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A Consolidated Floor Control Valve Breakout

6/23/2021

 
Back in 2016 and again this time last year, I put together some material and a cheatsheet for Floor Control Valve Assemblies. I loaded up the cheatsheet with inclusions of most pieces of equipment that could possibly be located as part of that package - pressure reducing valves, test outlets, and a five-piece inspector's test & drain.

I heard quite a bit - that's great - but what about a combination test & drain? What about when we don't have pressure reducing valves? What about a normal assembly?

Well today is the day for a more common arrangement of a floor control assembly on a combination standpipe/sprinkler riser. 
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GET THE original CHEATSHEET HERE

One key simplification here is the combination inspector's test & drain, which since its introduction has helped reduce a significant amount of labor by combining the site glass, inspector's test valve, drain valve, and pressure relief all in a single device.

Related, but not correlated, we're happy to have AGF is our sponsor this month and if you haven't checked out their new offering, be sure to see the link here.

WHAT'S NEW AROUND MEYERFIRE
I hear weekly about what I see is the central issue that affects just about every small to midsize fire protection consultant, contractor, and review authority - recruiting and training young staff. 

It's not that we need more warm bodies in the industry, we need knowledgeable and motivated people.

It's a big ask, and it falls right within the wheelhouse of our efforts around here to do something about it. We're all about combining knowledge & resources to help you do your work better. When you do that, we all win.

1 - ILLUSTRATED HANDBOOK
The first step towards that effort is a Handbook we're writing that will debut this fall. It will be a 200-page, full-color collection of all the best flowcharts, cheatsheets, checklists and breakdowns that we've ever created.

If you want an update when it is up for sale, pop your email here and we'll be sure to keep you updated.

2 - AN ALL-NEW TRAINING PLATFORM
The second step towards helping new hires go from zero to about three years experience-equivalent is training & mentoring. Courses are good, but they're often expensive, require travel, and when they're done they're done. 

We are in the early stages of an all-new mentor & training platform that has a searchable video content library, daily video training, on-demand mini-courses, and our full suite of software tools. If you are interested in learning more as we develop this for Fall 2021, email Joe at joe@meyerfire.com and we'll be sure to keep you informed.

​Thanks & have a great rest of your week!
Mike
6/24/2021 01:27:15 pm

If you have a combined standpipe at two stairwells that are looped together at each floor (see Marriott Module 14 for example), do both stairs need flow switches and a drain if their interconnected by the same feed? Seems one of each would suffice.

Ben O'Regan link
7/13/2021 09:26:19 am

Firstly congratulations on keeping such an extensive and informative blog. I don't know how you find the time.

Secondly, is the site glass on a test drain mandatory? I'm looking through NFPA 13 2018 and it has a picture in the appendix (maybe as a suggestion), but the standard doesn't call for one.

In my personal opinion, sight glasses are about as useless as screen doors on a submarine because you can hear the flow as soon as you crack the valve. It makes a noise like "SSSSSSSSS" and it's unmistakable whether water is flowing or not. This might seem like a good idea to someone who works in a design office, but in the field, it becomes obvious quite quickly if a drain valve is open by the noise it makes.

Joe Meyer
7/13/2021 09:30:16 am

Thanks Ben, and agreed on all these points!

The sound is very loud, and if the sound isn't enough the vibration should have some indication.

I think the site/sight glass probably becomes more useful in remote inspector's tests on dry systems. They're sometimes away from the point of discharge (to where you couldn't see the water), and there's still some sound from the bleeding air. The visual glass would help someone tell when the 'dry trip time' is met. Not saying you couldn't tell from the noise, but it could offer one way to be sure when the water is moving as opposed to just air.

For a floor control valve? I'm pretty sure many test & drains come with a site glass, but I'm with you in that I don't think NFPA 13 specifically addresses it as a requirement.

Beatrice Robinett link
9/6/2021 09:51:17 am

I’m so pleased to read this article.. Thanks for sharing!

Cynthia Warren link
9/15/2021 11:57:22 am

Very good article


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    Joe Meyer, PE, is a Fire Protection Engineer out of St. Louis, Missouri who writes & develops resources for Fire Protection Professionals. See bio here: About


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The views, opinions, and information found on this site represent solely the author and do not represent the opinions of any other party, nor does the presented material assume responsibility for its use. Fire protection and life safety systems constitute a critical component for public health and safety and you should consult with a licensed professional for proper design and code adherence. The discussions are solely for the purpose of peer review and the exchange of ideas. Information presented and opinions expressed should not be relied upon as a replacement for consulting services. Some (not all) outbound links on this website, such as Amazon links, are affiliate-based where we receive a small commission for orders placed elsewhere.

  • Blog
  • Forum
  • THE TOOLKIT
    • SUBMIT AN IDEA
    • BACKFLOW DATABASE*
    • CLEAN AGENT ESTIMATOR*
    • CLOUD CEILING CALCULATOR
    • DOMESTIC DEMAND*
    • FIRE FLOW CALCULATOR*
    • FIRE PUMP ANALYZER*
    • FIRE PUMP DATABASE*
    • FRICTION LOSS CALCULATOR
    • HANGER SPACER*
    • IBC TRANSLATOR*
    • K-FACTOR SELECTOR*
    • NFPA 13 EDITION TRANSLATOR ('19 ONLY)
    • NFPA 13 EDITION TRANSLATOR ('99-'22)*
    • LIQUIDS ANALYZER*
    • OBSTRUCTION CALCULATOR
    • OBSTRUCTIONS AGAINST WALL*
    • PLUMBING FIXTURE COUNTS
    • QUICK RESPONSE AREA REDUCTION
    • REMOTE AREA ANALYZER*
    • SPRINKLER DATABASE*
    • SPRINKLER FLOW*
    • SYSTEM ESTIMATOR*
    • TEST & DRAIN CALCULATOR
    • THRUST BLOCK CALCULATOR
    • TRAPEZE CALCULATOR
    • UNIT CONVERTER
    • VOLUME & COMPRESSOR CALCULATOR
    • WATER STORAGE*
    • WATER SUPPLY (US)
    • WATER SUPPLY (METRIC)
  • UNIVERSITY
    • About
    • Catalog
    • Content Library
  • PE Exam
    • PE Forum & Errata
    • PE Store
    • PE Tools
    • PE Prep Series
    • PE 100-Day Marathon
  • LOGIN
  • PRICING
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