We are sprinkler protecting a building with all I-Beams (W-type) and they are considered Obstructed Construction. The maximum beam depth is 20-inches. All my deflectors are 20" down from the deck.
The owner now wants to put sound panels in each of the beam pockets which will take up about 85% of the space and will hang level to the finished floor but at least 9-inches up to 19-inches down from the deck because the steel slopes. Would additional sprinklers be needed above these sound panels? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
4 Comments
When/why would an eccentric reducer ever be installed on a fire pump's suction side with the flat side on bottom?
Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Is it permissible to consider the refill supply for a water storage tank when sizing the tank?
The supply would come in above 20 psi. Thanks in advance. Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Where exactly is a remote area for a fire sprinkler hydraulic calculation drawn with respect to interior and exterior walls?
Is the remote area boundary along the inside, centerline, or outside edge of a wall? Also, are small wall cavities or unsprinklered shafts right in the middle of a remote area included in that remote area square-footage? I recognize that as much as I can fine-tooth a layout this really doesn't matter much in the overall scheme - and I typically would add a sprinkler or two to a calculation if the exact location of the remote area boundary would make or break an area threshold - but I've been curious about this as I'd like to be consistent with code and what should be done. Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have a project where the AHJ is telling us they want the waterflow alarm to be silenceable. Our understanding under NFPA 13-2019 7.7 and 28.2.3.1 is that there must be an audible alarm within 90 seconds (per NFPA 72) and must continue until the flow stops, not when the fire alarm system silences the flow.
Are we correct in that waterflow is a non-silenceable event, by code? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe A couple recently submitted questions relate to the same topic:
(1) Extra hazard, grid pipe layout of approximately 1,800 sprinklers. What is the criteria that drives the specific number of sprinklers that will be operating together? (2) What's the best way to determine the design area and number of sprinklers within a calculation for a parking garage? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a project with cloud ceilings that are 80 sqft clouds with a 2-foot separation around each cloud. I have no intention of omitting the sprinklers above the clouds. I plan to locate sprinklers in each cloud, considering them obstructions greater than four feet.
Do I need to space the sprinklers in the clouds to just cover beneath the cloud? Just want to confirm that spacing doesn't need to be across the cloud ceiling when sprinklers are in different clouds. Thanks in advance. Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have a project where transformers are located on the periphery within a building's ground floor. There are 14 transformers within a single room. The life safety consultant has recommended for us to provide deluge system protection.
Is it required to provide a deluge valve for each transformer, or combine three or four transformers per valve? Also, how should sprinkler flow demand - is it calculated by each nozzle, or should we consider the entire transformer area for protection? Under NFPA 15 we have assumed 0.25 gpm/sqft (or 10.1 lmin/sqm). Thanks in advance. Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a project where there are multiple cloud ceilings with minimal gaps in-between. The clouds are 3'-6" wide, and the gaps between them are approximately 3-inches. Below is an image of the reflected ceiling plan. Are sprinklers required below these cloud ceilings? Thanks in advance.
Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a project where the fire pump room is located on a third floor level.
Are there any specific requirements regarding the location of a fire pump? Is this location acceptable? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe What design options do I have with a fire sprinkler design to address protection underneath a 45-degree pitched roof?
Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe By code, does the check valve on the discharge side of a fire pump, or jockey pump, need to maintain any specific distance from the pump itself?
Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We are designing a residential building that will have a manual wet standpipe in a fully-sprinklered building. The building itself is less than 75-feet high.
I need to calculate the wet manual standpipe but would like to check my approach. Do I need to calculate the remote standpipe at the two most remote hose valves at 100 psi, 250 gpm each, plus one more hose valve closer to the source at 250 gpm all the way back from a supply at the fire truck? Thanks in advance for any feedback. Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have an existing building were the highest occupied floor is less than 30'-0 above fire vehicle access. This building is being renovated. Part of the renovation involves the construction of a new building to be connect to the existing building. The new building is higher than 30'-0 above fire vehicle access. The exit stairwells in the new building need a standpipe system. Does the existing building need a standpipe system since it is connected even though the existing building stairways and floors are not higher than 30'-0 above fire vehicle access?
Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Are there any drawbacks of testing a diesel-engine fire pump on a main header where other diesel pumps are connected to, instead of a test header?
This is happening in my plant because the test header is is large enough that it would require frequent throttling of test header discharge gate valves for each pump, which has started to wear out and not hold pressure. Also, what is the minimum flow requirement for weekly diesel pump testing considering the test header doesn't hold? Do we need to run 0%, 100%, and 150% flow test each week? Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Can a split-case fire pump be used with a suction that is below negative 1.5 psi of pressure (below 1.0m)?
Would this be acceptable under NFPA 20? Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have an account that failed the five year FDC hydrostatic test. The Fire Department Connection is a remote, freestanding FDC. The Fire Marshal is claiming that there is no leakage, however, will not give a pass or fail.
