MeyerFire
  • Blog
  • Daily
  • Exam Prep
    • CFPS Tools
    • NICET Tools
    • PE Forum & Errata
    • PE Problems
    • PE Store
    • PE Tools
    • PE Prep Series
  • TOOLS
    • TOOLKIT (FREE TRIAL)
    • *TOOLKIT (PURCHASE)
    • SUBMIT AN IDEA
    • BACKFLOW DATABASE*
    • CLEAN AGENT ESTIMATOR
    • CLOUD CEILING CALCULATOR
    • DOMESTIC DEMAND
    • FIRE PUMP ANALYZER
    • FIRE PUMP DATABASE*
    • FIRE FLOW CALCULATOR*
    • FRICTION LOSS CALCULATOR
    • HANGER SPACER
    • IBC TRANSLATOR*
    • K-FACTOR SELECTOR
    • NFPA 13 EDITION TRANSLATOR ('19 ONLY)
    • NFPA 13 EDITION TRANSLATOR ('99-'19)*
    • LIQUIDS ANALYZER*
    • OBSTRUCTION CALCULATOR
    • OBSTRUCTIONS AGAINST WALL*
    • PLUMBING FIXTURE COUNTS
    • REMOTE AREA ANALYZER
    • QUICK RESPONSE AREA REDUCTION
    • SPRINKLER DATABASE*
    • SPRINKLER FLOW*
    • TEST & DRAIN CALCULATOR
    • THRUST BLOCK CALCULATOR
    • TRAPEZE CALCULATOR
    • UNIT CONVERTER
    • VOLUME & COMPRESSOR CALCULATOR
    • WATER SUPPLY (US)
    • WATER SUPPLY (METRIC)
  • CODE CALLS
  • LOGIN
  • STORE
  • About
Picture
A FORUM FOR FIRE PROTECTION QUESTIONS & PE EXAM PROBLEMS | SUBSCRIBE NOW

PE Problem #57

9/28/2020

4 Comments

 
​Determine the visibility (in meters) for a light reflecting exit sign with smoke that is produced by pyrolysis of plastic. Assume the smoke has a mass concentration of 0.09 grams per cubic meter.
a. 4.4 m
b. 7.6 m
c. 11.7 m
d. 20.2 m

Solution | Posted 09/29/20

Read More
4 Comments

Smoke & Heat Vents in New Addition Only?

8/21/2020

4 Comments

 
An existing F1 occupancy with no high-piled storage is getting an addition, resulting in the total square footage for the entire F-1 area (all open) being over 50,000 ft sq, thus requiring smoke and heat vents per the 2012 IBC and IFC.

The question was asked if smoke and heat vents can just be added to the new addition and install a draft curtain to separate the existing from new, so smoke and heat vents will not be required in the existing space.

My question is, would a draft curtain be sufficient for creating a divided area in this regard?

There is no true definition of a divided area in either the building or fire codes. I wouldn’t think it would necessarily need to have a fire barrier or partition. I would assume a properly sized trap curtain would be sufficient?

Does anybody have any experience with this unique type of issue, or have any comments or suggestions?

​​​​​​​​​​​​​Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
4 Comments

PE Problem #11

7/20/2020

3 Comments

 
A stair is being designed as pressurized as part of a smoke control plan. A single door gap below a 4 foot wide door has a 0.35 inch tall door gap where the pressure differential between the two sides of the door are 0.1 in. w.g.. Assuming a flow coefficient of 0.7 and normal atmospheric conditions, what is the volumetric flow rate of air through the gap?
     a. 33 cfm
     b. 73 cfm
     c. 104 cfm
     d. 148 cfm

Solution | Posted 07/21/20

Read More
3 Comments

Are Natural Smoke Vents Obstructed for Stage?

7/13/2020

1 Comment

 
We have an auditorium with a stage area. The stage area is fully sprinklered and provided with four natural smoke vents at the roof.

Below the smoke vents at a depth of almost 10-feet (3 meters) there is structural steel frame (provided for structural stability) arranged with narrow gap of only about 1-inch (30 mm) and obstructing all the smoke vents. We understand this steel frames will deflect the smoke plume and affect the performance of smoke vents.

