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Is a water storage tank for an NFPA 13 system required to be UL listed, or does it need to simply be NFPA 22 compliant?
I was always taught that a tank had to be at least UL Listed for fire protection, but I have a supplier telling me otherwise, and the price he offers is less than half that of a UL/FM tank. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
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We have a consultant showing a 6" wet sprinkler riser routing through the 1st floor of a building, supplying sprinklers, then heading to a stairwell to supply a wet manual standpipe. I am confident that supplying a standpipe downstream of a sprinkler system is not allowed, as there would be no way to fight the fire with hoses without the ability to shut off the sprinkler system, but keep the standpipe live.
Can someone shed some light on the code referring to this in either NFPA 13, 14, or even FM Global that details standpipes can feed sprinkler systems in a combination setup, but a sprinkler system cannot feed a standpipe? Thanks in advance! Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a curved roof structure over a waterpark that has a top of steel of 37'-6" on the ends and 59'-8" at the peak. Portions of the roof are also retractable, leaving little to no steel to hang from. In these areas where the roof retracts, joist girders are 16'-8" apart east to west, and we have purlins running north to south that are over 18' apart. We were looking at potentially using EC heads, but have a pretty good roof pitch, or using standard heads and spacing couplings between girders; however, hangers would be 16ft apart. How might you attack this, given the wide spans of the joist girders in one direction and purlins in the other? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe  We are adding new in-rack sprinklers to a Class IV Commodity with an existing CMDA sprinkler system above.
Using NFPA 13, 2022, I am so confused on whether I need to use 25.3 or if I can use 25.8 for modification? I was told that 25.8 is only for modification of the in-rack sprinklers, not the system above, but I am not seeing it that way. The verbiage to me is not clear at all. When adding new in-rack sprinklers to an existing CMDA system protecting Class IV commodities, should the design follow NFPA 13 (2022) Section 25.3, or can it be treated as a modification under Section 25.8? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a warehouse that is 408,240 SF with a ceiling height of 39 feet. I want to fill the warehouse with pallet racking for Class III commodities. Pallet racking will be back-to-back with a 10 foot for reach trucks.
IFC table 3206.2 calls out the max pile dimension and the max pile volume. How do these limits affect how long my racking aisle can be, and if I'm limited on continuously racking out the warehouse? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have an old Convent building (3-stories with long corridors) that currently has a Type III manual wet standpipe system and no sprinklers. They are remodeling and are installing sprinklers throughout, and want to remove the standpipe system.
As the AHJ, I would like to keep the standpipes but remove the hose cabinets, essentially to make it Class I. Is there a relevant code path to keep the standpipes even though, for new construction, they would not need them? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe The International Residential Code (IRC 2021) Section 310.1 states: "Basements, habitable attics and every sleeping room shall have not less than one operable emergency escape and rescue opening. Where basements contain one or more sleeping rooms, an emergency escape and rescue opening shall be required in each sleeping room. Emergency escape and rescue openings shall open directly into a public way, or to a yard or court having a minimum width of 36 inches (914 mm) that opens to a public way."
My building code official is reading this as sleeping rooms in attics and basements need an escape window. I am reading "Basements, habitable attics and every sleeping room " as a list of 3 without the use of an Oxford comma. Any sleeping room needs an escape window, right? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Dealing with CMSA sprinklers, NFPA 13 2019 edition, Section 13.2.8.2.2: "(1) Upright sprinklers shall be permitted to be attached directly to branch lines less than or equal to 4 in. nominal in diameter."
Would this include 4" pipe, which is actually 4½" in diameter? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe NFPA 13R can the pipe to the FDC upstream of the check valve to the FDC be CPVC?
I don't think so, but I ran across a couple of projects where this was done. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a project under the 2015 International Codes that is building onto an existing fitness center/gym. The existing building has an A-3 occupancy under 12,000 SF, but an occupant load over 300 people. The total fire area of this existing building is 22,300 SF. Also, the building is not sprinklered.
