I have a covered mall under 30' tall that requires hose valve connections in accordance with the International Building Code, Section 905.3.3.

Do these hose valve connections count as a standpipe that requires a monitored isolation valve as per NFPA 14 6.3.2?

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Anybody in this group has experience to design or approval of parking stackers inside the building?

This is outside the code will be reviewed as Amended Means & Methods.

They occur on two different projects (1) The Car's engine shall be off when enter the parking garage and electronic left will park the cars in stack, and (2) The car will be driven inside the garage to platform to be parked.

In both cases the fire sprinkler design density, exhaust system and means of egress requirements are in question.

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We have an exit enclosure that is rated as Class I Division I. My understanding of an accessible route and means of egress, is that it is a "safe" means of egress.

Can an accessible route have a Class I Division I (explosion hazardous classification), or does it need to be purged and pressurized according to Type X requirements?

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Design criteria for storage occupancies have changed substantially over the years from pipe schedules to the NFPA 231's to NFPA 13, 2016. Everyone talks about "grandfathering" old system designs, but no one can ever point out any specific codes, standards, or formal documents that give any solid guidance on this matter.

In our state, this situation varies by jurisdiction, but the opinions are all over the place and usually wind up at the classic "ask the AHJ". This is very time consuming and often times not very helpful since most of them enforce the newest NFPA editions when unless you can provide as-built documentation which we can't do 95% of the time for old buildings. We all know that it depends on the situation, but there has to be some level of formalized consistency out there to start with.

As a NICET certified Fire sprinkler designer, I have my own professional opinions on the matter based on my understanding of the intent of grandfathering and my own project experiences.

​That said, can anyone point me to specific codes, standards, or formal documents that I can utilize to create a formalized opinion that can be submitted to local AHJ's for a more "standardized" understanding?

I'm pretty well versed in NFPA 13 so I'm really looking for IBC, NFPA 101, NFPA 1 references, but all feedback is appreciated.

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I have a new highrise building with a water storage tank/room for the fire sprinkler system. The entire room is the storage area.

Is sprinkler coverage required for this room?

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I am dealing with a Military building. It is an H-1 occupancy. The building is currently 4 stories high.

This is not allowed per IBC based on means of egress.

Has anyone made an argument based on UFC referring to NFPA 101 for means of egress related items to make an H-1 occupancy allowed to be more than 1 story?

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Hello Fire Pro People! I am retrofitting an existing stand alone fire pump room.

The existing design had both an electric fire pump and diesel fire pump for back up. We are getting rid of the diesel, and going with just one electric fire pump. The existing building has a sprinkler system, fed from the piping in the Fire Pump room. We would like to get rid of sprinklers. Are they required by code? And can anyone tell me what classification this building is by IBC standards? I read through them all, and I didn't feel that the Fire Pump building fit into any of the categories. Thanks for any love you can send my way!

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I haven't had any experience doing site calculations before, but I'm curious how it works from a practical standpoint. Fire Flow is required by the International Fire Code here locally, and there's guidance (albeit not formally adopted) in Appendix B of the IFC for a total demand. Additionally, there's hydrant spacing requirements for any particular building, and guidance on how far the hydrants can be from a building.

In order to determine how the hydrants are fed (dead-end vs. looped and size of pipe), are there specific flow and pressure amounts that each hydrant has to be calculated at?

Is it similar to a standpipe calculations where each hydrant has to have a specific flow?

I'm not performing the design work myself, but I'm just curious how that is typically done and pipe size determined.

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Does an elevator require sprinkler protection if the building is not required to have sprinklers? 

We had an electric traction unit with rated belts in a non-combustible shaft that just changed to a hydraulic elevator in a non-combustible shaft. Would ASME A17.1 or the elevator material itself mandate sprinkler protection? This project is under 2018 IBC and 2018 IFC. Thanks in advance.

