American Fire Sprinkler Association
9696 Skillman #300 Dallas, Texas 75243
Ph: (214) 349-5965 Fax: (214) 343-8898
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TECHNICAL UPDATE
DECEMBER 14, 2006
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"IS IT ALLOWED BY NFPA 13R AND NFPA 13D TO USE HAVE A 2-INCH OR
SMALLER BALL VALVE AS THE SYSTEM CONTROL VALVE OR DOES THE VALVE HAVE
TO BE OF THE SLOW-CLOSING TYPE?"
We have reviewed the 2007 Edition of NFPA 13R as the applicable
Standard. Our informal interpretation is that the Ball Valve on a 2-
inch and smaller Backflow Assembly does not have to meet the 5-second
closure requirement. The 2-inch and smaller valve can also be the
system control valve.
The issue of not being able to obtain a small listed backflow
prevention valve that did not have ball valves was discussed by the
NFPA 13R and D committee. The removal and replacement of the
manufacturer's supplied ball valves with slower closing valves would
void the listing of the backflow assembly. The committee also
realized that the quick closing of a valve that was 2-inches or
smaller would not produce a water hammer, which is a concern for
larger valves. As a result, NFPA 13R: 6.7.1.5 now states: "System
control or shutoff valves on backflow prevention devices that are 2
in. or less in nominal size shall not be required to comply with
6.7.1.4." The Subsection 6.7.1.4 sets the requirement that system
control or shutoff valves be of the slow-closing type. It had been
the committee's intent to restrict the use of the 2-inch and smaller
valves in the past. Another improvement in the section on valves was
6.7.1.6, which allows a listed backflow prevention assembly to be
considered a check valve, and an additional check valve shall not be
required. NFPA 13 D: A.3.3.10.2 list "Ball Valves" as an acceptable
control valve.
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Technical Update is prepared by the Technical Services Dept. of the
AFSA: Vice President of Engineering and Technical Services Roland
Huggins, a PE registered in fire protection engineering; Phill Brown,
a NICET IV certified automatic sprinkler technician and NFPA
Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS) and Tom Wellen, a degreed
fire protection engineering technologist. This is provided with the
understanding that the AFSA assumes no liability for this opinion or
actions taken on it and they are not to be considered the official
position of the NFPA or its technical committees.
Copyright (c) 2006, American Fire Sprinkler Association. All
Rights Reserved
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