Does Small Room Rule Apply in NFPA 13D?

6/18/2020

Does the 'small room rule' apply to NFPA 13D sprinkler systems?

I could not find any mention of it in 13D. If 13D does not allow it, why not?

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5 Comments

Tony

6/18/2020 09:12:01 am

Small room rule does not apply to NFPA 13D. NFPA 13D, NFPA 13R and NFPA 13 are completely different standards even though they all are installation standards for sprinkler systems.

The user can only utilized NFPA 13 if NFPA 13D specifically references NFPA 13.

If you are using residential sprinklers you should be able to find one that sprays 10 feet to a wall anyway.

Paul

6/18/2020 10:10:29 am

Just adding to the above comment,

Residential head spacing is based off of hydraulics. These can be found on the product specs from the website of the heads you are using. Typically will range from 8ft to 20 ft, depending on how much pressure and flow you have available.

Jeremiah

6/18/2020 10:42:40 am

Also Small Room is defined as a light hazard area. 13D would be considered a residential area. Another interesting thought is this should only apply to standard spray sprinklers as a residential sprinkler operates more like an extended coverage sprinkler and are listed to only operate at a listed coverage at a given pressure. Standard spray sprinklers are listed to be spaced per NFPA 13.

Patrick

6/19/2020 08:11:58 am

To add to Jeremiah's thought, the residential sprinkler heads act a lot more like extended coverage heads compared to standard spray in regards to obstructions as well, so that is also something to keep in mind when designing their coverage.

Jesse

6/18/2020 02:50:35 pm

No it can't, but there's not much of a need for it. Most listed residential sprinklers allow for greater spacing than standard coverage sprinklers used in full 13 applications. with 20x20 spacing you can be 10-ft off of every wall which is greater than the small room rule of 9-ft from a single wall.

The 9-ft rule applies only to full 13 designs.

Good luck

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