Couldn't agree anymore with GC on this one. No way would we do this. Just 
simply not worth the risk. Happy thanksgiving to all.

Rod DiBona
Rapid Fire
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

-----Original Message-----
From: George Church <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:46:48 
To: [email protected]<[email protected]>
Subject: RE: RE: concealed space

Wow. Are you consulting with the final authority having jurisdiction? And
understand the implications of the word "negligence" as it applies to the
registered design professional of record after a faulty design kills
someone?

I never consider using something totally inappropriate very long since I
don't want to face a widow's lawyer with:
"So you protected multi-family with single family protection, system was
overwhelmed, and the widow's husband and 8 kids died."
Yes sir.
"So you knew this was inappropriate, having read the titles of the
respective standards?"
Yes sir. But the inspector said it was okay with him.
"Did the deceased say it was ok with him? I guess he really never had a
chance to ask, did he?"
No sir, he wasn't party to the discussion even when he was alive.
"Are you familiar with the formal training of the inspector making the
decision?" 
No, sir, not in detail. I only know he didn't know Jack.
"Jack? The deceased was Richard."
Jack Sheet, sir, not the deceased. The inspector didn't know jack about
codes or water supplies or appropriate systems, that's why I wasn't
surprised when he agreed to 13D and saved my customer a lot of money. Until
Richard died.

Anyway, Karen, I don't know the details of the contract, local codes,
building construction, etc. but I'd shy away from taking clean linen from
the unwashed and trying to make a purse out of it. It would be a very
unusual situation where 13D would be the applicable standard for a school->
apt conversiona dn if someone dies in a fire there, know that I will hunt
you down after people die and tell you "I told you so". 

There was a little group home in NY protected by 13D system that got
involved in a fire about a year after opening. People died. Should have been
13 in that case, difficult or improbable to evacuate residents can't get out
in 10 minutes.

Seriously, I'd suggest digging a little deeper at the risk of annoying you,
but otherwise- people could die. 

Happy Hiolidays!

glc

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Karen Purvis
Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 1:10 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: RE: concealed space

I went back and looked again an I was correct the first time, this will be
done as a 13D system.

Karen Purvis
Senior Designer
Facility Systems Consultants
713 South Central Street,
Suite 101
Knoxville, TN 37902
ph.865-246-0164
fax 865-246-1084
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David
Blackwell
Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 1:02 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [!! SPAM] RE: concealed space

I sent a PDF of the table separately but it awaits moderator approval
due to exceeding its size...

 

David W. S. Blackwell, II, PE, CFI-I, CFPE
Engineering 
---------------------------------------------------------------- 
Office of State Fire Marshal 
141 Monticello Trail 
Columbia, SC 29203 
Phone:  803.896.9833 
Fax:  803.896.9806 
Email:  [email protected] 
OSFM Website: http://www.llr.state.sc.us/firemarshal.asp 
---------------------------------------------------------------- 


-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David
Blackwell
Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 12:57 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: concealed space

What George refers to is a very important aspect of the building code
that may be overlooked.  The architect's design choices can force you to
use a "higher" standard (NFPA 13 or NFPA 13R) system in the building
that otherwise falls within the scope of a "lower" standard (NFPA 13R or
NFPA 13D) system.

The (2006) IBC Code and Commentary Figure 903.3.1.1 contains a useful
table for understanding why an architect may specify a higher standard
than a sprinkler contractor may think is necessary.  

 

David W. S. Blackwell, II, PE, CFI-I, CFPE
Engineering 
---------------------------------------------------------------- 
Office of State Fire Marshal 
141 Monticello Trail 
Columbia, SC 29203 
Phone:  803.896.9833 
Fax:  803.896.9806 
Email:  [email protected] 
OSFM Website: http://www.llr.state.sc.us/firemarshal.asp 
---------------------------------------------------------------- 


-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of George
Church
Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 12:20 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: concealed space

And you can't use 13R under the 2006 IBC if the design team used the
sprinkler increase in order to build it, you can add a story but the SF
increase must come from frontage or other, non-sprinkler factors. Doubt
this
applies to YOUR building as it could also be under the Int'l Existing
Building Code. 

I'D BE AMAZED IF A SCHOOL CONVERTED TO APTS IS ABLE TO BE PROTECTED
APPROPRIATELY BY NFPA 13D !!!!!!!!  We've done 2 schools and a church
converted to apts in the past year, all 13R. There isn't a lot of
difference
in cost to do it correctly (13R) and if you need to, have em add some 8'
deep lintels where the living room ends and a corridor to bedrooms
start-
you'll not have to flow the corridor heads in that calc with the
living/dining/kitchen area. This can get you down to a 2 or 3 head calc,
max
4 in 13R. The little country church ended up as a 2-head flow, a
challenging
35 GPM at 30 PSI for a water supply- the developer had to change the
well
pump, big deal.

While you may find something on the AFSA site comparing 13r and 13D, the
text is available for free reading at www.nfpa.org codes and standards,
list
of codes and standards, click on 13r, applicable edition in your
jurisdiction, and then down at the bottom of the page, click on PREVIEW
THIS
DOCUMENT and fill out the questionnaire if you aren't logged in already.

David offers wise words WRT the IBC impact, although you likely don't
have
balconies in a school->apt conversion. 

To ALL my friends on the Forum, best wishes for a thoroughly enjoyable
thanksgiving respite.

George Church
Rowe Sprinkler


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