There is a new building going directly next to the existing building that will connect the two (they share a wall). The new building is an aquatic center (pool and splashpad) with an A-3 occupancy under 12,000 SF, but an occupant load over 300 people. The total fire area of this new building is 13,000 SF. The architect was originally trying to see if sprinklers could be removed from the scope (since there are none in the existing building), but based on the occupancy and square footage of the new building, sprinklers will be required (IBC 903.2.1.3). Since sprinklers are required in the new building, the architect is trying to determine what type of separation is required at the two buildings (fire partition, fire barrier, or fire wall) to avoid requiring retrofitting sprinklers in the existing building. My take on it was to provide a "Fire Wall" to completely separate the buildings and not calling the existing plus new spaces a "single building" which could push us into requiring sprinklers throughout the existing building. In addition, IBC 903.2.1 indicates that sprinklers "shall be provided throughout buildings and portions thereof used as Group A occupancies provided in this section" and sprinklers "shall be provided throughout the story where the fire area containing Group A-1, A-2, A-3, or A-4 is located and throughout all stories from the Group A occupancy to, and including, the levels of exit discharge serving the Group A occupancy." I then looked at the commentary on Group A-3 occupancies (903.2.1.3) which stated "an automatic sprinkler system is required throughout the fire area containing the Group A-3 occupancy, including the entire story where the Group A-3 occupancy is located..." Based on 903.2.1 and the commentary on 903.2.1.3 it sounds like anything less than a "fire wall" used to completely separate the buildings, we would need to sprinkler the entire floor that the A-3 occupancy exists including the adjacent building since the are connected and share a wall. The architect's code consultant said I was wrong and that sprinklers are only required within the "fire area" and a "fire barrier" is sufficient. In addition, IBC 903.1.1 indicates that if the code requires a building to be sprinklered then they are to be provided throughout. NFPA 13 (2019) also indicates that if a building is protected by a sprinkler system, then sprinklers are to be provided in all areas except for omissions indicated in the standard. I brought up this NFPA requirement and the code consultant said I was also wrong with this and that sprinklers are only limited to fire areas and aren't required to be installed throughout the building. I would appreciate any thoughts on this, thank you. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe In NFPA 13 2019, Section 10.2.9, designers can omit sprinklers from inside ceiling pockets as long as their construction is less than 1,000 cubic feet of non- or limited-combustible material, their depth is shallower than 36 inches, and the entire floor below them is sprinklered with quick-response sprinklers.
For instance, a 15x10 pocket ceiling of 2 feet depth with quick response sprinklers in the surrounding ceiling and of non-combustible construction is allowable. For a skylight less than 32 square feet and any depth, designers can omit sprinklers per Section 9.3.16. Additionally, an unlimited number of such 32 square foot skylights are permitted without additional sprinklers, provided that they are at least 10 feet from the nearest skylight or ceiling pocket. There is ambiguity, however, if a skylight exceeds 32 square feet. What is the guidance on shallow skylights? Where are skylights defined, either as in the category of ceiling pockets or distinct from ceiling pockets? If there is a 15x10 skylight with a 2-foot depth and non-combustible surrounding construction, would it be different from an equivalent ceiling pocket in terms of sprinkler activation? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a question as to whether or not sprinklers are required at an exterior canopy with the following properties: - adhered TPO roofing membrane, polyisocyanurate insulation, metal deck, steel framing members, insulated metal panel soffit (ie. Centria FormaWall Dimension Series).
The canopy is not considered a separate building. No combustible materials will be stored below. The projection is more than 4 feet wide. I was following the MeyerFire canopy flow chart but basically got stuck on the question, "Is projection constructed with noncombustible..." due to the roof insulation and the insulated metal panel soffit. Does roof insulation in the insulated metal panel soffit make the construction combustible, therefore requiring sprinkler protection for the canopy? Thank you in advance for your help! Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have an EH1 dry system, and will be installing the inspector's test manifold with 4 outlets. We know that it's 2 outlets from the two remote branch lines, but I do not see in NFPA 13 if we should tie the line together so only 1 Inspector's Test Valve (ITV) would need to be operated to flow all 4 outlets, or if we'd install 2 ITV's valves next to each other, 1 valve for each remote line so the air is exhausting through each line independently. Any input would be appreciated! Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe  Does FM Global allow the use of 8k-factor sprinkler heads in HC-3 areas?
The ceiling is only 11 ft. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe What was the name of the old system for protecting schools (corridor-only sprinkler protection with a sprinkler above the classroom doors)?
I have two existing schools with the old system that I will need to modify. Any code references would be greatly appreciated. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We are working with an insurance agent on replacing an existing warehouse system with ESFR sprinklers; the edition they are applying is NFPA 13 2025.
