Hi,
I am looking to construct a laundry chute in our closet. I was
originally going to use large diameter pvc pipe but found it
prohibitively expensive. I also looked into sheet metal ducting but it
didn't seem stable enough and too many places for clothes to snag. So I
am going to build it out of 2 x 4's and drywall. It will be about 12"
square. I was going to place a side hinged door with a handle on the
wall outside the closet for access. And I may or may not place a metal
or plastic plate on the ceiling down in the basement attached with
spring hinges to cover the hole from the chute. The hole in the ceiling
will end up around 2 feet from the wall with the clothes dropping into
a large basket sitting on a cart with casters I will also be building.
I was wondering if I could get away with using 1 x 3's instead of the 2
x 4's. Also if anyone could take a look at my proposed plans and
comment/advise that would be greatly appreciated!
http://patmedia.net/marklevinson/plans/laundrychute.htm
Thanks,
Mark
On 16 Jun 2005 09:37:06 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I am looking to construct a laundry chute in our closet.
>http://patmedia.net/marklevinson/plans/laundrychute.htm
I imagine that would work really well. Mine is in the bathroom, and
is simply a door hinged at the bottom that is mounted directly to the
wall. The clothes drop down the 6" gap between the drywall on either
side of the wall, and the chute is lined with hardboard. The sucker
isn't even straight (there is a 2" lip at the bottom where it enters
the basement because of a floor joist) and it works fine- what you've
got drawn up is a Cadillac by comparison.
[email protected] wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am looking to construct a laundry chute in our closet. I was
> originally going to use large diameter pvc pipe but found it
> prohibitively expensive. I also looked into sheet metal ducting but it
> didn't seem stable enough and too many places for clothes to snag. So I
> am going to build it out of 2 x 4's and drywall. It will be about 12"
> square. I was going to place a side hinged door with a handle on the
> wall outside the closet for access. And I may or may not place a metal
> or plastic plate on the ceiling down in the basement attached with
> spring hinges to cover the hole from the chute. The hole in the ceiling
> will end up around 2 feet from the wall with the clothes dropping into
> a large basket sitting on a cart with casters I will also be building.
>
> I was wondering if I could get away with using 1 x 3's instead of the 2
> x 4's. Also if anyone could take a look at my proposed plans and
> comment/advise that would be greatly appreciated!
>
> http://patmedia.net/marklevinson/plans/laundrychute.htm
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mark
Sheet metal should be fine if installed correctly. That's what we had
installed when we built out house six years ago. And with three kids
and tons of usage there has not been a single snag. If you happen to
use your chute as much as our family does I could foresee wear and tear
that might eventually wear the outer layer of the drywall. So, you
might get a pile of dust along with the rest of the stuff you throw
down there. Plus, wet stuff like rags might also add to quicker wear.
Just my $.02, but I would reconsider the sheet metal option.
My parents have used a laundry chute made of rectangular sheet metal
ducting for years, between two studs in the wall (therefore only 3 or 4
inches deep), and it's worked fine. No problem with clothes snagging.
If you'd rather use wood, I don't know why 1x3's wouldn't work - it
shouldn't take a lot of abuse, right? Also, if I understand your plans
correctly, it looks like the frame extends all the way to the floor of
the basement? My parent's chute just extends a few feet through the
basement ceiling, and the clothes obviously fall straight down from
there; no need for a longer chute.
Good luck,
Andy
In article <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]> wrote:
> I was wondering if I could get away with using 1 x 3's instead of the 2
> x 4's. Also if anyone could take a look at my proposed plans and
> comment/advise that would be greatly appreciated!
Check your local building code. Laundry chutes are considered something
of a fire hazardand may not be allowed.
--
~ Stay Calm... Be Brave... Wait for the Signs ~
------------------------------------------------------
One site: <http://www.balderstone.ca>
The other site, with ww links<http://www.woodenwabbits.com>
"Kiwanda" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Mike Marlow" <[email protected]> wrote in news:df6df$42b2c475
> [email protected]:
>
> >
> > "Dave Balderstone" <dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca> wrote in ..
