ᐅ Is a manual override for roller shutters on a window required?
Created on: 28 Jun 2016 13:12
F
fraubauer
Hello,
I have the following problem.
My windows and balcony door are equipped with electric roller shutters. (I have a condominium in a multi-family building. It was built as a turnkey project.)
During the final inspection of the apartment, an inspector stated that the kitchen window or the balcony door must have an emergency release. There could be a power outage, and in an emergency, the roller shutters would not be openable. Because if there is a fire in the hallway (my apartment is on the upper floor), I would neither be able to ventilate the smoke nor escape onto the balcony. My kitchen window opens onto the balcony.
So, either a manual crank (in which case the roller shutter motor must be replaced; radio control would no longer work) or a battery backup (which is not available from my roller shutter manufacturer).
I have already informed the roller shutter installer about this. He is not aware of any regulations or requirements.
Of course, I want to avoid any problems with, among others, the household/building insurance if such a situation should occur.
Who can definitively tell me whether I really have to have a window equipped with an emergency release?
And who must cover the costs of the modification? The roller shutter installer should know this if it is indeed required!
My property developer only learned about this from the inspector at the final inspection, so they could not warn us earlier...
I am quite desperate...
Thank you very much
erika
I have the following problem.
My windows and balcony door are equipped with electric roller shutters. (I have a condominium in a multi-family building. It was built as a turnkey project.)
During the final inspection of the apartment, an inspector stated that the kitchen window or the balcony door must have an emergency release. There could be a power outage, and in an emergency, the roller shutters would not be openable. Because if there is a fire in the hallway (my apartment is on the upper floor), I would neither be able to ventilate the smoke nor escape onto the balcony. My kitchen window opens onto the balcony.
So, either a manual crank (in which case the roller shutter motor must be replaced; radio control would no longer work) or a battery backup (which is not available from my roller shutter manufacturer).
I have already informed the roller shutter installer about this. He is not aware of any regulations or requirements.
Of course, I want to avoid any problems with, among others, the household/building insurance if such a situation should occur.
Who can definitively tell me whether I really have to have a window equipped with an emergency release?
And who must cover the costs of the modification? The roller shutter installer should know this if it is indeed required!
My property developer only learned about this from the inspector at the final inspection, so they could not warn us earlier...
I am quite desperate...
Thank you very much
erika
sirhc schrieb:
Some related questions come to mind. What exactly is considered a living room? Is it just a living area or does it include sleeping areas as well? What about a party room in the basement, or generally underground rooms used by people without windows?The answer is provided by the building regulations, in NRW in § 2 paragraph 7:
(7) Living rooms are rooms intended or suitable for the not merely temporary stay of people.
Whether a room meets this suitability mainly depends on requirements regarding room size, ceiling height (for example, in attics), natural lighting, and ventilation. These requirements are defined in the respective building regulations, further on.
B
Bieber081530 Jun 2016 11:46Bauexperte schrieb:
From my professional experience, I can say that no building application will be approved by authorities if the second escape route is not ensured by a crank mechanism—especially when originally electric roller shutters are to be installed. In Saxony-Anhalt, I know of at least one real single-family house with two floors and electric roller shutters installed all around without a backup option (such as battery or manual operation). I am sure there are more such cases. At the moment, I cannot say whether the roller shutter and/or the electric operation played a role in the approval process. In any case, a building permit/planning permission is present; it is not an illegal construction.
Caspar2020 schrieb:
But I think the most important information is: “At the very least, homeowners should be advised to take appropriate precautions to improve their own safety.” The question is, what precautions should those be? In my opinion, a crank or belt drive is too slow in an emergency anyway (a belt might still work if you have the strength; a crank does not). Standard commercially available (plastic) roller shutters, in my experience, can be fairly easily forced open, but you just have to be careful not to fall out in the process.
By the way, emergency procedures should be practiced repeatedly (I don’t know anyone who does this privately).
For very cautious people, it is better to leave the roller shutter out on the second escape route altogether.
B
Bauexperte30 Jun 2016 11:54Bieber0815 schrieb:
In Saxony-Anhalt, I know of at least one real single-family house with two floors and electrically operated roller shutters all around without a fail-safe position (battery or manual operation). That may be the case – I don’t work in Saxony-Anhalt but locally, and only for this area can I provide reliable information on second means of escape based on practical experience.
I find this varying practice across Germany far from ideal. In my opinion, we should move towards uniform standards.
Best regards, Bauexperte
sirhc schrieb:
Some follow-up questions come to mind. What exactly is a habitable room? Is it just a living area or does it include sleeping areas as well? What about a party room in the basement, or generally underground rooms without windows? If there’s a fire on the stairs, you’re trapped. So why are basements even allowed?
With plastic roller shutters, you can get through in 2 seconds—no motor or crank is that fast.
We are currently in discussions with a window manufacturer, and I plan to ask about this. Unlike in Hesse and Hamburg, regulations for NRW aren’t clearly defined.In short:
The term habitable room is clearly defined—just look it up. A bedroom as well as an office is considered a habitable room. A basement room counts as habitable only if it has a second escape route, a sufficiently sized window, and heating. I believe the minimum room height is also specified.
Conversions made later by the occupants, for example turning a storage room in the basement into a party room, do not automatically make the space habitable. In such cases, the users are acting negligently and at their own risk.
For example, take the party room:
30 sqm (323 sq ft), 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) ceiling height, connected to heating and ventilation, but only artificial lighting... the lighting might be the decisive factor that it is not considered a living space.
Then there is the guest room:
12 sqm (129 sq ft), 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) ceiling height, connected to heating and ventilation, a “proper” window combined with a sloped ceiling. The only way from the basement to the ground floor is the staircase; there is no external basement exit. As a layperson, I would interpret this as a living space, and the roller shutter would require manual or battery operation.
Or perhaps 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) ceiling height is simply too low in general, and the question is settled.
30 sqm (323 sq ft), 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) ceiling height, connected to heating and ventilation, but only artificial lighting... the lighting might be the decisive factor that it is not considered a living space.
Then there is the guest room:
12 sqm (129 sq ft), 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) ceiling height, connected to heating and ventilation, a “proper” window combined with a sloped ceiling. The only way from the basement to the ground floor is the staircase; there is no external basement exit. As a layperson, I would interpret this as a living space, and the roller shutter would require manual or battery operation.
Or perhaps 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) ceiling height is simply too low in general, and the question is settled.
sirhc schrieb:
For example, take the party room:
30 sqm (323 sq ft), 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) ceiling height, connected to heating and ventilation, but only artificial lighting... the lighting might be the crucial point for it not being considered a habitable room.
Then there is the guest room:
12 sqm (129 sq ft), 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) ceiling height, connected to heating and ventilation, with a proper window combined with a sloped wall. The only way from the basement to the ground floor is through the stairwell; there is no external basement staircase. As a layperson, I would say this is a habitable room, although the roller shutter would require manual or battery operation.
Or perhaps 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) ceiling height is generally too low and that settles the matter.Here in Lower Saxony, 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) ceiling height is still considered sufficient – at least that’s what I remember, since our bedroom and bathroom have this height and I looked it up online. How this is in your area? No idea.
Artificial lighting does not replace daylight illumination.*
And a proper basement window with a sloped wall in front can be used as a second escape route.
*I’m not entirely sure, as I read about this once and can’t say I remember everything correctly.
Similar topics