In Washington any licensed plumbing contractor can install any fire sprinkler system as long as he also has the requisite sprinkler contractor's license at the level of work performed. For multi-purpose systems the plumbing inspector will check the entire system to insure it meets the plumbing code and the fire marshal will check everything except the plumbing specific drops to make sure it meets the sprinkler standard. All the pipe gets hydroed to the sprinkler spec. unless there's a way to shut of the plumbing drops which there never is.
On Mon, Mar 24, 2008 at 3:01 PM, Steve Muncy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > For multi-systems, there are currently several states that REQUIRE > that a licensed plumber install the system because they are considered > an extension of the domestic water supply. Fire sprinkler contractors > are PROHIBITED from installing such systems, unless of course they > have a plumbing license -- but the system is still being installed > under the plumbing license. And when those systems are inspected, > they will be inspected by Plumbing officials - not the fire marshal. > > Multi-purpose systems have been been recognized as acceptable in > NFPA-13D for a long time but it was not until fairly recently that use > use accelerated. New changes being incorporated into the > International Plumbing Code offer a simplified design for multi- > purpose systems that does not require hydraulic calcs but is based on > distance and water pressure. My understanding is that the NFPA-13D > committee has accepted the language proposed in the IPC proposal. By > the way, it was the International Association of Fire Chiefs who > recommended the code change to add the simplified procedure to the IPC. > > Bottom line is that you are going to see a lot more of these systems > in the future. It is likely that most "lower-end" homes will adopt > the multi-purpose approach and larger, more expensive homes will have > a standalone system. > > When (not IF) the International Residential Code moves the > requirements for sprinklers in single-family dwellings from the > appendix to the body of the code, thus making it required, the number > of residential systems will EXPLODE. Sure, there will be battles on > the local level to remove that requirement, but it is more difficult > to remove a provision from the code on a local level. > > Think about this - based on the number of new homes built in 2007, > each and every fire sprinkler contractor in the country would have to > install 375 single-family fire sprinkler systems. That is how big > this market will eventually be, and most fire sprinkler contractors > don't do many single-family systems when there are plenty of more > lucrative commercial jobs to dedicate the limited number of employees > to. > > If plumbers are going to do this work.... and they will.... let's just > hope that they feel the need to acquire some TRAINING on the subject > before they jump head-first into the fire protection business. > > > > > Steve Muncy, CAE Fire Sprinklers Save Lives! > American Fire Sprinkler Assn. > Dallas, TX > > > > On Mar 24, 2008, at 9:58 AM, Timothy W Goins wrote: > > Why would the NFPA journal, MAR/APR 2008 edition, use an advertiser > > for > > residential piping systems that ONLY recommends plumbers to install > > their > > product? I know the answer is money, but I thought they were looking > > out for > > our industry and it's standards, both written and installed. > > > > Isn't this like having an architect layout "design" fire sprinkler > > systems? > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Sprinklerforum mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum > > To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field) > -- Ron Greenman at home.... _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
