Bathroom & Toilet Door Building Codes

[Jacob's Dad]

Hello every one,
I am doing the obligatory Bathroom reno, and some one mentioned to me that there was a special requirement that the doors in the bathroom and toilet are required to be able to be lifted off their hinges??? ???? Is there any truth to this??? I have a copy of the building code but unfortunately it is buried in one of 47 unmarked boxes......

I hope someone is able to shed some light on this for me :confused:

Regards,

Michael

[silentC]

Unless it's a QLD thing sounds like cobblers to me....

[Stylesy]

Not really cobblers, it's a recent BCA thing. Have it somewhere around here, but comes down to two new requirements - door to a toilet should either open outwards or be able to be removed at the hinges (such as lift-off hinges). The door, if fitted with a privacy lock, should also have a way of disabling the lock from the outside. So if the lock's engaged, you can unlock it, open the door at the handle and lift the door off the hinges. It was brought in so that you could gain access to a smallish toilet if someone collapsed and blocked the door from being opened. In the case of a bathroom where access can be gained properly, not too sure. Hope this helps a bit.

[silentC]

OK recent cobblers.

Just put plans through council and we have two toilets which fit that description exactly: small room, door opens inwards - no mention of lift off hinges... yet.

[Dan_574]

here in victoria the toilet door must be able to be lifted off, I think if the room has no windows or only small ones it must be able to come off incase someone collapses inside.

[silentC]

Do they have a lot of problems with people collapsing in toilets down there? Must be something in the diet....

Oh well, sounds like we'll get it here too eventually. What's next....

[scooter]

.... What's next....

Mandatory design of toilet door - top of door to be cut across in zig zag fashion, and crescent moon shape to be cut out of door.

Dinkum


Cheers..............Sean, flat as a nightcarter's hat

[journeyman Mick]

Do they have a lot of problems with people collapsing in toilets down there? Must be something in the diet....

Oh well, sounds like we'll get it here too eventually. What's next....

Darren,
fairly common problem all over the place. Person with dody ticker or whatever strains whilst engaged in toilet type activity and faints/has heart attack. Lift off hinges and a large enough gap between the top of the door and the head for the door to be lifted up have been a requirement on inward opening toilet doors in Qld for at least 15 years as far as I know.

Mick

[silentC]

Well there you go. Just asked the building inspector about it and has been in place here since 1996. If the pan is less than 1200 from the door opening you need an outward opening door or lift-off hinges.

Good idea, you never know when you're going to pass out in your toilet, do you?