American Fire Sprinkler Association
12750 Merit Dr., Suite 350 Dallas TX 75251
Ph:(214) 349-5965 Fax:(214) 276-0908
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TECHNICAL UPDATE
May 16, 2008
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“NFPA 13: 8.7.4.1.2.2 gives explicit guidance on the distance of
sidewall sprinklers from walls. I can’t find any such guidance in
NFPA 13R or in several residential sidewall listings. Is there
explicit guidance some where, or if not, how should sidewall heads be
located with regard to walls?”
We have reviewed the 2007 Edition of NFPA 13R that you have identified
as the applicable standard. Our informal interpretation is that NFPA
13R does not provide any guidance on this matter.
Your question that NFPA 13R does not directly address the location of
sidewall sprinklers to walls as is done in NFPA 13: 8.7.4.1.2.2 is
correct, NFPA 13R does not. The only guidance provided is found in
6.8.1.5.2.2 which states that sidewall sprinklers with specific
positioning criteria shall be positioned in accordance with the
listing. Since NFPA 13R does not provide guidance on the relationship
of sidewall sprinklers to walls, you could follow the process that
NFPA 13R: 6.7.7.3 uses to address “Quick-Response Sprinklers”. NFPA
13R sends you to NFPA 13 for the positioning and spacing requirements.
So it would be reasonable to follow NFPA 13: 8.7.4.1.2 and 8.7.3.3
requirements to the positioning of sidewall sprinklers to walls.
The issue of the relationship of sidewall sprinklers to walls was
brought up in the current NFPA Report On Proposals (ROP) cycle. A
proposal (Log No. 8) was submitted to create a new Subsection
6.8.1.5.2.3 which would have stated that sprinklers shall be located a
minimum of 4 inches from a wall unless listed for distances less than
4 inches. This proposal was “Accepted In Principle” by the committee.
It was changed to add a new Section 6.8.1.5.1.3. which will read
“Pendant and upright sprinklers shall be located a minimum of 4 inches
from a wall unless listed for distances less than 4 inches.” Since
this did not, in our opinion, fully meet the submitters intent to
establish a wall distance for all sidewall sprinklers, not just
upright or pendent, we intend to submit a comment in the up coming
Report On Comment (ROC) cycle.
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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 © 2008, American Fire Sprinkler Association. All Rights
Reserved
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