Energy Labs Announces IBC 2006 Seismic Certification

Energy Labs Air Handling units have received IBC 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009 seismic certification.


The certificate of compliance qualifies the company’s Air Handling Units for use in building structures wherever seismically rated equipment should be considered.

Air Handling Units play a critical role in maintaining the building environment and making them functional. Seismically Certified Air Handling Unit equipment is required in the 50 states that have adopted the IBC code.

Air handling Units must not only survive earthquakes, the intent of the IBC is to encourage manufacturers to create equipment that remains online and functioning during and after a catastrophic event in order to provide critical life–safety support.

Applications where seismically certified equipment should be considered include hospitals, healthcare facilities; fire, rescue and police stations; emergency shelters; telecommunications centers; power plants; air traffic control centers; military and government buildings; and water treatment facilities.

To qualify for seismic certification, Energy Labs Air handling Units were tested by the VMC Group, an ICC–approved, independent approval agency. All tests were done in accordance with IBC 2000, 2003 and 2006 Section 1707.7.2 and Section 1708.5.
Energy labs certified equipment will have a certificate and label in a clear, viewable location to assure the customer that this equipment qualifies for seismic locations.



When should you specify this certification? Energy Labs has created a quick slideshow to help illustrate the requirements of the code.

How should you specify this requirement? These suggested specifications from Energy Labs should help.

Seismic/Hurricane Certification for Air Handlers

When the IBC was adopted by Washington State, it brought in some new requirements in air handler construction and certification. These new rules required that for some projects, non-structural building components had to be shown to withstand, and in some cases operate after, a catastrophic seismic event. The intent of these rules was to provide critical facilities (first responders, hospitals, etc.) with systems that would likely survive an earthquake that would cause widespread damage elsewhere.

Likewise, Dade County Florida has created requirements for hurricane resistance for various building components, including rooftop Air Handlers. Rooftop Air Handlers must pass a rigorous series of tests to show compliance, including pressurizing a test section of the cabinet to over 30" of static and firing a 2x4 at the cabinet to simulate hurricane-blown debris!

Climate Craft has been a leader in the industry in showing compliance with both of these standards. They were one of the first manufacturers to show compliance with the Dade County requirements, as these videos from the testing attest:

Missile Testing

Cyclic Pressure Testing
Pressures up to 30" wg cause deformations of the cabinet well-beyond normal operation

Showing compliance to the IBC seismic regulations is a bit more complicated, since the code does not accept testing on a sample unit, and each individual air handler must show compliance as constructed. This means that the designer must take into consideration the site's seismic hazard, the soil conditions at the site, the unit's location within the building and the unit design itself before a determination can be made whether or not the air handler meets the code. Climate Craft has published a white paper discussing the complexities of this process:



In both cases, Climate Craft benefits greatly from its industry-leading cabinet design with doubly-reinforced standing seam joints:



Climate Craft's superior cabinet design ensures a superior performance on site.