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First of all I work at a gas company as a Fire Equipment Maintenance Specialist in Libya. My job is to follow up and assess efficiency of fixed firefighting systems and provide plans for preventative/corrective maintenance/testing based on schedules.
One of our firefighting systems has a foam bladder tank which protects an oil tank and plant operations. My problem is when we started this project the bladder tank was built out of global standard. The foam concentrate AFFF is stored between the internal tank wall and membrane. Water gets inside the membrane which forces the foam to get out through the rated membrane. I know it is wrong and does not produce a perfect foam solution within the specification. When I complained about this case, my manager asked me to provide an opinion based on international standards. Is there guidance within NFPA-standards that can help me address this issue? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
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I would like to open up a topic to this amazing forum.
Preaction systems...types, cost, challenges, panel set-ups...I continue to see the vast lack of knowledge amongst the design and management community. Which type is best? Which is more economical? Which is best for your company to install or to maintain? How does a double interlock system affect design/cost? Can a single interlock system be set up to operate the way you need and at a lower cost? Does the AHJ typically have any special requests? Knowing these answers could only make everyone's lives easier. Thanks in advance! Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Fire hydrant flow test question - is the pitot the same as the residual pressure on a water flow test from a fire hydrant?
Is it possible to know the residual pressure and 'chart out' the flow of the fire hydrant, or is there a way to determine the flow with only the static and residual pressures? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe What is the maximum working pressure allowed for CPVC?
I understand many manufacturers have 175 psi listings, but I'm wondering if there's anything that's listed for higher pressures. Thanks in advance! Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe If I have multiple compounding remote area adjustments, when does the minimum remote area size for high-temperature sprinklers get applied?
For example, if there is a dry system protecting storage starting at 2,500 sqft, which calculation is correct?: (a) 2,500 sqft x 0.75 (high-temperature reduction) = 1,875 ... rounded up to 2,000 sqft for minimum area, then 2,000 x 1.3 (dry system area increase) = 2,600 sqft. or (b) 2,500 sqft x 0.75 (high-temperature reduction) = 1,875 ... 1,875 x 1.3 (dry system area increase) = 2,437 sqft, which is greater than the 2,000 sqft high-temperature minimum. Thanks in advance! Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe A three-story dormitory and we have residential-style pendent sprinklers in the corridors with residential sidewall and pendent sprinklers in most of the units.
By code, are the pendent and sidewall sprinklers required to have the same k-factor? Residential k-factors jump around a little and I wasn't sure if the requirement (or industry standard) to not mix k-factors would cover different sprinkler orientations too. Thanks in advance! Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Are there any scenario where the means of egress can be routed from a corridor, through a room, to the exterior? Must all egress corridors discharge to the exterior?
I would assume panic hardware would have to be provided and the room couldn't have a means of being locked, but if a room is relatively low-hazard (like a classroom) could it be used for egress between a corridor and the exterior? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe What occupancy type would you consider a building being used for powder coating of metal chassis?
The IBC lists F-2 (Low-Hazard Factory Industrial) as the occupancy for metal fabrication and assembly and basically the fabrication or manufacturing of non-combustible materials in which the processes do not involve a significant fire hazard. Anything not listed as F-2 would be considered F-1 (Moderate-Hazard Factory Industrial). In this building they bring in the metal chassis, send them through an oven to warm them up, then send them through another booth to standblast them. Then the chassis are powder-coated before going through a final oven to be cured. In my opinion and past exeprience with powder coating it can be a pretty hazardous activity with explosive hazard and with finely divided particles. I do know the booth is pretty large for powder coating will need to have fire suppression. The big question is would be consider this building F-1 or F-2 requiring fire suppression throughout, as the building is well over 12,000 sqft in area. Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Where exactly in the International Fire Code or International Building Code (or NFPA standards) does it state that a standpipe riser must be visible or unobstructed?
Is there anything that prohibits me from sheetrocking the standpipe riser os installing it inside a wall? Of course the hose outlets will be exposed - but what about the riser? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Can we run a 6-inch standpipe for a highrise building (24-story) fully on an external wall? The main would come out of the pump room and take branches for each floor from the riser. This new building has a major space shortage and it's not possible to run the pipe within a shaft inside the building. There is no issue of freezing as the temperature does not drop to the freezing point.
Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Why does a townhouse which is 4-story require an NFPA 13R system?
The IRC is specifically geared toward one-and two-family dwellings up to 3 stories, but the IBC allows 13D systems in R-3, R-4 condition 1 and townhouses (903.3.1.3). Is there another prevailing code reference that overrules this allowance? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have a non-conforming fraternity building that wants to build a new two-story covered entrance canopy that ties into the existing roof. It is a heavy timber construction and has no concealed spaces. The fire area is already too large, so our interpretation is this would trigger a sprinkler system in the whole building.
A more lenient interpretation might be to only sprinkler the new portion, and potentially add some rated separation between the existing non-sprinklered building and the new sprinklered entry canopy, but I am not aware and I can't find anything about separation between sprinklered and unsprinklered portions of a building. Would this arrangement be permissible by code? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe High-rise office building, predominantly light hazard occupancy. Water supply is designed for a 30 minute duration (roof mounted gravity water storage tanks).
