Hose Allowance Req'd for Foam/Water Deluge?

2/26/2026

Is a hose stream allowance required for foam/water deluge system, in either NFPA 13 or NFPA 16?

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4 Comments

Pete H

2/26/2026 06:37:04 am

From NFPA 16 (2019):

5.2.3 Duration
5.2.3.1 Water supplies shall be designed to meet the fixed fire protection demand plus 250 gpm for inside and outside hose streams for at least 60 minutes, unless otherwise sepcified in the occupancy standards.
5.2.3.2. Water supplies for aircraft hangers shall be in accordance with NFPA 409.

A5.2.3.1 Local regulations might require a means for removal or containment of the largest flammable liquid spill plus the actual calculated flow from the maximum number of systems expected to operate for their calculated duration plus hose streams.

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TL/DR (But you should read it. It's code.): 250 GPM unless you're in an aircraft hanger or extra hazard.

Dan Wilder

2/26/2026 06:37:20 am

Yep* - *There are cases where it is not required, rare but they are out there. Was there a more specific example you could provide?

NFPA 16 2019
5.2.3.1 - Water supplies shall be designed to meet the fixed fire protection demand plus 250 gpm (946 L/min) for inside and outside hose streams for at least 60 minutes, unless otherwise specified in the occupancy standards.

7.2.2.3 - For the purposes of hydraulic calculations, the water supply shall meet the requirements of 5.2.3.

NFPA 13 2019 (too many to copy in, but Chapter 19-26 all have sections)
19.2.6 - Hose Allowance
19.3.3.1.2
20.12 - Hose Allowance

Glenn Berger

2/26/2026 09:36:28 am

The answer to this question will always be yes.

In addition to the responses already given:

The trick part is where to include the hose allowance in the calculations and that depends on the overall system configuration..

Jesse

2/26/2026 10:58:22 am

Yeah, what Glenn said. Depending upon the design software used, the process is different.

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Hose Allowance Req'd for Foam/Water Deluge?

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