Longfellow School Building Inspection May 31, 2011
LONGFELLOW SCHOOL BUILDING INSPECTION
Summary of Deficiencies
I. Structural
II. Fire Safety
III. Moisture Control
IV. Exterior Cladding and Weatherproofing
V. Windows and Doors
VI. Staircases and landings
VII. Decks and Porches
VIII. Electrical
IX. Plumbing
X. Heating
XI. Insulation
XII. Ventilation
XIII. Finishes
I. Structural
A. Foundation
• Some mortar joints in the exterior face of the foundation require repair (Photo 1)
• There may not be a sound footing under the frost wall foundation
B. Basement
• Structural posts are deteriorating from rot due to immersion in water (Photo 2)
• An insufficient number of structural posts are causing partition walls to function as weight-bearing walls
o One wall of the boiler room is functioning as a weight-bearing wall
o One wall of the storage room is functioning as a weight-bearing wall
o These walls are rotting due to immersion in water
C. First Floor
• Floor joists are undersized for public-assembly live loads
• Beams may be undersized for public-assembly live loads
• Beams may not be supported adequately for existing live loads due to insufficient number of structural posts and deterioration of existing structural posts in the basement
D. Second Floor
• Floor joists may be undersized for public-assembly live loads
• Beams may be undersized for public-assembly live loads
E. Attic:
• The absence of floor cladding and the presence of debris makes for numerous trip and fall hazards
II. Fire safety
A. Interior
General
• Numerous fire hazards created by electrical code violations are present. See “Electrical”
• The building is missing hard-wired smoke/CO detectors.
• All three exterior doors, the interior door between the School building and the Library, and the exterior door in the Library breezeway require hard-wired, lighted fire exit signs with batteries, per NFPA 101.
• Fire extinguishers in various locations, required by NFPA 101, are missing.
Basement
• The absence of an interior staircase to the basement prevents access by the Fire Department to the boiler room. See “Staircases.”
• The boiler walls, ceiling, and door do not meet NFPA 101 requirements for a 1-hour fire-rated enclosure.
o It might be prudent to consider installing a single sprinkler head run directly off the water line in the ceiling of the boiler room.
• The boiler room is missing a hard-wired rate-of-rise heat detector
First floor
• The door to the stairwell to the second floor is a NFPA 101 code violation and must be removed. See “Windows and Doors.” (Photo 3)
• Both first floor exit doors are too narrow: these 2’8” wide doors must be replaced with 3’0” wide doors. See “Windows and Doors.”
• The first floor entry door requires panic hardware. See “Windows and Doors.”
• The stairwell and staircase to the second floor are not code-compliant. See “Staircases.”
• The stairwell that contains the staircase to the second floor must have a 1-hour fire-rating.
• The landing tread depth at the bottom of the staircase may be a NFPA 101 code violation: this question needs to be clarified.
• The hallway at the bottom of the stairs needs to function as an “area of refuge” per NFPA 101, which requires that all surfaces and openings have a 1-hour fire rating.
Second floor
• The absence of a door between the stairwell and the gymnasium contributes, among other NFPA 101 violations, to the stairwell not functioning as a fire-protected area per code.
Attic
• The proportions of the attic require that it be accessible by a code compliant staircase, or else that access be made more difficult by removing the existing staircase.
o Consider replacing this staircase with pull-down attic stairs installed in the ceiling of the gymnasium or hallway.
• The absence of floor cladding and the presence of debris makes for numerous trip and fall hazards
B. Exterior
• All three exterior landings and their staircase violate NFPA 101 requirements. See “Staircases and Landings” and “Decks and Porches.”
III. Moisture Control
Basement:
• Water is entering through the basement walls and up through the floor. Standing water was observed on the basement floor slab, and the sections of the foundation wall were wet.
• Water is entering the basement through the bulkhead walls and floor
• There is significant mold growth on the surface finishes in the boiler room
• There are uncovered floor drains at sump pump and in the boiler room floor
First floor: no deficiencies were observed
Second floor:
• Water is entering the building through the bottom of the 2nd floor exit door, which has been made open to the weather by significant rush.
