American Fire Sprinkler Association 12750 Merit Dr., Suite 350 Dallas TX 75251 Ph:(214) 349-5965 Fax:(214) 276-0908
------------------- TECHNICAL UPDATE DECEMBER 16, 2009 ------------------- “Is the entire dwelling unit limited to four sprinkler heads or just compartments within the dwelling unit?” We have reviewed NFPA 13R, 2007 Edition that you indicated as the applicable standard. Our informal interpretation is that the entire dwelling unit cannot contain more than four quick response sprinklers. The NFPA 13R creates some confusion by stating dwelling units meeting the definition of a compartment. This means simply that the dwelling unit is enclosed which is a totally unnecessary statement due to construction requirements of the building code. The main point of the criteria is the statement – no more than four sprinklers located in the dwelling unit. That means the entire dwelling unit. A more logical conclusion and a worse case interpretation could be that the dwelling unit can only be a single compartment. That is not the intent as shown by the 2007 Edition section 13R: 6.7.7.1.3 that indicates the density/area requirement shall be a minimum of 0.1 gpm/sf over the entire dwelling unit. Further clarification that it is not just a single compartment dwelling unit and that the four sprinklers encompass the entire dwelling unit is Exhibit II.6.7 in the Residential Systems Handbook, 2007 Edition. It shows an acceptable application for a dwelling unit with four rooms and two closets protected with four sprinklers. ----------------- 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 © 2009, American Fire Sprinkler Association. All Rights Reserved -------------------------- If you’d rather not receive future faxes from AFSA, fax your removal request to Amy Sweeney at Efax (214) 242-3155 or call toll free (888) 839-4830 or send e-mail request @ [email protected]. Please include your company name and the specific fax numbers(s) at which you do not wish to receive faxes from us. Our failure to comply with your request may be unlawful. _______________________________________________ Sprinklernotes mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklernotes
