Floor Control Valves on Each Stair in Highrises?

1/14/2020

I have a question that a architect brought up to me. He is saying that on a highrise (11 stories) it is a fire code requirement to have floor control valves on both stairwells. I cannot find anything that states this in any of the NFPA books. The square foot of each floor is small and is NOT separated into zones.

Does an 11-story high-rise require floor control valves on both stairwells?

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10 Comments

Mike L

1/14/2020 07:54:17 am

Kind of sounds like the architect is confusing some code requirements.

A high-rise building is required to have a floor control valve at every floor. Assuming your systems are smaller than 52,000 sf, then only 1 control is required per floor.

A high-rise is typically required to have a standpipe hose valve in EACH required egress stairwell.

Mln3d

1/14/2020 09:44:50 am

Unless it is a justificational adopted code requirement. Some AHJ’s require floor controls to alternate that way if you need to drain down the system it doesn’t completely impair the system. i.e. if you only had floor controls on one stand pipe and drained a floor down.

Thomas Jones

1/14/2020 10:06:51 am

It isn't an FM building or Marriot correct? Marriot has their own fire code that requires a control valve in each stairwell.

Anon.

1/14/2020 10:32:37 am

Some AHJ's require this. Last I checked, City of Seattle for example has such a redundancy requirement, but in hydraulic calcs, one cannot take advantage of both supplies simultaneously.

Diaaeldin Mostafa DM

1/14/2020 11:05:05 am

As per NFPA13 , Only one sprinkler riser with floor control valve per 52,000 ft2 . If NFPA 101 is asking for stand pipes so it shall be provided inside firemen stair or smoke stop lobby or fire fighting lobby

1/14/2020 11:43:49 am

How high is your building? It is not an NFPA requirement. It is in the IBC... in PA we follow IBC 2015 and it is on page 58. 403.3.1 Number of Sprinkler Risers and Systems Design...
"Each sprinkler system zone in buildings that are more than 420 feet in building height shall be supplied by no fewer than two risers. Each riser shall supply sprinklers on alternate floors. If more than two risers are provided for a zone, sprinklers on adjacent floors shall not be supplied from the same riser."
Hope this helps!

1/14/2020 12:02:49 pm

Yes, heard of this too.

Thomas Reinhardt

1/14/2020 01:50:28 pm

If you use the International Fire Code Section 903.4.3 states that Approved supervised indicating valves shall be provided at point of connection to the riser on each floor in high-rise buildings.(2012 edition) This reference makes no reference to both stairwells. Mr.Mostafa is correct about square footage.

Brian Gerdwagen FPE

1/14/2020 03:56:00 pm

As stated, buildings over 420 feet to the highest occupied floor must have two risers. Each of these risers will supply alternate floors and the standpipe valves in the stair. One riser will supply all the even floors, the other all the odd floors. This way if an entire standpipe is shut down, only half the building will be out of service.

You can not add up the area of floors until you hit 52,000sqft and then section those floors off with a control valve. Three story buildings and taller generally require a control valve on every floor.

Jess L.

1/15/2020 12:08:04 pm

Check your building code.
It might tell you that each floor must be fed by a minimum of 2 risers, hence 2 flowswitches per floor, depending on the building height or # of floors.

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