Article IV Equipment Requirements

Potable water from an Erie County Department of Health approved source shall be available at all times in residential buildings. The domestic water supply system of the building shall be connected to such approved source and shall not be subject to contamination. When supplied from a public source, the potable water supply system shall not be connected to private or unsafe water supplies.

Water supply systems shall be installed and maintained so as to provide at all times a supply of water to plumbing fixtures, devices and appurtenances in sufficient volume and at pressures adequate to enable them to function satisfactorily and without undue noise under all normal conditions of use.

Water supply systems shall be installed and maintained so that water used for purposes of cooling or heating shall not be reintroduced into the domestic water supply system nor be distributed through equipment to plumbing fixtures.

Hot-water supply systems shall be provided with safety devices arranged to relieve hazardous pressures and excessive temperatures.

Water supply systems shall be protected against freezing.

Sewage drainage system.

Plumbing fixtures shall be drained to a sewage drainage system, and such system shall be connected to an Erie County Department of Health approved system of sewage disposal.

Substances which will produce explosive mixtures, destroy the pipes or their joints or interfere unduly with the sewage disposal process shall not be discharged into the building drainage system unless it is provided with devices suitable for intercepting such substances.

Each fixture directly connected to the sewage drainage system shall be equipped with a water seal trap.

Adequate cleanouts shall be provided and maintained so that the pipes may be readily cleaned.

The drainage system and its attendant vent piping shall be maintained so as to provide adequate circulation of air in all pipes in order that siphonage, aspiration or pressure will not cause a loss of trap seal under ordinary conditions of use.

(6)

Drains provided for fixtures, devices, appliances or apparatus containing food, water, sterile goods or similar materials shall be equipped with air breaks adequate to prevent contamination of such contents from any possible backup of sewage through the direct or indirect drainage piping.

Storm drainage.

Roofs and paved areas, including yards and courts, shall be adequately drained so as to prevent undue accumulations of water.

Leaders and gutters, if used, shall be constructed of noncombustible material, except that wood leaders and gutters may be used for buildings not more than three stories high.

Plumbing facilities.

Buildings and portions thereof shall be provided with plumbing systems designed to dispose of the sewage from all fixtures and to furnish cold water to every water closet and urinal and hot water, not less than 120° F. and not more than 150° F., and cold water to every sink, lavatory, bathtub and shower required therein.

There shall be provided within each dwelling unit plumbing fixtures consisting of at least:

(a)

One kitchen sink.

(b)

One water closet.

(c)

One bathtub or shower.

(d)

One lavatory.

Where multiple dwellings contain sleeping accommodations arranged as individual rooms or suites, for each multiple of six sleeping rooms or fraction thereof, there shall be provided plumbing fixtures consisting of at least:

(a)

One water closet.

(b)

One bathtub or shower.

(c)

One lavatory.

Where multiple dwellings contain sleeping accommodations arranged as a dormitory, for each multiple of 15 persons or fraction thereof so accommodated, there shall be provided, and located adjacent thereto, plumbing fixtures consisting of at least:

(a)

One water closet.

(b)

One bathtub or shower.

(c)

One lavatory.

Urinals may be substituted in men's toilet rooms for not more than 1/3 of the required number of water closets.

(6)

Privies and outhouses shall be prohibited on all types of premises.

Plumbing fixtures.

Plumbing fixtures shall be made of smooth nonabsorbent material and shall be free from concealed fouling surfaces.

Plumbing fixtures shall be so spaced as to be reasonably accessible for their intended use.

Plumbing fixtures shall be located in spaces that are accessible, lighted and ventilated.

Water supply tanks.

Water supply tanks shall be installed and maintained so as to be watertight, verminproof, rodentproof, resistant to corrosion, and capable of withstanding the working pressures under normal operation.

Supports for tanks shall be of noncombustible construction.

Tanks and their supports shall not be used to support equipment or structures other than for tank use, except where specifically designed for such other use.

Means for emptying water supply tanks shall be provided and maintained in proper working condition.

Potable water supply tanks for domestic supply and standpipe or automatic sprinkler systems shall be installed and maintained to furnish water in sufficient quantity and pressure for such systems.

§ 127-19 Heating.

Space heaters. Portable kerosene and portable liquid-fuel-burning space heaters are hereby prohibited.

Minimum standards.

Residential buildings intended for occupancy between the 15th day of September and the 15th day of May of the following year shall be provided with heating equipment designed to maintain an average temperature of not less than 68° F. when measured three feet away from an outside wall at a height of five feet above the floor when the outside temperature is 0 F.

Upon request of the Code Enforcement Officer, the owner, occupant or operator shall provide certification by a heating engineer that the design of the heating equipment meets the requirements hereof.

Control. Fuel-burning heat-producing equipment shall be installed and maintained so that the emission or discharge into the atmosphere of smoke, dust, particles, odors, or other products of combustion will not create a nuisance or be detrimental to the health, comfort, safety or property of any person.

Warm-air heating. Ducts and other air-handling equipment used for heating shall meet generally accepted heating and ventilation standards.

Prohibited locations for heating equipment. Fuel-burning water heaters shall not be located in sleeping rooms, bathrooms or toilet rooms.

Fuel supply connection. Fuel-burning equipment shall be permanently fastened and connected in place. Fuel supply connection to such equipment shall be made with pipe or tubing of metal.

Installation and clearance. Where heat-producing equipment is installed on or adjacent to combustible materials, the location, insulation, clearance and control of the equipment shall be such that the temperature on the surface of the combustible materials will not exceed a temperature of 175° F.

Chimneys, flues and gas vents.

Chimneys, flues, gas vents and their supports shall be installed and maintained so as to be structurally safe, durable, smoketight, noncombustible and capable of withstanding the action of flue gases without softening, cracking, corroding, or spalling and shall effectively convey the products of combustion to the outer air in accordance with generally accepted standards.

Chimneys, flues and gas vents shall be installed and maintained so that, under conditions of use, the temperature of any combustible material adjacent thereto, insulated therefrom or in contact therewith does not exceed a temperature of 175° F.

All liquid-fuel-burning heat-producing equipment shall be connected to a flue or vent installed in accordance with generally accepted standards.

Solid-fuel heating appliances and fireplaces, where required by the Code Enforcement Officer, shall be inspected by a certified third party to assure safe operation. Documentation of certification shall be provided upon request of the Code Enforcement Officer.

§ 127-20 Electrical.

Minimum standards. Every dwelling, dwelling unit, rooming house and rooming unit shall be provided with electrical service. Electrical wiring and equipment shall be installed, located and maintained so as not to be a potential source of ignition of combustible material nor a potential source of electrical hazard and shall comply with the minimum standards of the National Electrical Code, latest edition.

Artificial lighting.

Residential buildings and occupancies shall be wired for electricity, and lighting equipment shall be installed throughout to provide adequate illumination for the intended use of each space. Electric wiring systems shall be connected to an adequate source of supply.

There shall be a switch or other means for controlling a light in each dwelling unit near the point of entrance to such unit.

§ 127-21 Cooking and refrigeration.

Minimum standards.

Each dwelling unit shall be equipped with appropriate cooking equipment that shall be maintained in good operating condition.

Gas-burning cooking equipment shall be permanently fastened and connected in place. Gas supply connection to such equipment shall be made with pipe or tubing of metal.

Communal cooking and dining facilities. Communal kitchens and dining rooms shall comply with the following requirements:

Communal kitchens shall contain at least one kitchen gas or electric stove, equipped with an oven and not less than four top burners, and at least one electric- or gas-type refrigerator with adequate food-storage capacity, but in no case less than eight cubic feet nominal size. Dining space and eating facilities, where provided in the kitchen area, shall comply with the requirements for communal dining rooms.

Communal dining rooms shall contain at least one dining chair and two lineal feet of dining space for each occupant permitted in a dining room at any particular time.

§ 127-22 Ventilation and light.

Natural light and habitable rooms. Every habitable room shall have at least one window or skylight facing directly to the outdoors.

Light in nonhabitable space. Every stair, hall, cellar and basement located in a structure used for human habitation shall have adequate electric lighting available at all times.

Light in nonhabitable workspace. Every laundry, furnace room and all similar nonhabitable work space located in a structure used for human habitation shall have adequate electric lighting available at all times.

Light in common halls and stairways. Every common hall and common stairway located in a structure used for human habitation and which is used primarily for ingress and egress in connection with two or more dwelling units or rooming units shall be supplied with a proper amount of natural light or lighting facilities controllable by the occupants of the structure, which shall be available at all times.

Electric outlets. Every habitable room shall have electric outlets and/or fixtures properly connected to a source of electric power. Outlets in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms shall be G.F.C.I.-protected, as required in accordance with the National Electrical Code.

Electric fixtures in bathrooms. Every bathroom, shower room, toilet room or compartment located in a structure used for human habitation shall have permanently installed artificial electric lighting fixtures.

Ventilation in habitable rooms. Every habitable room shall be ventilated by either openable area equal to 45% of the required window area or by equivalent mechanical ventilation.

Ventilation in bathrooms.

Every bathroom, shower room, toilet room or compartment located in a structure used for human habitation shall be adequately ventilated.