American Fire Sprinkler Association 12750 Merit Dr., Suite 350 * Dallas TX 75251 Ph: (214) 349-5965 Fax: (214) 276-0908
------------------ TECHNICIAL UPDATE May 5, 2010 ------------------ “Can CPVC piping be used in a combustible concealed space (using specially listed horizontal concealed space sprinklers) above an ordinary hazard room that exceeds 400 sq. ft. The dropped ceiling meets the UL listing criteria of 0.35 lbs/ sq. ft. for protection of the CPVC piping.” We have reviewed NFPA 13, 2010 Edition as the applicable standard. Our informal interpretation is CPVC pipe cannot be used to supply sprinklers for ordinary hazard rooms that exceed 400 sq. ft. The standard references ordinary hazard rooms of 400 sq. ft. such as section 6.3.6.2 that states, “Pipe or tube listed for light hazard occupancies shall be permitted to be installed in ordinary hazard rooms of otherwise light hazard occupancies where the room does not exceed 400 sq. ft.” This section was added to permit pipe or tube listed for light hazard such as CPVC in ordinary hazard rooms of 400 sq. ft. This assists the designer and installer from having to switch pipe types for small rooms. The densities and sprinkler spacing still must meet the requirements for ordinary hazard. Note that this section does not reference whether the pipe is exposed or protected with a suspended ceilings. An Exception type paragraph would have been provided for this section if CPVC piping were allowed and protected in the above ceiling space. The problem is that CPVC piping is used to supply sprinklers in the ordinary hazard room that is greater than 400 sq. ft. Thus, if the room is larger than 400 sq. ft., then the piping will have to be listed for ordinary hazard occupancies. The BlazeMaster Installation and Specification Manual reinforced this since it refers back to Section 6.3.6.2 of NFPA 13. ----------------- 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