Is there a standard/code reference regarding how to include this obstruction in the calculations and to prove to AHJ that the smoke vents would still be sufficient?

Thanks in advance.

​​​​Submitted anonymously and posted for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
1 Comment

Shelter-In-Place Req'ments for Area of Refuge?

5/29/2020

3 Comments

 
This building is an H-1 occupancy. There is an area of refuge on the 4th floor. The shelter-in-place Class 3 area of refuge is protected from interior and exterior hazards. There are vertical openings through all 4 floors. The UFC is governing.

Based on this, do the stairwells need to be intertied directly to the shelter-in-place area of refuge for an exit enclosure that is a direct accessible means of egress (we are providing accessibility provisions)? Does the shelter-in-place area need to be a smoke enclosure as well as the interconnected stairwell system?

Based on this will both the stairwell and the shelter-in-place need to be pressurized to meet design intent?

Both exterior and interior air is hazardous and a scrubber would be needed to inject air for stairwell pressurization.

​​Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
3 Comments

Two Fire Dampers for a "Double" Fire Wall?

10/4/2019

10 Comments

 
Being told I need two fire dampers to serve a single fire wall. The fire wall is made of a "double wall", essentially two masonry walls next to each other with a very small (less than 2-inch) air gap in-between. The engineer on the project is stating that this "double wall" requires a fire damper in each.

I've never come across this as a requirement before. Do I need two fire dampers?

​​​​Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
10 Comments

Must Fire Alarm for Mech. Shutdown be Fail-Safe?

5/10/2019

2 Comments

 
We have a project where a control module is connected to the mechanical controls that is programmed to the variable frequency drive for a fan on a large unit. When a duct detector senses smoke, the control module (which is normally-open circuit) will close the circuit, sending a signal to the mechanical controls which shuts down the unit.

On this project we had a bad set of control modules that didn't work. We discovered this in testing with the local jurisdiction, and swapped out the modules and the system now works correctly. 

Both the jurisdiction and I wondered whether this normally-open arrangement is acceptable. If a control module were to fail, the duct detector would not be able to close the circuit on the module and the fan would remain running. In this scenario, there would be no supervision or way to know that the control module failed other than someone standing at the fan or finding the issue during testing.

My inclination is that in the future these modules could be normally-closed and open upon duct detection. That way if the module fails and opens on its own, the unit will shutdown in a "failure" mode.

Is it code required that this arrangement be fail-safe?

Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
2 Comments

How to Zone Sprinklers by Smoke Control?

11/5/2018

3 Comments

 
Have a project that requires the sprinkler system to be zoned by the areas with active smoke control. Each floor of the highrise is approximately 12,000 sqft is to be divided into two zones. I intend to have multiple floor control risers (valve, check valve, flow switch, pressure gauge, inspector's test & drain) for each smoke control zone. Is there any less costly way of accomplishing this?

It has been suggested that multiple flow switches can be placed on the same system with different retard settings so that the fire alarm system can identify where the water is flowing, but I don't have experience with this option.

Posted anonymously by a member for discussion. Discuss this | Subscribe.
3 Comments
    Jump to: Daily Posts
    Jump to: PE Problems
    Picture
    Why Sponsor?

    Free Signup

    Subscribe and learn something new each day:
    I'm Interested In:

    Community

    Thank You to Our Top
    ​October '20 Contributors!
    1. SK
    2. Franck
    3. Dan W.
    4. Jonathan ​5. Casey M.
    6. Sean
    7. Colin L.
    8. Mike
    9. Jonathan J
    ​10. Daniel G.