We need a 1-hour separation between two tenant spaces. The architect has specified a glass partition. As such closely spaced heads are being proposed to achieve an equivalent rating. Does the water supply now need to be upgraded to provide a 1 hour supply of water? Similarly, if sprinklers are being used to provide an equivalency rating on a required 2-hour rated partition, does the water supply need to be able to supply 2-hours of demand? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We are converting a 3 story condo building (was designed to NFPA 13R) to a hotel. The ground floor will have a restaurant, a bar, and a spa. The upper floors will remain residential.
Will the addition of these new occupancies change the whole design of the building? Will the upper level residential units be required to be designed to NFPA 13 standards? This building is in Bermuda if that helps. Thank you in advance for your help! Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe A small core area of a two-story office building has two stairs. One is a traditional enclosed exit stair fire-rated at 1-hour. The other stair is intended to be an "open access stair". The project is under NFPA 101 for means of egress and is sprinkler protected under NFPA 13.
NFPA 101 Chapter 38 New Business Occupancies NFPA 101 38.3 Protection NFPA 101 38.3.1 Protection of Vertical Openings NFPA 101 38.3.1.1 Vertical openings shall be enclosed or protected in accordance with Section 8.6, unless otherwise permitted by any of the following: (4) Exit access stairs in accordance with 38.2.4.6 shall permitted to be unenclosed. NFPA 101 38.2.4.6 A single means of egress shall be permitted for a maximum two-story, single-tenant space or building provided that both of the following criteria are met: (1) The building is protected throughout by an approved, supervised automatic sprinkler system in accordance with 9.7.1.1(1). (2) The total travel to the outside does not exceed 100 ft. The only way to have an unenclosed stair for this building is if the "total travel to the outside" can include travel through the unenclosed "exit access stair". Is it permissible to have one open stair and one enclosed stair with "total travel to the outside" going through the open access stair? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have a residential R-2 occupancy, four-story, combustible Type V-B, new construction building with an NFPA 13 system. The floor/ceiling assemblies are built with open-web wood trusses.
All of the interstitial spaces around these trusses are to be filled with non-combustible insulation, which allows sprinklers to be omitted within them in accordance with NFPA 13-2013 8.15.1.2.7 "concealed spaces filled with noncombustible insulation shall not require sprinkler protection." The IBC (2015) requires drafstopping in combustible construction to "subdivide floor ceiling assemblies" above an in-line with dwelling unit and sleeping unit separations (IBC 2015 718.3.2). However, an exception exists for buildings equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1 (an NFPA 13 system). If these spaces omit sprinklers due to non-combustible insulation, is draftstopping still required per the IBC? Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Can an NFPA 13R multi-residential apartment building use commercial concealed pendent sprinklers with standard response instead of quick response?
Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe What are your biggest pet peeves with consultants (engineers or designers) in our industry? I'm interested.
Just a little about why I ask - I work as a consultant and also in our business development. In a backwards way, understanding the pain points only helps guide where I can improve and hopefully help business as well. Thanks in advance for your thoughts! Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe For areas with high water vapor concentrations (such as near showers, steam rooms, etc), what type of sprinkler would perform best? Wax coated? Concealed with gaskets?
There's many circulated images of corroded sprinklers, but I'm interested in what others feel is current best practice for these areas. Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Just a friendly reminder to bookmark this page: Submit a Daily Discussion
You can send in any fire-protection-related question, for free. Each day at MeyerFire we review all submitted questions and look at the best one for the community here. It's free and anonymous and our best way of sharing expertise with the latest industry challenges. Thanks in advance for submitting your questions! Attached is a sketch of an interesting design issue we’ve been dealing with. We have a convenience stair connecting multiple floors of an office building. With this, we need to treat the opening as an Atrium opening. So we have told the architect that we need a draft curtain with closely spaced heads. The sketch attached shows some limitations that we’ve been given.  My question is, how would you suggest we accomplish the required protection given the constraints of this particular stair?
Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe For those who participated in the 2019 PE Prep Series - we'd like to declare the champs! These point totals are an total of each on-time weekly score. If you didn't know, we're big on Fire Protection PE Exam prep around here. The PE Prep Series was a series of 20 mini-exams to help simulate the pace of the PE Exam. We tracked weekly scores and are now proud to announce the champions of 2019:  1st Place Overall (179 points): NFPA HAS ALL MY MONEY2nd Place Overall (175 points): RYAN ON FIRE3rd Place Overall (169 points): ROUND-TWOCongratulations to our top three champs (who will have trophies shipped to them) and to all the participants. Click here to see the final standings on the entire season. Here's to everyone getting good news on test results in the coming weeks! Thank you to all forum contributors for November. We're continually seeing an uptick in interest and expertise, and I appreciate your willingness to encourage growth in our industry with your contributions! Here's the top commenters for November 2019:
Being told I need a sprinkler head that exceeds 350 degrees. Not sure one exists. What are the highest temperature sprinklers on the market and what's the best way to go about finding them?
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