Laundry Chute Installation: What You Need To Know

Many modern commercial buildings need laundry chutes, including hotels, nursing homes, and hospitals, among others. But installing a laundry chute in these buildings can become complex quickly. This fact is especially true if you have multiple chutes spanning several levels. You must consider where and how the chutes join to form a single output. You may also want to consider design logistics that decrease the likelihood of clogging the chute. And all commercial building owners must consider safety aspects. Laundry chutes can present multiple safety hazards, which should be minimized appropriately. 

Laundry Chute Installation & Commercial Buildings

Installing laundry chutes is an ingenious method for making work easy for many employees in buildings where laundry accumulates. But before you install your laundry chute, it’s essential to consider how it will impact your commercial building. Ideally, building owners will have a blueprint before beginning any major project. Blueprints are especially valuable when trying to design a chute that spans many rooms and floors. It can help make the process of identifying ideal spaces for chute placement from your desired locations to the laundry facilities. 

There are a lot of questions to consider when setting out to add a laundry chute or chutes to a commercial building. These include:

• Placement – Do you put a chute intake in every room? One in each hallway? Or will one per floor be sufficient? How big should it be? Is there a straight drop to the laundry room from anywhere in the building? Or will you need a more complex design?
• Construction – What materials should you use? What other elements might be in the path of your chute? Are there safety elements to consider? Do you need a permit to add this to your building? How much will it cost?

Many of these questions involve considering the logistics of the work being done in the building. Hospitals have high laundry needs, and may benefit from more chute in-take doors than other commercial buildings. When the needs are lower, you may be able to have fewer doors. 

Also, you can create a chute with some curves to adjust for your building’s natural characteristics, if needed. But these curves must be gradual. If they are not gradual, clothing may get caught in the chute. In nearly all instances, it’s a great idea to consult with experts when a slope is required or when multiple chutes merge. Those with laundry chute installation experience can provide insight into the best location and layout for the laundry chute. 

Experts can also help you understand the placement of other items that may conflict with the laundry chute. Buildings have immovable pipes and wiring or other fixed features. It’s a great idea to know where these elements are before beginning the installation process. A professional laundry chute installer can help you understand the pitfalls of any potential location. They can also help you understand what additional work may be necessary. This may be required if something must be moved to accommodate the chute.  

Laundry Chute Installation Materials

Laundry chutes can be fabricated from a variety of different materials. There are wood, melamine, drywall, or sheet metal options. Some chutes employ several other materials. But when you select a material such as wood, it’s essential to understand its shortfalls. Plywood tends to catch polysynthetic fabrics, which can lead to a clog in the laundry shoot. But there are ways around these shortcomings. You can coat these materials in high-gloss paint or paste wax along the inside of the chute to prevent snagging. 

And commercial building owners must consider the durability of the construction materials. These chutes will be used more heavily than one in a residential home. For this reason, metal and plastic-based chutes are the best options. A professional laundry chute installer, like SBI, can help you select the best materials for a commercial building. You want something that will last and that will fit in with the aesthetics of the building.

Safety & Laundry Chute Installation

Another tremendous concern with laundry chute installation is safety. This is especially true if children will be on the premises. When a chute door is located on the floor, it is easily accessible to curious children. They may inadvertently (or intentionally) take a trip down the chute, which could be a tremendous safety hazard. It’s a better idea to feature an elevated door for your chute to deter children. 

The other big concern with laundry chutes is fire safety. These chutes function as an unobstructed passage between floors of a structure. Similar to trash chutes, this provides the opportunity for fires to spread quickly between remote areas of the home. A small fire could quickly spread and impact multiple areas if precautions are not taken. 

Both the International Building Code Section 713 and the Life Safety Code NFPA 101 address linen or laundry chute fire safety. They require that every chute intake door must have a fire-protection rating. This feature will maintain the smoke and fire integrity of the shaft. These intake doors must also be self- or automatic-closing and hav3e a latching mechanism. 

Some local municipalities have additional fire codes that regulate laundry chute installation. Regardless of the details for your area, you will want this information before starting your project. An expert laundry chute installer can help you understand the local laws and regulations. If a permit is required, they can also make that process easier for you. 

The Benefits of Laundry Chute Installation

Laundry will never be a fun task. But for many people, a laundry chute can make this chore much easier. And the benefits of a laundry chute go beyond that to include:

• Making the workplace more efficient 
• Chutes can be designed to match the build and construction aesthetic of your commercial building
• Flexible material options 
• Features to enhance safety and health

And while many might think that adding a laundry chute to a commercial building may be expensive, that’s not always the case. Any project’s cost is determined by the details (material, scope, changes, additional work). But in general, adding a laundry chute is usually more affordable than many people think it will be. SBI Contracting can help you understand the best way to proceed with a laundry chute installation. Contact our team of experts today to find out more!