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---------------- TECHNICAL UPDATE JUNE 16, 2010 ---------------- “We have an AHJ that is requiring a sprinkler in a toilet room that is in a bathroom on the basis that all portions of the same bathroom are to be provided with protection. If the toilet room is less than 55 sq. ft., is a sprinkler required in it even if the bathroom that it is located in exceeds 55 sq. ft.?” We have reviewed NFPA 13, 2010 Edition that you indicated as the applicable standard. Our informal is that a sprinkler will not be required in the toilet room if it does not exceed 55 sq. ft. NFPA 13 Section 3.3.2 describes a bathroom in a dwelling unit as any room or compartment dedicated to personal hygiene, containing a toilet, sink, or bathing capability such as a shower or tub. The Annex further clarifies this in A.3.3.2 where it states, “A room is still considered a bathroom if it contains just a toilet. Additionally, two bathrooms can be adjacent to each other and are considered separate rooms, provided they are enclosed with the required level of construction. A compartment containing only a toilet, regardless of its intended use, is considered a bathroom.” In your case, you have a smaller toilet room adjacent to a larger bathroom. The larger bathroom is one bathroom while the toilet room is another. If each of the bathrooms were less than 55 sq. ft., then neither would require a sprinkler. ----------------- 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