IV. Exterior cladding and weatherproofing
A. Exterior cladding
• Extensive paint finish failures are occurring on exterior clapboard wall cladding (Photo 4)
• Cedar shingle wall cladding on the southwest elevation of the second floor of the building is significantly deteriorated and should be replaced. (Photo 5)
• Some gaps exist between clapboards on the northeast elevation of the first floor of the building; joints in new clapboards on this wall were “stacked.” Both problems will result in water infiltration behind the clapboards. Clapboards should be replaced as necessary to eliminate gaps and stagger joints between clapboards. (Photo 6)
• Lead paint is present on all exterior clapboards and trim, with the exception of new window trim.
• Some exterior trim has been replaced with painted foam, which may not be adequately preventing water from entering the building at these points. Consideration should be given to replacing these patches with actual wood trim.
B. Weatherproofing
• Several tears were observed in the chimney flashing. Torn sections of lead chimney flashing should be replaced. (Photo 7)
• The flashing over the head casing on the second floor exterior exit door is too short and should be replaced.
V. Windows and doors
• The entry lockset on the front door of the building does not operate easily and should be replaced.
• Many basement windows and window frames are rotted and should be replaced in order to prevent structural deterioration of the adjacent mudsill and foundation; one basement window opening is closed with plywood from the exterior and is not preventing water from entering the foundation at this location. (Photo 8)
• The exterior exit door in the first floor school room does not open and must be replaced.
• The exterior exit door in the second floor gymnasium, opening to the metal exterior staircase, is rusted through to the exterior.
• The door at the bottom of the interior staircase to the second floor violates NFPA 101 and must be removed.
• The 2’8” width of the exterior entry door at the front of the building violates NFPA 101 and must be replaced with a 3’0” wide door with panic bar hardware.
• The 2’8” width of the exterior exit door in the first floor school room violates NFPA 101 and must be replaced with a 3’0” wide door with panic bar hardware.
• The lockset keying for the building is confusing and makes maintenance of the building difficult. The Board and/or Town should consider replacing all interior and exterior locksets with a Master Key system so that the building manager, Fire Department and Constable can gain access through all doors with one key, and different users can be granted access to specific rooms with dedicated keys. This would also simplify re-keying of individual locksets without having to replace the master key.
VI. Staircases and landings
A. Interior staircases and landings
• The basement bulkhead staircase is rotted and must be replaced
• The floor hatch access to the basement from the interior of the building does not meet NFPA 101 requirements. (Photo 10)
o A code-compliant staircase (minimum width = 36”, handrails on both sides at an elevation of 34”-38” above the leading edge of the stair tread nosing, diameter of hand rail not to exceed 1 ½”, openings below handrail not to exceed 4” in width, stair riser height not to exceed 7”, minimum tread depth of 11”, nosing beyond riser not to exceed 1 ¼”, lighting to illuminate stairwell switched from the top and bottom of the staircase) must be installed.
o Any open landing around the staircase must be protected with a guardrail or barrier of a height no less than 42” and with openings below the guardrail not to exceed 4” in width.
• Handrails must be installed on the staircase to the second floor at a height of 34”-38” above the leading edge of the stair tread nosing, diameter of hand rail not to exceed 1 ½”, openings below handrail not to exceed 4” in width. (Photo 11)
• The landing at the top of the staircase to the second floor must be protected with a guardrail or barrier of a height no less than 42” and with openings below the guardrail not to exceed 4” in width. (Photo 12)
B. Exterior staircases and landings
• The deck and stairs outside the first floor school room exit door are rotted (Photo 9) and need to be replaced with a structure that meets NFPA 101 standards:
o The deck surface and each tread must be “open” grating.
o Deck guard rail must be 42” tall with openings no wider than 4” below top rail
o Stair handrail must be 34”-38” above leading edge of stair nosing.
o Diameter of stair handrail must be no wider than 1 ½”
o Stair rise must be no higher than 7”, stair tread must be at least 11” wide, and stair nosing may not extend past stair riser more than 1 ¼”.
