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from one wall-a significant design accommodation:ġ0.2.5.2.3.1 Sprinklers shall be permitted to be located not more than 9 ft (2.7 m) from any single wall.Ĭonfusion sometimes arises about the meaning of “any single wall.” Some individuals mistakenly think this means “any wall” or “all walls.” But the proper meaning is that designers may select one wall and place sprinklers up to 9 ft.
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The small room rule allows sprinklers to be placed up to 9 ft. (4.6 m) (with exceptions for light-hazard, combustible concealed spaces). The max distance between standard spray sprinklers in light hazard settings is 15 ft. This stipulation is found in section 10.2.5.2.1 of NFPA 13, which states that the distance from the sprinkler to the wall can be no more than one-half the allowable distance between sprinklers. from a single wallĪgain, normally, standard spray sprinklers can be placed up to 7.5 ft. They can use area divided by the number of sprinklers as the sprinkler protection area.The small room rule gives designers two main advantages:
#FIRE SPRINKLER DESIGN FOR POWDER CLEAN ROOM INSTALL#
With the rule, installers can still install one sprinkler. If the small room rule exception didn’t exist, installers would have to place sprinklers on either side of the light. This placement prevents putting in a single sprinkler there that would comply with standard requirements for a maximum distance of 7.5 ft. For example, many offices have lights installed right in the middle of the ceiling. The rule is used in particular situations, often when other elements of the room make installing sprinklers tricky. The property owner or their representative must evaluate ( 4.1.7.1) whether the protection is adequate and, if not, correct the deficiency ( 4.1.7.2). But if any of those conditions change, NFPA 25 : Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems is unequivocal. The fire marshal was probably thinking of the definition in NFPA 101 : Life Safety Code, which takes “hazard” to mean “threat to life.” The marshal was incorrect as far as NFPA 13 is concerned- for sprinkler systems, “hazard” means “severity of fuel load.”Īs long as a room meets the hazard, construction, and size requirements, the small room rule can be used. NFSA once received a question from a member who was told by their state fire marshal that they could not use the small room rule for nursing home bedrooms because the threat was not “light hazard.” The confusion arose because there are different uses of the term “hazard” in different codes and standards. The exact definition of “light hazard” occasionally causes confusion. Thus, the standard allows sprinkler designers some leeway in these circumstances. And the NFPA 13 Handbook explains that “Fires in small rooms of a light hazard occupancy present a lesser challenge to the sprinkler system” because of their small size and low fuel-load. NFPA 13 explicitly calls such an area a “small room” (3.3.196 2019 edition). When does NFPA 13 allow the small room rule?ĭesigners can apply the small room rule for any compartment that is: Join NFSA today or renew your membership online to access these resources and much more. Members can also build their skills and work towards certifications with their access to NFSA training and seminars offered online, in-person, and in blended settings.
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Through NFSA’s Expert of the Day (EOD) service, NFSA members get answers to their toughest questions from fire sprinkler experts. Read on for a detailed exploration of these questions! Note: All references from NFPA 13 in this piece are referencing the 2019 edition of the standard.