Previously, in the 2016-2022 editions, there has been a section provided for ESFR obstructions regarding the bottom chords of bar joists or open trusses; however, this doesn't appear to be addressed in the 2025 edition. The insurance agent is suggesting we follow Table 14.10.2.1(a) for the obstruction of the bottom chord of the bar joist, which would require us to install the ESFR pendents up to 4 feet away from the bar joist. Is this the correct obstruction table to follow, or are we missing a section in the 2025 edition that permits the deflector to be installed a minimum of 6 inches away from the bottom chord, as outlined in the previous editions? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I’m working on a fire protection assessment for a facility that stores multiple oxygen cylinders, and I need to verify whether the stored quantity exceeds the Maximum Allowable Quantity (MAQ) per control area per the IBC/IFC.
The facility has a mix of oxygen cylinders in different sizes, and I’m trying to determine the correct method to calculate the aggregate oxidizing gas quantity. My main question is: When calculating total oxygen gas quantity, is it correct to standardize the volume to NTP (Normal Temperature and Pressure) before comparing with IFC/IBC MAQ limits? Or should the calculation simply use the manufacturer’s stated gas content (e.g., cubic meters or SCF at normal conditions)? The reason I’m asking is that if I convert pressurized gas to NTP volume, even a single “standard” 40-liter cylinder at 140 bar would exceed the MAQ for oxidizing gases and potentially classify the space as a High-Hazard Occupancy (H-2/H-3). I want to confirm whether this interpretation is correct, or if the code expects the use of the manufacturer’s rated gas quantity instead of a full expansion-to-NTP calculation. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe There is a seemingly willful gap in information in scoping code (IBC) for small group R structures: those on the threshold of IRC/IBC: I am working on an existing 4 unit building where we do not have verified assembly information so the construction is assumed to be V-B.
The owner would like to renovate the existing basement, which is ~50% above grade, into an apartment with a new exterior exit. Three of the units share a common interior exit stairway & the upper ones are served by a fire escape. The 4th unit is built like a townhouse on the rear of the building and does not share any exit components. If an existing 4-unit residential building (currently not sprinkler protected) adds a 5th unit in the basement — and that unit does not share exit components — is there a code path that allows the project to proceed without installing sprinklers throughout the entire building? Or, a way to construct the new unit in an existing fire area in a way that does not increase risk (ie: 2-hour separation)? While the group is a trigger for requiring a system, looking at Chapter 5 as a scoping reference, the total fire area is below the threshold for a sprinkler system in group R-2 with V-B construction. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Working on the fire protection for a new industrial building. I only have two small areas to protect with sprinklers:
1. 400 ft² hydraulic room 2. 520 ft² transformer room Both are considered Extra Hazard due to the presence of flammable liquids. My understanding of NFPA 13 forces me to use 2500 ft² and 0.50 gpm/ft² as the minimum water supply. This will give me 1250 gpm of water to apply to very small rooms, which doesn't make much sense to me. Am I understanding this right? Is there a way around it, or a different way of calculating the water supply need? Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe How should the new provisions in FMDS 2-0 (2025 Edition) regarding skylights in storage areas (sections 2.5.4.1.7 and 2.5.4.1.8) be correctly interpreted? I have two cases based on the flowchart from the snippet below. In both scenarios, sprinklers will be required (even in the case highlighted in the green rectangle, which is optional). My question is: Should they be installed at the base of the skylights, at the same level as the surrounding ceiling-level sprinklers (similar to Option 2 for skylight protection in the 2023 edition of FMDS 2-0)? Or should they be installed inside the skylight, close to the highest point of the skylight (similar to Option 1 for skylight protection in the 2023 edition of FMDS 2-0)? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe  We have a 4-story motel that the architect of record stipulated the sprinkler system was to be designed in accordance with NFPA 13R. The building is wood construction with open wood joists. We have a kitchen and several laundry rooms that have suspended ceilings, which would be designed in accordance with NFPA 13 Ordinary Hazard Group I Occupancy.
What about the combustible area above the ceiling in the combustible area above the suspended ceiling in the laundry room? Are sprinklers required in this space? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Our industry gets stronger every time you share what you know. Thank you to our top February 2026 Contributors!
If the required dimensions of a remote area in either orientation exceeds half the distance to the next sprinkler, does 13 require picking up additional sprinklers?
Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe |
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