• Front entry deck and staircase: the guardrail and handrail do not meet NFPA 101 standards (Photo 13):
o The guard rail on the deck needs to be raised to 42”
o The space below the guard rail needs to be closed down to openings no wider than 4”
o The hand rail on the steps needs to be raised to between 34” and 38” above the leading edge of the stair nosing.
o A handrail with diameter no wider than 1 ½” needs to be installed on both sides of the staircase.
o The opening below the handrail needs to be closed down to openings no wider than 4”
• The metal exterior staircase from the second floor gymnasium does not meet NFPA 101 standards (Photo14):
o The riser height exceeds 7”
o The nosing extends more than 1 ¼” past the leading edge of the stair riser, measured from the back of the stair tread below.
o The handrail height exceeds 38”
o The opening of the area below the handrail exceeds maximum width of 4”
VII. Decks and Porches
• See “Exterior Staircases and Landings.”
VIII. Electrical
General
• There is inadequate switching for most of the lighting in the building. NFPA 70 specifies, in general, that occupants be able to turn room lights on and off whenever they enter or exit a room. If there is more than one door in a room, lights need to be controlled from each doorway. The purpose of this requirement is to prevent people from walking through darkened rooms to turn lights on or to walk back through a darkened room after having turned the lights off.
• There are an insufficient number of outlets in each room in the building. NFPA 70 specifies the minimum distance between outlets in a room and requires dedicated outlets for specific devices and appliances depending on the use to which the building is put. The purpose of this requirement is to limit the use of extension cords and reduce the likelihood that occupants will trip over the cords of lamps or other devices.
• Knob-and- tube wiring was observed at switches and fixtures on the first and second floors of the building. Non-code-compliant insulation and the absence of a grounding wire make knob-and-tube wiring a fire hazard as well as a code violation. All such wiring should be replaced with Romex wire.
• Unprotected fluorescent bulbs were observed being stored in the first floor kitchen closet. Because of the presence of mercury in these bulbs, they must be protected plastic sleeves and its prudent to store them out of harm’s way.
• There are several light switches set an elevation of about 60” above the floor. Although the building need not be retrofit to meet ADA requirements at this time, note that this switch height is an ADA violation.
• The fluorescent lighting throughout the building is fairly old and therefore inefficient. Fixtures that use less electricity are available. Consideration should be given to replacing these fixtures.
Exterior
• The switch for the exterior light over the front door is located too far from the entry door. This light needs to be switched from a location on the interior wall next to the front door. This fixture should be replaced with one that provides protection to the exposed bulb.
• Both the first floor school room exit door and the second floor gymnasium exit door require exterior lights.
• The exposed Romex cable feeding the street lamp attached to the building needs to be protected with conduit.
• Exterior outlets may be required next to each of the entry/exit doors: the relevant NFPA 70 specification needs to be clarified.
• Access to the septic tank pump outlet, which is located under the bathroom addition, may become impossible if snow blocks the access hatch. Although not a code requirement, it would be prudent to re-locate this outlet inside the basement.
Basement
• The fiberglass insulation in the ceiling of the basement may be concealing cut, exposed wires, open junction boxes, wires without adequate insulation and wiring that is not grounded properly. This insulation should be removed to provide access for a complete inspection, and any deficiencies should be remedied.
• Panel:
o The circuits in the circuit panel are not labeled (Photo 15)
o Many circuits are overloaded with fixtures and must be broken down into properly-balanced circuit loads.
o Isolating circuits per load requirements is likely to require installation of a sub-panel
o Pushmatic breakers should be replaced with single-pole breakers
o Junction boxes with fuses functioning as circuit breakers must be incorporated into the circuit panel with sufficiently-sized breakers. (Photo 16)
o A GFCI breaker should be added at the panel
• The septic tank alarm and sump pump motor share the same circuit: each device needs to be isolated on its own circuit.
