One Sprinkler System if Each Floor is 52,000 sqft?

7/17/2020

A parking garage has multiple levels covered by a dry system.

If the floor area of each level is equal to 52,000sf, is it acceptable to protect all levels with one dry system riser?

I am referencing the NFPA 13-2016 Handbook Sections 8.2 and its accompanying explanations. Thanks.

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4 Comments

Dan Wilder

7/17/2020 08:01:31 am

Couple items may prevent this:

8.2.4.1 - For buildings greater than 2 stories
7.2.3.6 - For water delivery times
7.2.6.3.2 - Refill time within 30 minutes

Any local AHJ/Insurance requirements as well.

If you can comply with all of these (there may be more but these come to mind), then technically you could provide a single system. Good practice would be not to.

Brian Gerdwagen

7/17/2020 12:28:28 pm

If you have floor control valves, yes. But depending on the edition of 13, you need to total the protected floor area. Even 2 stories of 52,000 square feet each would require a floor control for each floor to separate it into two systems. You can still have a single riser, but multiple systems.

A dry system, as mentioned earlier, will have its own additional problems like water delivery and compressor sizing.

Rusty Scott

7/17/2020 12:55:31 pm

Agree with Dan & Brian, the volume of the system will add up quickly and make water delivery and refill times a challenge. Think you're better off splitting each floor up into multiple system for pipe size sake. Also the slope & elevation of the dry system piping will be a concern over 52,000 sq ft system.

franck

7/17/2020 02:04:05 pm

As already indicated by others, but with other words, this would be fine with a wet system (and sectional valves for each floor), even though I would not like it too much for reliability purposes and consequences in case of impairment of one sprinkler riser (PML scenario for some insurance companies in the US).
For a dry system, you will have the volume limitation anyway that should prevent you to have a too large area controled by one single system (+ water at the most remote point in less than 1 min)

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