So I asked a couple of code consultants I know who are VERY active in the ICC code development community, and one of them directed my question to a technical staffer at ICC, from whom I received a reply. I'm not going to name names, because it's so convoluted that I'm not sure anyone wants to (or functionally can) take ownership of this requirement. After the WTC attack, there was a task group called the ICC Ad Hoc Committee on Terrorism Resistant Buildings that proposed several changes pertaining to very tall buildings and other high value potential targets. I have attached the public commentary from the 2009 code cycle that pertains to these sections. Click the link below and search for item G46-07/08.
What was proposed was more restrictive and more articulate than what was adopted but you can see that the intent is to create redundancy of primary water supply components, including "risers", whether they be combined standpipe or dedicated sprinkler risers. Unfortunately, the adopted code is laden with undefined terms, such as an especially "sprinkler zone". In high-rise fire alarm systems, a floor is automatically a zone, (but it's not reciprocal as a floor can have more than one zone), but we generally refer to floor controls, not zone controls. (Unless you're working for the VA, but that's another story altogether.) But it does seem in infer that the intent was to create redundancy by interconnecting standpipes or risers at the top and bottom of a building system zone, and thus make it possible to keep water flowing if one was taken out of service, which would imply interconnecting each floor. Except the adopted text says you can't connect adjacent floors, which would mean that we need four risers per building system zone, or something along those lines. ICC staff implied to me that making two connections to the water supply might fulfill the intent of the section, but that's separately prescribed and does not adequately separate building system redundancy from water supply redundancy, and those of us doing a high-rise in a seismic zone will generally dump the two water supplies into a reserve or break tank ahead of the pump (or first pump, if a series). So I withdraw what I stated earlier in certain terms, even though I'm pretty sure it's accurate. Please add the words, "Until someone can prove me wrong or sort this out, it's my opinion that you ..." and then take the rest of it. In the proposal log for the 2009 IBC, Item G46-07/08 is noted as AMPC, which means Approved as Modified by Public Comment. Meaning that if an AHJ thinks you have to loop each floor, then you probably do because the report on public comments seem to support the concept of redundancy, even though the code itself really doesn't lay it out that way. http://www.iccsafe.org/cs/codes/Documents/2007-08cycle/FAA/IBC-G1-G58.pd f Steve Leyton Confused and Frustrated -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Fairchild, Jack Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 10:18 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: High rise building - dual floor system supplies? Since "zone" is undefined, this sentence could be interpreted as requiring two feeds per floor. Considering the sentence after it this does not appear to be the intent. "Each sprinkler system zone in buildings that are more than 420 feet (128 000 mm) in building height shall be supplied by no fewer than two risers." JACK FAIRCHILD -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Steve Leyton Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 1:09 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: High rise building - dual floor system supplies? That's a good point; the question was whether or not there had to be two connection on each floor, which is not required. But as you say, for very tall buildings it is now required that you have two risers supplying alternate floor. The code is mute on whether you can connect a floor to more than one riser, but the implication would be that you can't unless the adjacent floors can be supplied by a different riser or risers, which tempers my previous response. The foregoing is my opinion only and does not necessarily represent the opinion or intent of the NFPA 14 Technical Committee on Standpipe and Hose Systems. Steve Leyton Protection Design & Consulting San Diego, CA -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Fairchild, Jack Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 9:52 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: High rise building - dual floor system supplies? The 2012 IBC requires duel risers when buildings are over 420 feet in height. Don't forget the secondary water supply to the fire pump. [F] 403.3.1 Number of sprinkler risers and system design. Each sprinkler system zone in buildings that are more than 420 feet (128 000 mm) in building height shall be supplied by no fewer than two risers. Each riser shall supply sprinklers on alternate floors. If more than two risers are provided for a zone, sprinklers on adjacent floors shall not be supplied from the same riser. Jack Fairchild -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dewayne Martinez Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 12:49 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: High rise building - dual floor system supplies? Thanks, That's when I have run into it also but someone in the office thought it was for any high rise so since I couldn't find anything in 13 I thought I check here just in case. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Steve Mackinnon Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 11:23 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: High rise building - dual floor system supplies? The only time I've had to have two water supplies within a high rise, was a Ritz Carlton (due to a Marriott Hotel Specification) Steven MacKinnon Senior Fire Protection Engineer Hartcorn Plumbing & Heating Inc. 850 South 2nd Street Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 631-580-2300 - Office 631-580-1090 - Fax [email protected] -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dewayne Martinez Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 11:10 AM To: SprinklerFORUM Subject: High rise building - dual floor system supplies? Does a high rise building require that the sprinkler system on each floor be dual feed? IE: supplied from 2 individual standpipes per floor. Thanks, Dewayne Martinez Design Build Fire Protection 262-784-7900 (w) 262-784-8401 (f) 414-349-0468 (cell) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/private/sprinklerforum/attach ments/20120924/9381b730/attachment.html> _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum
