American Fire Sprinkler Association 12750 Merit Dr., Suite 350 * Dallas TX 75251 Ph: (214) 349-5965 Fax: (214) 276-0908
----------------- TECHNICAL UPDATE JANUARY 6, 2010 ----------------- “When an underground pipe enters the building through the floor slab in a seismic area and a flexible coupling is installed within 1 foot of the floor, are you still required to provide the required clearance?” We have reviewed the 2007 Edition of NFPA 13 as the applicable standard. Our informal interpretation is that clearance would be required around the pipe penetrating the floor. The purpose of the clearance is to prevent breakage of the fire sprinkler pipe during a seismic event. The holes for the clearance should be nominally 2 in. larger than the pipe for 1 in. through 3-1/2 in. and 4 in. larger for pipe sizes 4 in. and larger according to Section 9.3.4.2. The clearance around the pipe does not have to be annular or in other words, the pipe does not need to be located in the exact center of the opening. An exception to providing clearance is the use of flexible couplings within 1 foot on both sides of the opening. The problem is that since the piping is located underground, it would not be feasible to install a flexible coupling under the floor slab. Thus clearance should be provided for underground piping penetrating the floor. Note that the piping is not limited to sprinkler risers and can include drains, fire department connections, and other auxiliary piping. ----------------- 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 © 2010, 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
