5101 Blue Mound Road Fort Worth, Texas 76106
tel: 817.509.2300 fax: 817.831.3110
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March 15, 2012
Technical Bulletin
Florida Building Code Changes for All Louvers
Effective March 15, 2012, new building permits will require that louvers be compliant with the 2010 Florida Building Code.
Below is a link to a PowerPoint presentation from the Florida Building Officials on the changes to the Mechanical section that affects louvers (see pages 13 & 14):
In accordance with the new code, intake and exhaust louvers must comply with AMCA 550 in hurricane prone regions. The entire state of Florida is considered to be a hurricane prone region by Florida Building Code and ASCE 7. AMCA 550 is for High Velocity Wind Driven Rain and is NOT the same as the AMCA 500 Wind Driven Rain louvers.
The AMCA 550 test is practically identical to the test used on our ECD-545-MD with the optional CD-55 damper. We have a letter from Architectural Testing that this louver/damper combination complies with AMCA 550.
Florida Building Code Changes for Impact Resistant Louvers
The impact resistant louvers will only be required in Wind Borne Debris areas. This will apply to all buildings within a mile of the coast and with super high wind speeds such as Miami.
Below is a link to the 2010 Florida Building Code Section 1609.1.2 (see page 13):
In accordance with the new code, intake and exhaust louvers located within 30 feet of grade must comply with AMCA 540. AMCA 540 differs from previous Large Missile Impact Test in that it requires minimum sizes to be tested in addition to maximum section sizes and the test involves three impact strikes instead of two that were previously required.
Louvers that do not comply with the requirements of AMCA 540 must be protected with an approved impact resistant cover complying with an approved impact-resistance standard or the large missile test ASTM E 1996.
We are working diligently to have our ECD-545-MD tested to the AMCA 540 standard and will update you as soon as this testing has been completed.
Additional Areas Affected
The above changes are also part of the 2012 International Building Code which has been codified. While Florida is the first to implement these changes, others will be requiring these specifications along the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast over the next several years.
Below is a link to a map of the affected areas:
Source:
Thank you,
Brad Bauer
Vice President of Sales and Marketing