    Your Post

    SUBMIT A QUESTION

    The Toolkit

    Sprinkler Designer or Engineer?
    ​
    ​Get all of our tools, including the Sprinkler Database, Friction Loss Calculator, Fire Pump Analyzer and more:
    Picture
    FREE 30-DAY TRIAL
    GET THE TOOLKIT

    Filters

    All
    ABA
    ADA
    ASCE 7
    ASME A17.1
    Daily Discussion
    Design Documents
    Explosion Protection & Prevention
    Fire Detection And Alarm Systems
    Fire Dynamics
    Flammable & Combustible LIquids
    FM Global
    Human Behavior
    IBC
    IFC
    Information Sources For Analysis
    IRC
    Means Of Egress
    NFPA 1
    NFPA 10
    NFPA 101
    NFPA 11
    NFPA 110
    NFPA 12
    NFPA 13
    NFPA 13D
    NFPA 13R
    NFPA 14
    NFPA 15
    NFPA 17A
    NFPA 20
    NFPA 2001
    NFPA 214
    NFPA 22
    NFPA 24
    NFPA 25
    NFPA 291
    NFPA 30
    NFPA 33
    NFPA 400
    NFPA 415
    NFPA 497
    NFPA 5000
    NFPA 502
    NFPA 54
    NFPA 55
    NFPA 70
    NFPA 72
    NFPA 92
    NICET
    Passive Building Systems
    PE Prep Guide
    PE Prep Series
    PE Sample Problems
    Poll
    Smoke Management Systems
    Special Hazard Systems
    Types Of Analysis
    UFC 3 600 01
    UFC 3-600-01
    Updates
    Water Based Fire Suppression
    Weekly Exams


    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    June 2015


    Daily
    Daily discussions are open-ended fire protection, fire alarm, and life safety questions submitted anonymously for the benefit of sharing expertise and learning from other perspectives. Anyone can submit a question here:
    SUBMIT A QUESTION

    Exam Prep

    Picture
    2020 PE Prep Guide​
    ​(Available Now!)
    Picture
    PE Prep Series
    ​(Available Now!)
    2020 PE Prep Series
    Current Leaderboard
    ​(Click to enlarge)
    Fire Protection PE Exam Prep

    PE Problems
    ​Visit July-October for daily Fire Protection PE Exam sample questions.

    Solutions are posted the day after posting.

    Comment with your solutions, questions or clarifications.

    Please note that questions posted are unofficial and in accordance with NCEES rules are intended to be similar to actual exam questions, not actual exam questions themselves.

    RSS Feed

Home - About - Blog - Contact - Exam Prep - Store
Picture
Copyright © 2020 MeyerFire, LLC
The views, opinions, and information found on this site represent solely the author shown 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. Some (not all) outbound links on this website, such as Amazon links, are affiliate-based where we receive a commission for orders placed elsewhere.
  • Blog
  • Daily
  • Exam Prep
    • CFPS Tools
    • NICET Tools
    • PE Forum & Errata
    • PE Problems
    • PE Store
    • PE Tools
    • PE Prep Series
  • TOOLS
    • TOOLKIT (FREE TRIAL)
    • *TOOLKIT (PURCHASE)
    • SUBMIT AN IDEA
    • BACKFLOW DATABASE*
    • CLEAN AGENT ESTIMATOR
    • CLOUD CEILING CALCULATOR
    • DOMESTIC DEMAND
    • FIRE PUMP ANALYZER
    • FIRE PUMP DATABASE*
    • FIRE FLOW CALCULATOR*
    • FRICTION LOSS CALCULATOR
    • HANGER SPACER
    • IBC TRANSLATOR*
    • K-FACTOR SELECTOR
    • NFPA 13 EDITION TRANSLATOR ('19 ONLY)
    • NFPA 13 EDITION TRANSLATOR ('99-'19)*
    • LIQUIDS ANALYZER*
    • OBSTRUCTION CALCULATOR
    • OBSTRUCTIONS AGAINST WALL*
    • PLUMBING FIXTURE COUNTS
    • REMOTE AREA ANALYZER
    • QUICK RESPONSE AREA REDUCTION
    • SPRINKLER DATABASE*
    • SPRINKLER FLOW*
    • TEST & DRAIN CALCULATOR
    • THRUST BLOCK CALCULATOR
    • TRAPEZE CALCULATOR
    • UNIT CONVERTER
    • VOLUME & COMPRESSOR CALCULATOR
    • WATER SUPPLY (US)
    • WATER SUPPLY (METRIC)
  • CODE CALLS
  • LOGIN
  • STORE
  • About