• Covers need to be installed on all junction boxes without covers. (Photo 17)
• Some junction boxes have too many wires in them and need to be broken down into multiple junction boxes. (Photo 18)
• All wires spliced outside of junction boxes and spliced without wire nuts inside junction boxes should be spliced with wire nuts inside junction boxes.
• All corroded BX cable needs to be replaced with grounded Romex wire.
• Wires stapled to the bottom of floor joists and beams need to be relocated inside the floor assembly.
• Non-code-compliant cloth-insulated wire runs should be replaced with properly-sized Romex wire
• Dangling cut wires need to be removed or terminated in junction boxes. (Photo 19)
• Basement lighting needs to be installed and switched from the top of the basement stairs and at the interior doors to the bulkhead so that someone entering and exiting the basement from either point can turn lights on ahead of them or off behind them.
o Although not a code violation, the amount of lighting in the basement is insufficient.
o A lighted switch should be installed at the top of the basement stairs so that occupants can be alerted to lights that were inadvertently left on after the hatch has been closed.
o A protected light fixture should be installed in the boiler room to prevent damage during maintenance.
• Old generator switches and wiring should be removed (Photo 20)
First floor
• Some fluorescent fixtures have unprotected bulbs (kitchen ceiling, first floor school room). Covers need to be installed over these fixtures to prevent damage to the bulbs, which release mercury when broken.
• The exposed Romex wire feeding the water heater in the kitchen is non-code-compliant and should be enclosed in conduit.
• The kitchen stove requires a dedicated circuit.
• The microwave requires a dedicated circuit.
• All outlets in the kitchen need to be changed to GFCI receptacles.
• The refrigerator in the hallway requires a dedicated circuit. If the refrigerator is not being used, it’s door needs to be removed.
• The switch to the entry hall ceiling light is located inside the stairwell; this switch needs to be made 4-way and located next to the exterior door; additional 4-way switches for this fixture need to be added next to the other doors in the hallway.
• Radiant heat panels in the third school room suspended ceiling need to be checked by a licensed electrician to confirm safety and that they are fed from a dedicated circuit.
• A second three-way switch needs to be added to the third school room to control the fluorescent lights in the suspended ceiling; the existing switch controlling these lights needs to be converted to a three-way switch.
• A second three-way switch needs to be added to the second school room at the French doors to control the fluorescent lights in the ceiling; the existing switch controlling these lights needs to be converted to a three-way switch.
• In the main school room:
o A four-way switch needs to be added at the French doors to control the fluorescent lights in the ceiling
o A four-way switch needs to be added at the exit door to control the fluorescent lights in the ceiling
o The existing switch controlling the ceiling lights needs to be converted to a four-way switch.
o A switch needs to be added next to the exit door to control the light outside the exit door; a light needs to be added outside the exit door.
o There are multiple thermostats on the wall in this room: non-working thermostats and wiring need to be removed.
o The push-button knob-and-tube switch on the wall of this room needs to be removed.
• The boiler switch needs to be moved further away from the hallway door to prevent people from mistaking this switch for a light switch when they enter the room.
• Two four-way switches need to be added in the hallway outside the 1st floor bathroom to control the ceiling light in this hallway; the existing switch needs to change to a four-way switch.
• The switch at the bottom of the stairwell to the second floor needs to change to a three-way switch.
Second floor
• The light fixture on the wall of the stairwell – fed by an extension cord and without a switch --needs to be removed. (Photo 21)
• The lighting at the top of the stairs needs adequate switching: either control this light along with the lower stairwell light with three-way switches at the bottom of the stairs and next to the door to the gymnasium, or switch this light separately from the lower light and install two three-way switches for each light.
• There needs to be a light outside the exterior exit door, controlled by a switch next to the door.
• Loading of the outlets provided for the gymnasium equipment should be checked to make sure circuits aren’t overloaded.
