The Tractor cave...

[eepete]

I should have been more detailed---
not only is there a box, but it is also wired to the central fire alarm system..
the ones where if one goes off they all go off!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Pete

 

[RadarTech]

Josephus,

That will be a nice place to park your tractor. One suggestion, maybe firemen will chime in here too - put a couple smoke/heat detectors in the space above your lowered ceiling and below the joists. That looks like a nasty fire spot if one ever gets going - you may not know about it for awhile.

Good luck on your mudding. I have no talent for it. Actually hate it.
Dave.

I was re-reading this post... and then saw the bove the lowered ceiling part.... I had planned on putting one in the room... should I not???


J

 

[eepete]

Put a box and wire in the tractor cave room (ceiling). Then you put a temperature sensor in the box. Doing that is 85% of the battle. I have temperature sensors in my garage, outbuilding tractor garage, kitchen, and attic. Temperature sensors are good for areas that might trip a smoke detector with "normal" use (or in the case of a kitchen, mild calamity but not dangerous :laughing.

As for the space between the lowered ceiling and the 1st floor joists, if you can have access to the detector when everything is done then I'd toss in the wire and box. The judgment call here is how could such an area catch on fire, and if it does would existing sensors in the basement go off before the fire got to the boxed in area?
There is another practical matters that will guide you here too. Do you have extra zones on your alarm system so that the incremental cost of the sensor is low?

The reason I have a temp sensor in the attic is because this is an area that can catch on fire from lightning strikes, so all the sensors in the rooms below the attic would not go off. So you'll have to look at the big picture and make the call. I think I'd opt for smoke block (plywood on a joist to seal off the space) above the tractor cave if it wasn't too hard to do. That way if the tractor catches fire, the fire won't use that space to spread under the 1st floor of the whole house.

Pete

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Great thread! I'm thinking about doing a "tractor cave" of my own as I'll be putting a 16 x 25' addition on the back of my house with a full basement underneath which will be connected to the existing full basement via a 36" wide window opening that I'll simply cut out completely for a doorway. The resulting doorway will connect to the unfinished side of the basement where all the "utilities" (washer/dryer, furnace, water heater, etc...) are. What concerns me is the fact that also on that side is my wood add-on furnace. Would it be unsafe to store gasoline powered equipment in the new full basement since there is a wood fired appliance located in the existing full basement? I would store bulk fuel up in the garage, but if I put all of my gasoline powered stuff (tractor, push mower, string trimmer, blower, power washer, chainsaws, generator) that's a fair amount of gasoline sitting around. Is this an issue or am I worrying about nothing? I just question it since building codes generally prohibit wood fired appliances in any part of a home deemed a "garage" because of the the assumption that flammable fuels will be stored there.

 

[eepete]

IHDiesel, I don't know the exact code-book answer to your question.

I know garages have specific requirements regarding drywall, door fire ratings, and light fixtures. If you're parking any kind of vehicle in your new space, I would hope it would meet those requirements. If I understand you correctly, all the normal utility room things and the wood furnace would be on one side of the door (the existing unfinished basement), and your "basement garage" with tractors on the other side (new, finished area). So I'd be sure that the new where your tractor will be parked met all the requirements for a garage, including door, drywall, and air tightness.

Houses are filled with things that can spark and cause fuel vapors to burn. Your wood furnace, lights switches, any switch or relay that turns something on and off are all sources of ignition. The key difference is the wood furnace is a source of ignition all on it's own, independent of when a occupant turns something on. So something can leak, vapors build up, ignite, and all while you nowhere near the area. This is why the new area must be air-tight with regard to the house; it is a garage.

I hope you put a heat detector in that space. You might also be able to add sprinklers to it.

Sorry I don't have an exact answer, hope those thoughts help.

Pete

 

[RadarTech]

IHDiesel, I don't know the exact code-book answer to your question.

I know garages have specific requirements regarding drywall, door fire ratings, and light fixtures. If you're parking any kind of vehicle in your new space, I would hope it would meet those requirements. If I understand you correctly, all the normal utility room things and the wood furnace would be on one side of the door (the existing unfinished basement), and your "basement garage" with tractors on the other side (new, finished area). So I'd be sure that the new where your tractor will be parked met all the requirements for a garage, including door, drywall, and air tightness.

Houses are filled with things that can spark and cause fuel vapors to burn. Your wood furnace, lights switches, any switch or relay that turns something on and off are all sources of ignition. The key difference is the wood furnace is a source of ignition all on it's own, independent of when a occupant turns something on. So something can leak, vapors build up, ignite, and all while you nowhere near the area. This is why the new area must be air-tight with regard to the house; it is a garage.

I hope you put a heat detector in that space. You might also be able to add sprinklers to it.

Sorry I don't have an exact answer, hope those thoughts help.

Pete

Pete is right...
you need 5/8 drywall-- fireboard for code... and several more...


J

 

[dstig1]

Pete is right...
you need 5/8 drywall-- fireboard for code... and several more...


J

And probably a 20 min fire door, like for attached garages.... Maybe even something higher rated. Best way to answer those questions is call the building inspector. You usually don't have to identify yourself if you are concerned about it, but it helps to be up front.

-Dave

 

[RadarTech]

And probably a 20 min fire door, like for attached garages.... Maybe even something higher rated. Best way to answer those questions is call the building inspector. You usually don't have to identify yourself if you are concerned about it, but it helps to be up front.

-Dave

yeppers on the fire rated door...
Do call the codes inspector....

J

 

[dcyrilc]

Any progress?

Winter's over ya know.

 

[RadarTech]

Any progress?

Winter's over ya know.

It is 35 here tonight.. and winter is over?????