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I am an architect and appreciate the information being shared here, very clear and helpful. We are working on an atrium and working in accordance the Closely-Spaced Sprinklers (for Atrium Enclosures).

In the details for the closely spaced sprinklers there is a horizontal distance of 4-12" from the glazing to the sprinkler - is there a separate vertical dimension that must be met? We have glass that is 11'-4" in an open/exposed ceiling that is 13'-5" high (at boundary of atrium).

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Could Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer materials be considered non-combustible? For this project it's intended to be used as an interior building material.

NFPA 130 & NFPA 101 definition of non-combustible material:

4.7  Non-combustible material
A material that complies with any of the following shall be considered a noncombustible material [101:4.6.13.1].

1. A material that, in the form in which it is used and under the conditions anticipated, will not ignite, burn, support combustion, or release flammable vapors, when subjected to fire or heat. [101:4.6.13.1(1)]
2. A material that is reported as passing ASTM E136. [101:4.6.13.1)2)]
3. A material that is reported as complying with the pass/fail criteria of ASTM E136 when tested in accordance with the test method and procedure in ASTM E2652.  [101:4.6.13.1(3)]

Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials can meet the following minimum standards for flammability:

• ASTM E84:  Standard Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials:  Flame spread 25
• ASTM D635:   Standard Test Method for Rate of Burning and/or Extent and Time of Burning of Plastics in a Horizontal Position:  Self-extinguish
• UL 94 Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances:  V-0

Can this material be considered an equivalent to non-combustible material?

​While Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials have an excellent fire resistance rating under ASTM and UL tests, it is not specifically classified as non-combustible under ASTM E136.

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Would a mechanical penthouse be considered a “story” in terms of the 30-ft. standpipe threshold?

If the mechanical penthouse is not occupied, does it still apply for the 30-ft limit? Although that would be logical, I can’t the word “occupied” used anywhere except related to high-rise.  I suppose a mechanical penthouse could be considered a mezzanine, I see some commentary that a mezzanine should be no more than 1/3 of the related floor.

The project has three floors where the top classroom floor is 28 feet above fire department access.  But, there’s a mechanical level above that is much higher. It’s accessible, is it a “story” in terms of standpipe?  It would seem logical that this penthouse doesn’t count.  But I’m not 100% sure code backs me up on this.

Of course the thing that bites us, is whether or not the standpipe is manual or automatic – we have fond this to be totally up to the discretion (sometimes whim), of the AHJ.  Sometimes based on good reasoning, sometimes it has causes the unnecessary (IMHO) requirement for a fire pump.

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I had thought the presence of the elevator itself does not necessarily require a sprinkler system if the building does not require a sprinkler system.

For example, if a two-story, type II-B, Business (B) Occupancy building is under 23,000 sqft, the IBC does not require a sprinkler system to be installed. Therefore, the hoistway or the EMR would not require sprinklers.

I’ve had elevator designers argue that the presence of hydraulic fluid requires sprinklers.

I disagree, however; hydraulic fluid is typically a Class III-B flammable liquid. In the example above a two stop elevator would have less than 1000 lb (~150 gal) of hydraulic fluid which does not trigger any Hazardous Occupancy as the control area volume limit for closed-use systems is 13,200 gallons.

Is this the correct approach to take? Does the presence of the hydraulic fluid or any other component of an elevator trigger sprinkler requirements for the rest of the building?

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Have a 4-story townhouse, sprinklered in accordance with 13R.

Is a sprinkler at the top of an elevator shaft an acceptable trade off for a 1-hour rating of the shaft (in lieu of a 2-hour rating)?

NFPA 13R, 2013 Section 6.6.6 says sprinklers are not required in non-combustible elevator shafts in accordance with ANSI 17.1. The state is says they will not certify the elevator/does not require a certificate in a residential elevator, so there is no confirmation that the elevator code is upheld.

If the sprinkler is an acceptable trade off (or if the sprinkler is elected to be installed in excess of the code requirements) is then a shunt trip and flow switch/heat detector required to shut off power in the event of a sprinkler activation?