NFPA 25 (2017) and others reference hydrostatic tests. 6.3.2.1 hydrostatic test 200 psi for 2 hrs or at 50 psi in excess of the maximum pressure where maximum pressure is in excess of 150 psi every five years. (manual standpipe systems and semi-automatic dry standpipe systems, including piping in the FDC) Annex 6.3.2.1* that mentions a minimum leakage existing under test pressure. Section 13.8.5 FDC five year hydrostatic testing shall be tested at 150 psi for 2 hrs. There is no mention of minimal leakage allowed. What is this allowable leakage? NFPA 24 (2010) Private Fire Mains & Their Appurtenances Section 10.10.2.2.1 requires 200 psi or 50 psi in excess of the system working pressure whichever is greater and maintain that pressure at +/-5 psi for 2 hrs. Is that my allowable leakage, so that if we lose less than 5 psi or gain no more than 5 psi for 2-hours, that we pass? Wasn't sure if the existing 5-year hydrostatic for underground has leakage that is measured differently from an inside hydrostatic test. Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I understand that based on most Plumbing Code requirements that black steel pipe is not permitted on the upstream side of a backflow preventer. If pipe is provided between a flange and the backflow, it should be galvanized.
Do fittings, such as an elbow off the flange, need to also be galvanized? I'm familiar with the Victaulic orange painted cast-iron grooved fittings (Firelock series) as well as ductile iron flanged fittings that seem to be commonly off of a stub-in flange, but I'm wondering if these need anything special like a painted or galvanized finish? Thanks in advance - really appreciate the community and expertise here. Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe As part of acceptance testing for a fire pump we test the installed pump net pressures at various flows (churn, 100%, 150%) and compare that against the factory certified curve for that specific fire pump.
For these tests, what is the pass/fail threshold? What would fail this test, and how far off could the installed pump be to fail this test? As I understand it, the installed fire pump cannot differ from the factory certified curve more than the error in the measurement equipment (the allowed error in gauges, typically 1% of the gauge reading). I'm not sure if that's the proper way to go about it, but was curious if there's a better pass/fail mark I should be looking for with these tests. Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Can you explain what a wall hydrant is used for, and where they would typically be needed?
There are some in older office buildings here in Massachusetts where things freeze. Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Adding a new Fire Department Connection to an existing building with a 4-inch combination standpipe and 2-1/2 inch mains feeding each level. The standpipe is significantly farther from the new FDC location; however, the 2-1/2 inch feed main is located closer to the new location.
Is it acceptable to connect the 4" FDC pipe to the 2-1/2" main, or do we need to route the pipe back to the standpipe location? Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe NFPA 13 states the following:
8.16.4.1.5 Water-filled piping shall be permitted to be installed in areas where the temperature is less than 40 deg F when heat loss calculations performed by a professional engineer verify that the system will not freeze. For some reason I had always thought that Tyco or some other heat trace provider had a program available to perform these calculations. I feel there is a better way than breaking out my old heat transfer book. Our general consensus is that the risk is relatively high with these types of calculations. I’m sure you been tasked with this before; what is the best approach to going about these calculations? Some owners require these calculations to be performed to avoid dry-pipe systems in Florida, even though the location of the iso-thermal line would require dry-pipe systems - I feel this essentially puts all the liability on the engineer. I'd be curious to see how others would normally approach this. In this case we would look to run calculations to justify that a wet-pipe system would be sufficient without any insulation or heat trace. Thanks in advance. Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe NFPA 13, 2016 Chapter 11 and Chapter 23 provide information on systems that were designed as a Pipe Schedule System (as defined in Section 3.4.9). Section 11.2.2 and 23.7 provide information regarding "Ordinary Hazard" pipe schedule systems, but the storage capabilities in NFPA 13 are based on specifically Ordinary Hazard Group 1 and Ordinary Hazard Group 2 (specifically referencing chapter 13 in this situation for Miscellaneous storage).
I am working in an existing building with an "Ordinary Hazard" pipe schedule system, what are the storage capabilities of the existing system (assuming it does not adequately calculate)? I did try hydraulically calculating the system just to see if it would work, but there wasn't enough pressure for the existing pipe configuration. A few people I have talked to agreed to stick to OH1 storage capabilities without any upgrades, but I am looking for formal guidance if anyone knows of any. Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a question on the difference between Fire Pumps vs. Sprinkler Booster pumps test header connections.
In NFPA 20 (2007 Edition) they speak of a test header connection to verify fire pump capacity via either a 3-way or 5-way connection depending on pump capacity. I have a test header with a flow meter installed and I am aware that test header connection is required for a "FIRE PUMPS". My question .. does this also apply to " Sprinkler Booster Pumps"? They are also under NFPA 20 but little mention is made. Should a test header be installed at all? Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Have a project at a local grocery store that has an end cap kiosk with a Class 1 commercial kitchen hood. The kiosk is 6-foot wide by 8-foot long and has one means of egress out of the kiosk. The kiosk is used for cooking demonstrations and to hand out food samples to the customers.
The predicaments we (AHJ, owner, designer of record, and contractor) are having is the location of the manual release station. There are no structural columns or architectural surfaces that are within the minimum distance of 10 feet or a maximum of 20 feet from the cooking surface to mount the manual release stations that are within the means of egress. Any thoughts or suggestions on where to mount the manual release station? Thanks in advance. Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe |
ALL-ACCESSSUBSCRIBESubscribe and learn something new each day:
COMMUNITYTop June '24 Contributors
YOUR POSTPE EXAMGet 100 Days of Free Sample Questions right to you!
FILTERS
All
ARCHIVES
July 2024
PE PREP SERIES |