> >> In article <1118939826.265165.123960
> @f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
>
> >> Check your local building code. Laundry chutes are considered
> something
> >> of a fire hazardand may not be allowed.
> >>
> >
> > Holy cow - where do you live? This is a new one on me, but there
> are enough
> > parts of the country with wierd codes, that nothing surprises me
> anymore.
> >
>
> Here in our part of Minnesota you pretty much can't build laundry
> chutes anymore...a local inspector might let you if there were fire
> doors on each floor, but I've heard of cases where even designs like
> that were stopped. Check the local codes/practice before you start.
>
When I read about codes like this, it just makes me all the more glad to
live in New York where we aren't bound by a lot of the codes that don't
really serve a huge purpose. Of course we pay for that "freedom" in the
amount of taxes we pay. There's always a tradeoff...
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
I'll add a second note of caution. Adding a laundry chute between floors
will allow a fire in your basement to spread almost immediately to all
levels of your house. If you had a fire in your dryer from lint backup, you
could burn down the entire house pretty quickly.
I don't know much about building codes, but I know that there are pretty
strict rules about opening a 'chase' between floors.
If you do move forward with the laundry chute, I'd recommend putting
relatively air tight, fire resistant 'doors' at both the top and the bottom
of the chute. The bottom door could be spring loaded, or preferably you
could open it manually. You could let the dirty clothes pile up inside the
chute instead of on the basement floor.
"Dave Balderstone" <dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca> wrote in message
news:160620051130305841%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I was wondering if I could get away with using 1 x 3's instead of the 2
>> x 4's. Also if anyone could take a look at my proposed plans and
>> comment/advise that would be greatly appreciated!
>
> Check your local building code. Laundry chutes are considered something
> of a fire hazardand may not be allowed.
>
> --
> ~ Stay Calm... Be Brave... Wait for the Signs ~
> ------------------------------------------------------
> One site: <http://www.balderstone.ca>
> The other site, with ww links<http://www.woodenwabbits.com>
"Chuck" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'll add a second note of caution. Adding a laundry chute between floors
> will allow a fire in your basement to spread almost immediately to all
> levels of your house. If you had a fire in your dryer from lint backup,
you
> could burn down the entire house pretty quickly.
So does you stairway. Better seal it off immediately.
>
> I don't know much about building codes, but I know that there are pretty
> strict rules about opening a 'chase' between floors.
Not in residential building.
>
> If you do move forward with the laundry chute, I'd recommend putting
> relatively air tight, fire resistant 'doors' at both the top and the
bottom
> of the chute. The bottom door could be spring loaded, or preferably you
> could open it manually. You could let the dirty clothes pile up inside the
> chute instead of on the basement floor.
>
Oh come on. Is there nothing that doesn't bring the alarmists out in this
group? Not to be offensive Chuck, (and I apologize if my tone sounds
offensive), but this type of suggestion just defies normal everyday life.
Look hard enough and you can find boogy men lurking under any bed in
America...
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
On 17 Jun 2005 14:50:50 -0700, the opaque [email protected]
spake:
>In a 4000+ ft2 custom home the basic laundry chute
>was constructed with melamine. Seemed like a good
>choice based upon wear and non-snag issues.
>
>And, yes I have heard about the fire issue/code.
I'd prolly use a couple sections of 12-18" sewer pipe.
-------------------------------------------
Crapsman tools are their own punishment
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Design
======================================================
"HerHusband" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Mike,
>
> >> I don't know much about building codes, but I know that there are
> >> pretty strict rules about opening a 'chase' between floors.
>
> > Not in residential building.
>
> My brother-in-law built a new house a few years back and they required him
> to install fire doors at the top and bottom of his laundry chute. They
also
> made him install a fire sprinkler system in his house, and improve the
road
> coming in so firetrucks could get in. They took fire safety very seriously
> there (Cowlitz County, Washington).