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Have a kitchen exhaust "ecological unit" which filters oil, grease, dust particles, and smoke odor from a kitchen hood exhaust system.

Are there requirements for how to be protect the unit? 

I'm not sure whether sprinklers would be required within the unit as I'm unfamiliar with these. Any guidance or tips from those who've worked with these before would be appreciated.

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This project has a canopy. It canopy is not attached to the building. The building is required to have a sprinkler system installed in accordance with IBC 903.3.1.1 (an NFPA 13 system) in order to increase the allowable building area. 

The canopy is providing weather protection for transit passengers. It's Type II-B, non-combustible, and made of steel, concrete, and metal panels. The canopy is also very large, and on its own exceeds the allowable area for a non-sprinklered Group A-3 occupancy.

Do the provisions of NFPA 13-2016 Section 8.15.7.2 (copied below) allow for an omission of sprinklers from an exterior canopy as described here?

8.15.7.2* Sprinklers shall be permitted to be omitted where the exterior canopies, roofs, porte-cocheres, balconies, decks, and similar projections are constructed with materials that are noncombustible, limited-combustible, or fire retardant–treated wood as defined in NFPA 703, or where the projections are constructed utilizing a noncombustible frame, limited combustibles, or fire retardant–treated wood with an inherently flame-resistant fabric overlay as demonstrated by Test Method 2 in accordance with NFPA 701.

A.8.15.7.2 Vehicles that are temporarily parked are not considered storage. Areas located at drive-in bank windows or
porte-cocheres at hotels and motels normally do not require sprinklers where there is no occupancy above, where the area is entirely constructed of noncombustible or limited combustible materials or fire retardant–treated lumber, and
where the area is not the only means of egress. However, areas under exterior ceilings where the building is sprinklered
should be protected due to the occupancy above.

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Does anyone have any code references for the use of traffic spikes?

Does anyone allow it (with a manual override)?

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I'm working on an exercise studio with one big open room and dealing with a plan examiner who insists travel distance is measured along walls leading to an exit, rather than diagonally across the space. To me this is absurd. Thoughts?

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Working on a fire house that is fully-sprinklered, non-separated construction type V-B, wood construction, R-2, S-1 & S-2 classifications, with R-2 being the most restrictive. We have 83 total occupants. IBC 2015.

We have a full- sprinklered attic with a nitrogen generator. We have gas-fired mechanical equipment in the attic.

My question is that the contractor is suggesting to VE the attic sprinkler by installing fire treated roof sheathing. IBC 903.2.8.3.2 "Attics not used for living purposes, storage or fuel-fired equipment." tells me that we are required to have them. Am I incorrect?

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Does anyone have any literature on the installation of face sprinklers (the sprinkler along the first row of a rack on the "face" of the rack)?

I have an AHJ who is saying that the height of the pipes serving the face sprinklers must not meet the definition of "hindrance" or "obstruction" in the building code. 

The face sprinklers in my situation are placed on first row of a rack system with the face sprinklers of the upright type. (2015 NFPA-30 16.5.1.10 (6)).  The sprinkler line is located parallel with the face of the rack. The bottom of the pipe is 4"-6" below the bottom of the rack. 

I have checked for the definition of what he mentioned and I can't find anything in the building codes. Building code is 2015 IBC/IFC.  Also checked the NFPA-13 handbooks but the installation requirements are concerned with sprinkler deflector versus the piping itself.  Thanks in advance!

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Will you please clarify why a Building Area Increase is NOT permitted for an NFPA 13R design?

We are working on a project and the architect has stated that the calculations following IBC T506.2 allow for an area increase up to 135,000 sf. We are working in IBC 2015. The Owner would like confirmation that the 4 story R-2 Type V-A building can be protected under NFPA 13R when it is over 12,000 sf.

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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?

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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. 

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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.

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