All,
I am remodeling a den and need to move the HVAC return vent (14″ long) toward the kitchen. The wall in which the vent resides is 48″ long and 16″ from the end of the wall is an electrical outlet. If I move the vent to the end of the wall it will be 2″ from the outlet.
I have looked thru the IRC 2003 code book and can find nothing concering electrical outlets and vents residing in the same stud bay ( but then again I am more than half blind!).
Does anyone know of any required distances between the two devices?
Thanks,
dlb
.
Replies
I've never heard of any restriction. (There is a restriction I'll get to, though, after a brief intermission.)
If it were a supply vent, in Georgia, I'd be concerned about condensation near the vent, but for a return vent there's no such concern.
The restriction is that (for fire safety reasons) you need to avoid running wiring through a "plenum", so if the return vent will be "powered" by simply blocking in the same stud bay that contains the outlet then you've got a potential problem. (I say "potential" because there are some exceptions, and I don't know if they apply here.)
But if you install ductwork to connect to the vent, rather than just using the enclosed stud bay, you should avoid any problem. (Doing this is a good idea even if not code-required, since the suction from the return duct would draw dust into the outlet and clog it up in fairly short order.)
Thanks for taking the time to reply. The vent will have ductwork attached to it. I am going to try to move the outlet to the other side of the stud (hence placing it in a new stud bay) but if I can't, it wil be located about 5-6" above the top of the return in the same stud bay.