a private shop (vehicle storage w/some hobby tinkering) built near an existing residence. The new shop building has an attached guest house living quarters that has an entrance from both the outside as well as a second entrance from inside the shop. Bellow the guest house is a full basement, built out as a professional recording studio. The studio has only one entrance and it is from inside the shop. As you can imagine the studio has a lot of electrical demands in the form of about 20 dedicated lighting and power circuits that all feed back to a dedicated studio sub-panel in the basement.

My AHJ in this rural area is a super cool, easy going guy. His interpretation of the AFCI code is that the studio needs to be protected due to being accessible from the living quarters even though access is only through the shop. He also says however (being the good guy he is), if I can locate some text that better describes the situation or states otherwise he would wave the need for the AFCI protection in the studio.

I can't find anything in the NEC that addresses this sort of accessibility issue. Do any of you know of any other jurisdictions (possibly your own state or local) that does? I would love to locate something in print that is more definitive.

Thanks for the help,
Mike

From a code perspective you will need AFCIs. CMP doesn't seem to care what will work with an AFCI and what wont. The fact they are in the code speaks in itself.

Truth is I can see audio equipment tripping them none stop.


There is however one thing that comes to mind that will bypass the AFCIs. A balanced power supply. Because you now have "technical power", you don't need them. And since its "audio" equipment its a perfect excuse.

 

[kraftymike]

Thank you for all the input. I will let you know how it plays out.