I have a chance to put in a laundry chute from a second floor hallway (lath/plaster) to the laundry room directly below. I have a straight shot with a large chase from a heating duct that was removed. I have never done a laundry chute, and was looking for ideas on what to make the chute out of and how to set up the doors above and below. Thanks for any input!
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There was an article on it in Fine Homebuilding several years ago. I think they used 2'-0" pvc pipe.
I edited that article, and you're close to right. I think it was 16 in. pipe, though. Hard to find, but good.
To the OP: You might check with the building department about fire seperation requirements. The only difference between a big, vertical chase and a chimney is the presence or absence of a fire.Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein (or maybe Mark Twain)
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
"Everything not forbidden is compulsory." T.H. White, The Book of Merlin
To the OP: You might check with the building department about fire seperation requirements. The only difference between a big, vertical chase and a chimney is the presence or absence of a fire.
At least with IRC and ubc there are no residential fire rated floors between stories so penetrations can be anywhere and don't have to have doors or fire protection in simple chases.
At least that's what local inspectors have voiced as their department's interpretation of the codes.
It does seem strange to allow such major fire paths when everything done inside the walls is kept so tight.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
I think some codes have restrictions when you go over two floors, and this is in theory three.In any event, it's worth considering. Garbage chutes are a little worse in this regard, but even with a laundry chute there's always a chance of a live cigarette going down the chute, plus a slight chance of spontaneous combustion in the pile in the bottom, or a dryer fire. And the central location of the thing would mean that any fire would be conveyed right up into the hallway of the sleeping area, dramatically reducing one's chance of excaping before being cut off or overcome by smoke.
People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck
Sounds like a smoke alarm mounted at the top of the chute would be cheap insurance.
Definitely at least that.
People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck
Anything smooth will do. You can get 3x8 sheets of vynal wall covering you could use to cover the walls - HD has them with the trim and bead board.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
In the early 60's, my parents house had a laundry chute in the bathroom that was just a section of heating duct in a stud bay. It had a wall mounted trap door in the bathroom and Mom kept a lundry basket under the open end of the duct in the basement. It worked like a charm.
When I did the floor plan for their new house in '65 (I was studying architecture by then), Mom insisted on a ground floor laundry room. Those were almost unheard of in those days, but she wouldn't change her mind. She's still living in that house and doesn't go into the basement much anymore and is almost insufferably smug about her ground floor laundry room. - lol
Consider adding some sort of fire-suppression feature -- at least a spring-loaded flap at the bottom, possibly a fuse-operated fire door.
My father made one out of sheet aluminum, but that was over 50 years ago. It worked fine even though it wasn't particularly big. I'd guess about 6" x 10" cross section. The top end has to be where it's convenient to toss things down one at a time.
-- J.S.
You need to check with your Building/Fire department about their requirements. A laundry chute could be a direct path for a fire or fumes originating on one level to reach another level. In the past I have used a sheet metal duct as a chute, which is fireproof. You would also want a closable fireproof lid.
The large pvc would be my choice, but probably doesn't have to be much over 12" unless really heavy towels are used. 16" is delux.
If building with melamine I never felt comfortable with the long-term reliability of the stuff staying together so it was boxed with 3/4" ply for strength.
If building with 3/4" ply you'll want to line it with frp or something like frp to eliminate slivers that will snag you gal's best silk shirt guaranteed. My personal choice for this type of construction is 3/4" ac birch under the frp since it's straight and easy to work with if curves need to be built in to move around obstructions. Use cdx and you might be fighting it the whole way to eliminate those pesky gaps that will snag clothes.
A good sheetmetal guy who has built laundry chutes before can whip one out lickity split. My main complaint about metal chutes is that they transmit sound quite well.
A door on the bottom end is probably not a good idea since light clothes will hang up on it (dangling silk thong syndrome).
On the top end you'll need a locking door if the opening is big enough to allow a kid to fall into it, or the opening can be wall mounted. Strangly, the codes don't specifically state that a locking door is required, but it is most certainly a good idea. I've built them without a door for childless couples, but that also allows noise to travel unabstructed from floor to floor.
A push in swinging door with hinges at the top is probably the easiest to use. A few super magnets on the door opposite a concealed screwhead will stop the annoying swinging action much faster than on it's own. A push in door is also the easiest to conceal.
With any laundry chute, keep in mind that clothes are abrasive and will take their toll on any thin finishes and the dampness of things like towels will take advantage of any scratches and open up simple painted finishes.
For the best performance I like to throw a big towel down and see where it lands. Most clothes will land in that exact spot so it should be as near to the center of the area allowed for the laundry basket as possible. With ply/frp it's easy to build in a curve if needed to shoot the clothes out of the chute at the right angle.
Ply/frp can also be made so multiple rooms can share the same shaft, but each room should have it's own shaft downward for a number of feet to avoid sound transmition between rooms. The two shafts should gradually merge and any constriction would be a sure place for a jam.
For the smallest chutes, due to space limitations, the slickest material available should be used and the space should be stretched as much as possible. A 5-1/2" x 14-1/2" space can be a laundry chute, but it requires some engineering to keep as wide as possible.
Good luck!
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
--- On the top end you'll need a locking door if the opening is big enough to allow a kid to fall into it, or the opening can be wall mounted. ---When I was a teenager, we got my younger sister, probably about age 9 at the time, to go down the laundry chute. I wanted to go down myself, but I was too big. This was the next best thing. We made sure there was a big pile of laundry at the bottom. :-)Rebeccah
It's amazing that we survive childhood. :-)
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Some better than others. Depends on how many times you were dropped on your head.
People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck
I built a laundry chute in our first house. It was in the linen closet. very simple design. Box built to a height that did not require much bending over to load the clothes into the chute with a hinged door on top. Never though to much about fire since the open stair case was the wall behind the chute. I used 3/4 melamine no problems with things hanging up. Approx size 12"X12"
If you are installing a laundry cute over 3 floors you will require self closing fire doors on the top two floors. Its best installing fire doors even if it's just one, better safe than sorry. We sell to the US from the UK and our customers come to us because they can't find retailers in the north of America who sell this product. Our chutes are stain less steel grade 316L which has a melting point of 1000° C. You can install wood or galvanised but they will rot through time whereas stainless will be there when the house falls down.
https://www.easylinelaundrychutes.com
The comments about fire are interesting. How do you get from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor? Isn't a stairwell act as a large path for fire and fumes? It's not like single family dwellings have fire rated stair wells with fire doors top and bottom.
These building regs apply to the UK and most of Europe, not sure about the US. Because it is a three story building the whole staircase needs to be protected, therefore all doors from habitable rooms into the staircase need to be fire resisting. In our case installing a laundry chute if the are doors in the hallway they have to be fire rated to a minimum of 30mins (ours are 1hr) and if over 3 floors or more they have to be self closing as well. https://www.easylinelaundrychutes.com
Please see the link below.
https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/advice/fire-safety-building-regulations-part-b