>
> Unfortunately, just as they completed their house we had extremely heavy
> rains and their new house (and dozens of others) was destroyed in a
> landslide...
>
> We built our own house last year (Clark County, Washington) and my
> inspector was also quite serious about fire safety. We didn't have a
> laundry chute (single story home) or have to install a sprinkler system,
> but they were very attentive to fire blocking and sealing off all passages
> where fire could travel.
>
> Anthony
I'm glad I put a disclaimer in one of my other posts Anthony, which allowed
me the escape necessary for this type of exception. That's an aggressive
building code, and (thankfully...) not what is common across the country.
That's taking safety to a rediculous level, though I can see the sense in
improving a driveway so that fire trucks can get up it - assuming it's too
long to drag hose. That should have fallen in the category of common sense.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I am looking to construct a laundry chute in our closet. I was
> originally going to use large diameter pvc pipe but found it
> prohibitively expensive. I also looked into sheet metal ducting but it
> didn't seem stable enough and too many places for clothes to snag. So I
> am going to build it out of 2 x 4's and drywall. It will be about 12"
> square. I was going to place a side hinged door with a handle on the
> wall outside the closet for access. And I may or may not place a metal
> or plastic plate on the ceiling down in the basement attached with
> spring hinges to cover the hole from the chute. The hole in the ceiling
> will end up around 2 feet from the wall with the clothes dropping into
> a large basket sitting on a cart with casters I will also be building.
>
> I was wondering if I could get away with using 1 x 3's instead of the 2
> x 4's. Also if anyone could take a look at my proposed plans and
> comment/advise that would be greatly appreciated!
>
I've got a two story laundry shoot that sounds like it's very similar to
what you're considering except mine dumps into a cabinet I built in the
basement laundry room - makes for a clean scene. You can go as light duty
as you want for a laundry shoot - it's very non-structural. Mine uses 2x2's
for framing and 1/4" plywood inside. You could build it with nothing more
than one-by framing if you have scrap around that you can cut up into
"studs", since there is really no force exerted on a laundry shoot. No
sense overbuilding a simple project like this.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
[email protected] writes:
>Hi,
>
>I am looking to construct a laundry chute in our closet.
Check with your local fire dept. Codes may not allow
chutes where they span two or more floors.
scott
>
On 17-Jun-2005, "Mike Marlow" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Check your local building code. Laundry chutes are considered something
> > of a fire hazardand may not be allowed.
> >
>
> Holy cow - where do you live? This is a new one on me, but there are enough
> parts of the country with wierd codes, that nothing surprises me anymore.
It sounds plausible, but I've seen new construction with laundry chutes, so
it is not universal. However, all the ones I've seen have been metal and
it's also possible that metal is required to allow for burn-time requirements
to make it legal. I doubt it is a restiction, but it's worth looking into.
Mike
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> Hi,
>
> I am looking to construct a laundry chute in our closet.
>
>
--
My dad built one about 40 years ago. Laundry was in the basement right
underneath the bathroom. Small linen closet next to the bathroom
upstairs. Cut a rectangular hole in the floor between the beams
supporting the floor. Built a frame of 1x2's attached to the beams,
long enough so it was convenient to reach into the the frame in the
basement. Covered the 1x2 frame on the inside with pegboard (1/8" ??)
for ventilation, including the bottom of the frame - clothes landed
there, no need for a basket underneath. Just threw the dirty clothes on
the floor upstairs and kicked them into the hole. Mom still uses it.
--
Jerry Maple
General Dynamics C4 Systems
Scottsdale, AZ
--
Mike,
>> I don't know much about building codes, but I know that there are
>> pretty strict rules about opening a 'chase' between floors.
> Not in residential building.
My brother-in-law built a new house a few years back and they required him
to install fire doors at the top and bottom of his laundry chute. They also
made him install a fire sprinkler system in his house, and improve the road
coming in so firetrucks could get in. They took fire safety very seriously
there (Cowlitz County, Washington).
