Residential Flashcards
3 codebooks for residential sprinklers
When residential protection is discussed, there are three codebooks
that need to be consulted:
• NFPA 13D, NFPA 13R, and NFPA 13.
• NFPA 13 is the original standard for protection
• was first introduced in 1896
• NFPA 13D Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and
Two-Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes
• was adopted in May 1975
• Scope & Purpose
• NFPA 13R Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in Low Rise
Residential Occupancies
• A higher degree of safety than the 13D
• Adopted in 1989
• Life safety first, building secondary.
Disadvantages
- Inadequate water supplies
- May need to add reservoirs
- Cold/freezing spaces in the homes
- More water pipes in the house to leak -> mold
- Potential floods and water damage
- Often not monitored
Advantages
Life protection
• Fast response Sprinklers
• designed with the concept of wetting high up on a wall and all
the surrounding furniture to help prevent the buildup of gases
and flash over (gases igniting due to high heat)
• Protection of occupants
• Protection of property
• Protection of Fire Fighters
• Conservation of water
• A fire in a residential occupancy that has a sprinkler system in it
generally uses approximately two hundred and fifty gallons of
water to control the fire. Firefighters would use approximately
three thousand gallons of water to gain control and suppress the
same fire.
The System
Sprinklers
• Smoke Detection - smoke detectors allow for early
annunciation and to give the best possible chance of
evacuating the building in time.
• Since the advent of residential sprinkler systems, the
loss of life due to fires in residential occupancies has
been cut in half.
• Sprinkler home fact sheet
Statistics
Water requirements
Due to statistics and data, there are several areas
within residential occupancies that sprinklers can be
omitted because the historical data show that the
likelihood of a fire starting in these areas is very low.
• Water
• all sprinkler system shall have at least one automatic water
source for the system
• 13R and 13D require 0.05gpm/ft²
• generally, 2 – 4 sprinklers
• 13 requires 0.1gpm/ft² - double
Water supply + amount necessary
Water Supplies 13D
• With NFPA 13D
• Egress is easy from a single- or two-story
• The structure is of no concern
• Just enough water supply to evacuate the structure is all
that is required
• Go to 13D
• The use of a multipurpose piping system for sprinkler
protection is acceptable as long as it is approved by the
local plumbing and health authority.
13D sprinkler systems
Multipurpose piping sprinkler system - serves both domestic needs and fire protections.
Network sprinkler system - a type of multipurpose. Servers domestic and fire protection but each sprinkler head has a minimum of three paths
Passive purge sprinkler system - A type of sprinkler system that servers a single toilet, in addition to the fire sprinklers
Stand-alone sprinkler system - aboveground piping that serves only fire sprinklers.
*Spare sprinklers shall not be required to be provided
Pipe ratings
Copper and steel > 175 psi
Pex and CPVC can be 130 psi if no FDC
Head adapter
Teflon tape or thread sealant. Never both
General provisions
one automatic water supply
stored water - quantity = water demand rate x 10 minutes
if dwelling unit is: one story in height and less than 2000 sqft minimum quantity = two sprinkler water demand rates x 7 minutes
water supply
elevated tank
pressure tank
stored water source
a well with a pump
where pump is the source for pressure - not for domestic water
A test connection shall be provided downstream of the pump that creates a flow of water equal to the smallest sprinkler on the system
240v normal circuit
any disconnecting means for the pump shall be approved
the pump shall not sit on the floor
where pump and tank is the source for water supply - not for domestic use
the test connection shall return water to the tank
a method for refilling the tank shall be piped to the tank
a method of determining water level in the tank
each dwelling unit needs an individual control valve
Multipurpose piping system
a warning sign, with a minimum 1/4” letters, shall be affixed adjacent to the main shutoff valve and shall state: the water system for this home supplies fire sprinklers….don’t put in water restricting devices…more
Manufactured home water supply
minimum pressure shall be specified on a data plate by the manufacturer
Common supply pipes
if common water supplies servers more than one dwelling units add 5gpm shall be added to the supply required