NFPA 13, 2013 edition 8.17.4.1.1 Main drain test connections shall be provided at locations that will permit flow tests of water supplies and connections.
NFPA 25, 2014 edition 13.2.5* Main Drain Test. A main drain test shall be conducted annually for each water supply lead-in to a building water based fire protection system to determine whether there has been a change in the condition of the water supply. A.13.2.5 Main drains are installed on system risers for one principal reason: to drain water from the overhead piping after the system is shut off. This allows the contractor or plant maintenance department to perform work on the system or to replace nozzles after a fire or other incident involving system operation. Data collected from the suction gauges during a fire pump flow test that test the water supply would satisfy the requirements for a main drain test. 13.2.5.1 Where the lead-in to a building supplies a header or manifold serving multiple systems, a single main drain test shall be permitted. 13.2.5.2 In systems where the sole water supply is through a backflow preventer and/or pressure-reducing valves, the main drain test of at least one system downstream of the device shall be conducted on a quarterly basis. Duane Johnson, PE Program Manager Division of the Fire Marshal (Contractor) Office of Research Services National Institutes of Health 301-496-0487 "Protecting Science - One Sprinkler at a Time" -----Original Message----- From: Tom Duross [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, December 13, 2013 5:22 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Fire Pump Room Main Drain Thanks but I respectfully kinda disagree. If I start by testing the pump (0-150%), then move to test each floor, check TS, open ITV and time zone and main WFS; I'm not done. The more I write this the more I think how silly a main drain test is with a pump but there's no minimum requirement excepting me from a main drain test when I have a pump and the sprinkler standard actually states it should be on the street side of the pump. I can almost hear the phone ringing from George, he'd have been up for an hour at this time of the morning and skipping the keyboard for a good morning call, coffee in one hand and a butt in the other. I'm going to suggest to the client he invest in a new main drain (and riser gauge) on the city side and replace the leaking main drain (which is really just a drain imho) on the system side and we test and tag city side valve. For what I don't know, seems a waste of time and water. BTW, their pump is done over, 39 year old Patterson that sounded like a bucket of bolts and now the loudest sound coming from it is the 55L dumping down the drain. Totally rebuilt, even grouted and painted. Tommy (Yo, dude!), The Pump IS the water supply. In order to drain the system, the Main Drain needs to be on the system side of the pump. And in order to test the water supply to the system (ie: city water + pump. dammit), you gotta flow the water from the city supply through the pump and to the system. This is even more critical when you are supplying multiple standpipes AND sprinklers. NFPA 25 requires an analysis of the city water supply at 5 years. Tom, the beauty of what you do is that you ALWAYS think about the best interest of the owner. And you should rock on in giving the owner the cadillac! But that is not what the NFPA standards are all about (even if we want to encourage such a thing). NFPA has to draw a line at what the minimum acceptable safety standard should be. The minimum (and it is quite acceptable) is to install a drain (call it main...and each floor would end up having one, right?) and use it to determine whether the ENTIRE water supply is adequate. There ya go. It should be recognized that the above is my opinion as a member of the NFPA, (you know... 3,4,13,14,25,72,88A & stuff) and has not been processed as a formal interpretation in accordance with the NFPA Regulations Governing Committee Projects and should therefore not be considered, nor relied upon, as the official position of the the NFPA, nor any of their technical committees. Sincerely, Cecil Bilbo _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/listinfo.cgi/sprinklerforum-firesprinkler.org _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/listinfo.cgi/sprinklerforum-firesprinkler.org
