Mechanical requirements

1. Asbestos insulation may not be used. Insulation of soft-type, spray-on, etc., may not be used where it is subject to air or mechanical erosion or where loose particles may create a maintenance problem. 2. Air-conditioning, heating, and ventilation systems. a. Air-conditioning is optional. b. A temperature range of seventy-one to eighty-one degrees Fahrenheit [39.4 to 45.0 degrees Celsius] must be maintained for all occupied areas. c. All air supply and air exhaust systems must be mechanically operated. Gravity exhaust may be used in nonresident areas and in areas not normally occupied by staff. d. A ceiling exhaust fan may be used to ventilate a single isolated toilet room when a central exhaust system is not readily available. e. Boiler rooms must be provided with sufficient air to maintain equipment combustion rates and to limit room temperatures. f. Unit ventilators may be used to ventilate individual rooms in existing facilities, and in additions to existing facilities not to exceed six beds. Such ventilators may only be used when a central ventilation system is inaccessible. g. Filters for a central ventilation system must be located upstream of air-conditioning equipment. If a prefilter is employed, the prefilter must be upstream of the equipment and the final filter may be located downstream. h. A manometer must be installed across each filter serving a central ventilation system. i. An exhaust hood in a dietary area must have an exhaust rate of not less than fifty cubic feet [1.41 cubic meters] per minute per square foot of face area. Face area is defined as the open area from the exposed perimeter of the hood to the average perimeter of the cooking surfaces. 3. Plumbing and other piping systems. a. Systems must be designed to supply water to the fixtures and equipment located on upper floors at a minimum pressure of fifteen pounds per square inch [6.80 kilograms per 6.45 square centimeters] during maximum demand periods. b. All handwashing facilities in resident care areas shall have the water supply spout mounted so its discharge point is a minimum distance of five inches [12.7 centimeters] above the rim of fixtures. c. Flush valves installed on plumbing fixtures must be a quiet operating type, equipped with silencers. d. Bedpan flushing devices must be provided in not less than half of the resident toilet rooms and in the soiled workroom. In new construction, rough-in plumbing for bedpan flushing devices in the remaining resident toilet rooms is required.