Unfortunately, just as they completed their house we had extremely heavy
rains and their new house (and dozens of others) was destroyed in a
landslide...
We built our own house last year (Clark County, Washington) and my
inspector was also quite serious about fire safety. We didn't have a
laundry chute (single story home) or have to install a sprinkler system,
but they were very attentive to fire blocking and sealing off all passages
where fire could travel.
Anthony
"Mike Marlow" <[email protected]> wrote in news:df6df$42b2c475
[email protected]:
>
> "Dave Balderstone" <dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca> wrote in ..
>> In article <1118939826.265165.123960
@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
>> Check your local building code. Laundry chutes are considered
something
>> of a fire hazardand may not be allowed.
>>
>
> Holy cow - where do you live? This is a new one on me, but there
are enough
> parts of the country with wierd codes, that nothing surprises me
anymore.
>
Here in our part of Minnesota you pretty much can't build laundry
chutes anymore...a local inspector might let you if there were fire
doors on each floor, but I've heard of cases where even designs like
that were stopped. Check the local codes/practice before you start.
That said, our chute (our house was built in 1958) is just sheet
metal ducting, like you'd use for a cold air return, with a hinged
door at top. At the bottom it just opens into a hamper. Since this
was installed during construction it was simple and works well.
Retofitting might be more of a puzzle, unless you wanted to open the
walls.
-kiwanda
Mike,
> That's taking safety to a rediculous level
I was thankful we didn't have to install a sprinkler system, but otherwise
the requirements were very easy to implement. Most of it used scraps for
blocking and whatnot anyway, so there was virtually no cost involved. In
the overall house building process, the few requirements for fire safety
were simple, and it's nice to know it's done properly.
Complying with seismic and ventilation requirements was a bigger hassle
than the fire safety issues, though in retrospect, even those were fairly
simple to implement. And again, I'm glad it's built that way now...
Anthony
On 16 Jun 2005 09:37:06 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I am looking to construct a laundry chute in our closet. I was
>originally going to use large diameter pvc pipe but found it
>prohibitively expensive.
Sonotube
"Dave Balderstone" <dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca> wrote in message
news:160620051130305841%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > I was wondering if I could get away with using 1 x 3's instead of the 2
> > x 4's. Also if anyone could take a look at my proposed plans and
> > comment/advise that would be greatly appreciated!
>
> Check your local building code. Laundry chutes are considered something
> of a fire hazardand may not be allowed.
>
Holy cow - where do you live? This is a new one on me, but there are enough
parts of the country with wierd codes, that nothing surprises me anymore.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
May have missed other replys so........
Use a SonaTube thats large enough for your needs.I put one in my house
20+years ago. No problems with moisture as every thing just ends up in the
basement..... ohhohh/// laundry room. :)
"Phisherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'd recommend building it from MDF and lining it with galvanized
> metal, making sure all seams are smooth. The edges can be soldered.
> Or, you can line the tube with vinyl flooring. Drywall won't hold up
> to wet towels.
>
On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 19:58:01 -0400, the opaque "JRYezierski"
<[email protected]> spake:
>May have missed other replys so........
>Use a SonaTube thats large enough for your needs.I put one in my house
>20+years ago. No problems with moisture as every thing just ends up in the
>basement..... ohhohh/// laundry room. :)
Yeah, SonoTubes are only SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS EACH.
--------------------------------------------
-- I'm in touch with my Inner Curmudgeon. --
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
============================================================
"JRYezierski" <[email protected]> writes:
>May have missed other replys so........
>Use a SonaTube thats large enough for your needs.I put one in my house
>20+years ago. No problems with moisture as every thing just ends up in the
>basement..... ohhohh/// laundry room. :)
here's an "unanswer".
don't install a chute, install a drain. That way you put the
washer/dryer near the stream of clothes... where it belongs.
If we ever convert our back bedroom (2nd floor) to a dressing room,
that's the plan... the "all things clothes" room. ;)
fwiw, our clothes chute growing up was wood.... perhaps plywood.
--
be safe.
flip
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