Attic
• Light fixtures need to be installed in the attic for safety purposes. These lights need to be switched at the top of the attic staircase.
• None of the ungrounded BX cable is code-compliant: it needs to be replaced with Romex wire.
IX. Plumbing
Basement
• The waste line from the sump pump terminates too close to the building’s foundation: it now directs water against the stone foundation; freeze/thaw will cause this water to destabilize the foundation over time. (Photo 22)
• The sump pit should have a cover for sanitary and safety reasons. (Photo 23)
Crawlspace under bathroom
• The access hatch to this space should be made larger: it is not really big enough for a person to easily get into the space to service the mechanical and electrical components of the plumbing and septic system. (Photo 24)
• Switched lighting should be added to the crawlspace to facilitate repair and maintenance of the plumbing and septic system.
• Access to the septic tank pump outlet, which is located under the bathroom addition, may be impossible if snow blocks the access hatch. Although not a code requirement, it would be prudent to re-locate this outlet inside the basement.
First Floor
• An unused toilet in the room next to the kitchen has an empty trap; this is allowing sewer gasses to enter the building. The toilet should be removed if it’s not in use, and a cap installed on the waste line in the floor.
• The drum trap serving the lav sink in the bathroom does not comply with the UPC (Photo 26)
• The venting of the first floor bathroom does not comply with the UPC
o The main building vent is non-code-compliant:
It is back-vented
It is undersized (Photo 25)
It is too-short (Photo 25)
It is attached, exposed, to the outside of the building and must be protected in a chase or wall 9Photo 25)
o The venting of all plumbing appliances in the building is not code-compliant: each fixture is back-vented and needs its own vent.
• The trap arms for the lav sink and the laundry sink are both too long
Second floor: no deficiencies were observed
X. Heating
General
• The heating zone valves and circulator pumps should be labeled more clearly to facilitate maintenance and repair of the heating system.
Chimney
• The chimney does not have a code-compliant flue.
Basement
• Corroded boiler valves and circulator pump housings should be replaced (Photo 27)
• The boiler may be undersized for the building
• No second floor heat zone
• The oil line should be protected in a crush-proof sleeve
First floor
• The exposed heat pipes may present a burn hazard and should be enclosed to protect against burns in the event occupants inadvertently lean or fall against them. (Photo 28)
• Radiant heat panels in the third school room suspended ceiling need to be checked by a licensed electrician to confirm safety and that they are fed from a dedicated circuit.
Second floor:
• The sizing of the propane heater should be confirmed for adequacy in heating the space, particularly in the absence of insulation in the walls and roof.
XI. Insulation
Basement
• Significant air caps around bulkhead allow air infiltration into basement
• The foil- and Kraft-face insulation in the basement ceiling may trap moisture in the floor assembly and should be replaced with un-faced insulation.
• Missing fiberglass insulation in basement ceiling
• The perimeter of the ceiling assembly on top of the stone foundation is missing insulation in many places, allowing heat transfer out of the building
First floor
• Blown-in cellulose insulation in the ceiling and walls of the first floor traps moisture and provides a relatively limited R-value; blown-in cellulose is subject to considerable settling, creating voids in the wall and ceiling cavities.
Second floor
• No insulation is present in the walls, ceiling or roof of the second floor
XII. Ventilation
Basement
• No mechanical ventilation was observed, contributing to mold growth on surface finishes. See “Moisture Control”
First floor
• The duct for the bath fan in the first floor bathroom is not connected to a termination hood: moisture-laden air is therefore not fully exiting the air space above the bathroom and may be a source of mold.
o A dedicated termination hood should be installed for the bathroom fan, separated from the gable end vent on the exterior wall of the bathroom addition
Second floor: no deficiencies were observed
• The potential future of insulation in this roof will require ventilation in the roof assembly.
XIII. Finishes
Exterior: trim and wall cladding were tested for lead
• Wall cladding: lead paint
• Exterior trim: lead paint in all exterior trim except new window trim
Interior: trim, wall, and ceiling cladding were tested for lead; none was found