WEEKLY TAKEAWAYS AS A FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER
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This week's resource was a fun one to put together. Frequent Questions about NFPA 13 vs. 13R I've been asked a handful of times in early project planning phases on whether NFPA 13R would be allowed in lieu of NFPA 13 for a project. In short, the two standards have very different objectives and as a result require very different means. While those who ask are generally looking for ways to save on construction for the project, the differences are important and worth discussing early in a project. Designed for Different Purposes It's important to note that NFPA 13R systems are designed primarily with the intent for life safety (extending the amount of time occupants have to escape a burning building). It's stated purpose is to additional "prevent flashover in the room of fire origin, where sprinklered" (NFPA 13R 2019 1.2.2). Unlike NFPA 13, NFPA 13R works to make the installation of the sprinkler system more affordable and accessible for residential occupancies by targeting the areas of highest fire risk to life safety with sprinkler systems. Swapping NFPA 13 and NFPA 13R is not simply a one-for-one exchange, as their goals are overall quite different.  Summary of Differences Here's the summary of differences I use between NFPA 13, 13R, and 13D as a downloadable PDF (at the bottom of this page). References to the building code are to the International Building Code, as it's typically the most prevalent used in the US. As always, there's far more detail to many of these requirements than can be summarized in two pages - so be sure to use the supplied section references to gather more information on specifics for your project. CODE PLANNING
OMITTED AREAS
HYDRAULIC CALCULATIONS
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6 Comments
Sean
9/23/2018 03:26:29 pm
This glosses over one big requirement the IBC area increase. The building maybe perfect for NFPA 13R but the area has increased and the building now requires a NFPA 13 system.
Joe
9/23/2018 03:40:20 pm
Well said - expanding on an existing building with an NFPA 13R system can require a formal fire wall separating what becomes to separate buildings. I could probably break this out a little better.
Jeff Nagel
2/1/2019 09:32:01 am
What about laundry rooms under 55 sf?
MODERATOR
2/22/2019 07:09:17 am
Jeff, good question. This is being discussed further today here:
Jess
3/26/2019 03:59:55 pm
What about the domestic demand for calcs in 13R? I have been taught to calculate the domestic demand and use that flow in my calcs instead of the hose allowance.
Michael Graber
9/2/2019 02:32:43 pm
Does the proximity to a residence and the number of windows make a difference in which system is used? What are those requirements that make it change? Leave a Reply. |
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AuthorJoseph Meyer, PE, is a Fire Protection Engineer in St. Louis, Missouri. See bio on About page. Categories
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