You really would have to sprinkler it like 24' to 25' or idle pallet storage
with solid shelves (Anyone ever seen any criteria for that?) to have any
chance that you'd put enough water in and around the fire to protect the
building, while the Pod's burn.
Maybe we could submit a code change to only allow this type of storage on
Piers and docks where they would automatically fall in the Bay, Lake, River
ect. if a fire alarm was activated. Now if your living in a pod you very
well may drown!
Combustible pods are very different for Sea Land containers. Those are
almost air and water tite! besides being a non-combustible steel box. The
contents could smolder all the way from china until someone opened the box.
The perfect answer was given earlier "Outside of the scope of NFPA 13,
Please provide engineering design criteria." Hang some FPE's license and
insurance on that design. Sometimes the only smart thing to do is admit when
you don't know.
Thom McMahon
Firetech, Inc.
2560 Copper Ridge Dr
Steamboat Springs, CO 80488-2136
Tel: 970-879-7952
Fax: 970-879-7926
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2007 3:34 PM
Subject: RE: POD Storage
The biggest problem with interior fire protection of a POD is that you
have no assurance that the thing isn't packed wall to wall and floor to
ceiling. The sprinkler won't do any good when stuff is jammed up
against it. Also, no guarantee that the sprinkler wouldn't get damaged
or broke off altogether. Interior sprinklers in these things is
impractical and I sure don't see every franchise retrofitting their pods
to include this option.
Remember unlike other modular assemblies and mobile home plants, these
things are not opened in the warehouse and there is no assembly or other
work done inside of them. They are a storage container, a box, plain
and simple.
The could be stacked and stored outside for al it matters but for
security or whatever other reason, they are stored in warehouses. For
all intents and purposes you might as well treat one stack as a solid
entity because there are no huge gaps between the units. They almost
stack together like Legos.
An overhead ceiling sprinkler system is the only practical and sensible
system for this commodity.
If you are protect it as if you had Class A plastics in stacked wooden
crates, you should have it covered.
Craig L. Prahl, CET
Fire Protection Group
Mechanical Department
CH2MHILL
Lockwood Greene
1500 International Drive
PO Box 491, Spartanburg, SC 29304-0491
Direct - 864.599.4102
Fax - 864.599.8439
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.lg.com
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of George
Church
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2007 5:26 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: POD Storage
Why couldn't you install a couple heads, even HSW with pipe strapped to
the wall, and have the POD equipped with a quick-release connection or
even a grooved connection. Have drops coming down from the overhead
system with flex-head style connection to match the quick-connect, or an
1 -1/4" grooved coupling. Stack em up, slap on the spkr feed, and
presto- IPAS (In Pod Auto
Sprinkler) ready to fight an otherwise shielded fire.
Have done some modular boxes (some call them houses, but they're often
dorm rooms, hotel rooms, apts these days) where we do the in-box
rough-in in the local plant and others (or if we're stupid enough to
prolong our duration of agony with the modular guys, we could go to the
site and) connect all the stub-outs from the various modular boxes, tie
it to a water supply, and
presto- a sprinklered apt building, dorm, whatever.
While you're sure to have some obstructions and the like, if you had 2
HSW's in an 8x8x12 or 16 enclosure, one would think you'd get a pretty
early alarm and a chance at control if not extinguishment by
envelopment. Can we do that without being accused of drowning our
victims?
glc
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2007 2:04 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: POD Storage
You cannot internally sprinkle the POD units. If you haven't seen them
they are for lack of better description, a shipping container. Similar
to what you see on ocean going freighters. Those are much larger of
course but same basic principal. They are designed to be dropped off at
your house and then packed with your household goods to be transported
and stored in a warehouse. They are usually stacked one on top of
another, in (3) high configurations. Once they are warehoused, they are
no longer accessible to the public. Some are designed with a steel
roof, some have a translucent plastic roof. Since the general use
limits the type of objects stored to household furniture and clothing,
(no flammables, liquids, etc), it would seem your internal ignition
source would be very limited.
So the question is what component are you using as the actual hazard,
the container or the contents?
Here is some food for thought from NFPA 13...........
"NFPA 13, A.5.6.1.1 Commodity classification is governed by the types
and amounts of materials (e.g., metal, paper, wood, plastics) that are a
part of a product and its primary packaging. However, in a storage or
warehousing situation, classification is also affected by such factors
as the primary storage or shipping container material, the amount of air
space, and the location of the more hazardous materials within the
container. For example, a Group A plastic product enclosed in a five- or
six-sided metal container can be considered Class II, while a ceramic
product heavily wrapped in tissue paper and placed in a corrugated
carton could be Class III."
Just for reference:
PODS Container Sizes: 8x8x12 and 8x8x16
Materials: Steel frame construction with a marine grade wood interior
and aluminum skin exterior
Weight: Empty weight is approximately 2,500 lbs
Capacity: 7,500 lbs of material
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