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Utility shed situation

I am in the predicament of wanting to build a utility shed up against the house on an inside corner where my outdoor A/C unit is located. The area lost to the A/C unit is not significant but obviously a lot of screened venting will need to go into the wall design. The whole area is already a large concrete slab. Also I am pondering how to make sure the county will accept this as a shed and not an addition to the house. The primary purpose of the shed will be storage of lawnmowers and garden tools/supplies. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Reply to
Davej
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IDK what that means. Are you saying the AC winds up inside the shed?

The whole area is already a large concrete slab. Also I

I doubt you have an issue there. As long as it's not attached to the house and is clearly a shed, then it's a shed. Do you need a permit for a shed? If not, they won't even know until it's time to reappraise the property and I doubt any appraiser is going to care.

The primary purpose of the

Reply to
trader_4

County here requires permit for >220 sq. ft. shed. They are a PITA with aggressive inspectors going around.

Reply to
Frank

I would stay 3-4 feet from the A/C unit, even if that means pouring more concrete. You certainly don't want to block air flow and you don't want that heat in/on your shed. As for being part of the house, usually a test is whether there is a door going into the house from there. The only other issue I see is storing flammable liquids on a shared wall. If this is a sleeping room, it may not pass muster in the fire code. No matter what, you may still need a 1 hour rated wall. (YMMV) These are the kinds of things I would worry about.

If the A/C was installed in this century there should be a GFCI protected receptacle next to the condenser so you could tap off that for a light and maybe a receptacle for a battery charger or something.

Reply to
gfretwell

Are you sure that it's not > 120 sq. ft. ? Our town is > 108 sq. ft. ie 9 x 12 John T.

Reply to
hubops

That receptacle by the AC must be a local thing. I don't see it up here.

Reply to
trader_4

Don't know about where you live, but here in Waterloo Ontario anything under 108 sq ft outside wall dimensions that does not have any plumbing does not require a permit IF it is "free standing". This means NO connection to the main building. No pool filtes, no water lines -. There is no limit to the size of the roof as long as there are no "external" roof supports.

It cannot be located within 2.5 meters - or 8' 2om the main structure of any adjacent main buiulding (on other lots) and must adhere to minimum setbacks the same as any other building, It can be up to 13' 1

1/2" tall but the base cannot be more than 2 inches above ground AT ANY POINT. and cannot cover more than 10% of the total lot area.

If the sioll plate of the "shed" is fastened to the house in any way you need a permit.

Reply to
Clare Snyder

How big is it planned to be.

Paint "SHED" on the door.

Maybe later you can paint over it.

Reply to
micky

Well, that's good to know, in case he decides to move the house and shed to Canada.

Reply to
trader_4

My brother figured out a loophole around the 120 square foot rule to build a garden shed for all his stuff. He built one about 50 feet feet tall, with ladders & pulleys for the upper 3 or 4 levels.

The city updated their by-laws afterwards to add a height restriction.

Reply to
Mike_Duffy

It has been in the NEC for ~18 years. (2002)

210.63 Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Refrigeration Equipment Outlet. A 125-volt, single-phase, 15- or 20- ampere-rated receptacle outlet shall be installed at an accessible location for the servicing of heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration equipment. The receptacle shall be located on the same level and within 7.5 m (25 ft) of the heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration equipment. The receptacle outlet shall not be connected to the load side of the equipment disconnecting means.
Reply to
gfretwell

I guess the 25 ft range puts many already existing receptacles within range. And would "accessible" include ones that are inside the house that you can reach by opening a window? I know when I replaced mine here ten years ago, it was inspected, there was no visible outdoor receptacle by the AC and the inspector never said a word or checked where the nearest one was. I've never noticed ones right next to other ACs here either, but then there frequently are outdoor receptacles someplace within extension cord reach. IMO, this reqpt makes no sense. It would make more sense to require at least one outdoor receptacle on each side of a home, or for every 25 ft of perimeter, etc. You're far more likely to need those for safe use of all kinds of things, eg power washing, electric leaf blowers or mowers, paint sprayers, etc., than for the need of power to service the AC.

Reply to
trader_4

I have five outdoor receptacles. One is about 12' from the AC and in a spot where it otherwise would probably never be used. Note though, I did say "probably" but if you need to use a tool on that side it would be handy. I thought the builder was just being a nice guy putting one there.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I have two on the front, maybe 20 ft apart, on the outside of the garage. In back, there is one located about one third of the way along the length. That one is within 25 ft of the AC, around a corner. Prior to changing the AC ten years ago, that one was within about ten feet of the AC. The new one, I moved it around the corner, so it's on the far, north end of the house, instead of being on the side that faces the backyard. Also where it was, it was right outside the den where we watch TV. Now it's outside a bathroom. Before it was noisy, now you can barely hear it. But like I said, there is no receptacle near the AC and the inspector passed it, never looked for one. The old one is probably within 25 ft of the new location though. There really should be a reqt for outdoor receptacles every X feet. The power availability thing isn't just limited to AC work, that's one of the most infrequent uses of outdoor power.

Reply to
trader_4

I don't see any restriction regarding distance from main structure, however 120 sqft and 10 ft eve height is the limit to avoid a permit. Under 400 sqft seems to have relaxed permit requirements. Over 400 sqft requires a detached garage permit. I think I want about 220 sqft. I think I will need to call the county and ask them about the basic requirements that a 220 sqft shed would need to meet.

Reply to
Davej

Short answer, no. If it is through a door or window, it is not "accessible".

The main use for the receptacle is the evacuation pump. There is a rule requiring one on both sides of the house already. One on an elevated deck only counts if you can get there from grade.

Reply to
gfretwell

Funny, junction boxes are allowed in attics because they are accessible and in most cases that takes a ladder to open a scuttle door to climb in. I guess the definition of accessible changes. Having to open a window for an extension cord to service an AC seems accessible to me. Where mine is you'd only need a ten foot extension cord to reach the bathroom receptacle. I guess there is the valid issue that if you use any inside receptacle, most are not GFCI. But then, like I said, what the code really should specify is that you need an outside receptacle for every 25 or 35 feet of perimeter. I've run extension cords through the window for power washers and similar orders of magnitude more often than needing the AC evacuated. And doing that has the no GFCI problem. Maybe we should suggest this for the next code update.

Which gets used about once every 20 years. Seems quite ridiculous to me, when receptacles are all over a house and extension cords work.

Reply to
trader_4

Suppose you buy a pre made one?

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

Within 25 feet - I don't call that "by" the AC. Thr receptacle in my garage is only about 6 feet too far away - and it's on the opposite side ofthe house. Eiher the one on my front porch or the one on my rear deck are close enought

Reply to
Clare Snyder

Around here it is generally right next to the condenser and fed off the closest circuit inside. The cost in new construction is minimal and the HVAC guys love it.

To Trader I just ask, do you want that guy you are paying $125 an hour to be walking around looking for a window to plug his extension cord through? (wait for the CUSTOMER to remove the screen etc)? If I own the HVAC company, no way are my guys touching a window or a screen. You get me power, I will charge your AC but the clock is running.

Reply to
gfretwell

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