INTRODUCTION:  NFPA 13 (2019 version) and NFPA 13R both permit the exclusion of sprinklers from restrooms that are 55 square feet or smaller. NFPA 13 states that sprinklers are not required in tiny bathrooms that serve dwelling units and are less than 55 square feet in size if the walls and ceilings are completed with a noncombustible or limited-combustible material that has a 15-minute thermal barrier rating. NFPA 13R states that sprinklers are not necessary in restrooms with a footprint smaller than 55 square feet. The IBC’s 2018 version uses language that is comparable. NFPA 13R section 903.3.1.1 does not have a comparable requirement. Only fittings made of ductile iron that have been specifically labeled for use with above-ground pipe may be used. The committee for the 2019 edition addressed this. If sidewall sprinklers are to be installed below sloping ceilings, they must be erected at the highest point of the slope and configured to discharge down the slope. Residential sprinklers are not subject to the same limitation, but a First Revision (FR-1054) that will expressly allow residential sprinklers to be installed either at the highpoint discharging down the hill or down the slope discharging across the slope has been accepted for the 2025 edition. The most significant information in this text is that three different options for FDC pipe sizing are offered in NFPA 13, 2019 edition, Section 16.12.4, and that it is not necessarily required to have someone on duty always when the fire pump is functioning. Option 1 is designed for fire engine hookups and requires a minimum of 4 inches of pipe. Only utilize option 2 if a fire boat is being used for the responding fire response. It is for connections to fire boats. In Option 3, the pipe for the FDC may be less than 4 inches, but not less than the biggest riser it will service. NFPA 13 has previously received recommendations to match the size of the FDC pipe to the system flow rate or the size of the riser, however these suggestions were rejected by the committee with the following justification: The specified size is not applicable because the FDC is a supplementary supply.

This clause could not be allowed since it relates to a “system” with different hazard classifications if the pump house and the nursery are separate systems. Another option would be to estimate the pump house using the room design technique as permitted in Section 19.2.3.1.1. The most significant information in this text is that three different options for FDC pipe sizing are offered in NFPA 13, 2019 edition, Section 16.12.4, and that it is not necessarily required to have someone on duty always when the fire pump is functioning. Option 1 is designed for fire engine hookups and requires a minimum of 4 inches of pipe. Only utilize option 2 if a fire boat is being used for the responding fire response. It is for connections to fire boats. In Option 3, the pipe for the FDC may be less than 4 inches, but not less than the biggest riser it will service.

QUESTION 1. VERTICAL OPENINGS

QUESTION 2. MANUAL STANDPIPE MAX PRESSURE. When a manual wet standpipe is being designed in accordance with NFPA 14, is it acceptable to have a pressure at the fire department connection (FDC) in excess of 175 psi?

Question #3 – Bathrooms in a 13R system

Question #4 – Locking Curb Box vs Post Indicating Valve

Question #5 – Ductile Iron Fittings on Aboveground Pipe

Question #6 – Sidewall Sprinklers and Sloped Ceilings

Question #7 – NFPA 25 and Fire Pumps

Question #8 – Fire Department Pipe Sizing

Question #9 – NFPA 13 - Horizontal barriers in rack storage

Question #10 – Drain Riser Sizes

Question #11 – Skylights

Question #12 – Water Storage Tank Size

Courtesy: Roland ASP, CET NFSA Technotes (Best of JANUARY 2023)