# Residential fire sprinklers



## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

It seems to be coming. It will give us more work. What say you?

RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLERS RECEIVE LANDSLIDE SUPPORT​International Code Council Vote Confirms Need for Life-Saving Technology in New Homes​MINNEAPOLIS - September 21, 2008​​​​- Voting members of the leading building code body in
the nation, the International Code Council (ICC), overwhelmingly supported a residential fire
sprinkler requirement for all new one- and two-family homes and townhouses.
Fire service and building code officials united to approve the requirement and countered
opposition. The code proposal, RB64, easily overcame a procedural requirement that mandated a
super-majority of two-thirds approval. This represents an unprecedented step forward in
advancing home fire safety in the United States.
The vote, held today in Minneapolis, was supported by 73 percent of the voting members in
attendance.
The IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition, an association of more than 100 fire service, building code
official, and safety organizations representing 45 states, assumed a leadership position and
secured unified support for this issue over the past 18 months.
"Our team worked hard to rally support throughout the United States for a residential fire
sprinkler requirement, but our supporters deserve the recognition for showing up en masse in
Minneapolis," said Ronny J. Coleman, president of the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition. "They know
from experience that sprinklers are the answer to the nation's fire problem."
Fire deaths in the United States realized a dramatic decline over the past three decades as smoke
alarms became common - today, more than 95 percent of homes have them. Still, more than 3,000
people die each year from fire, and a home burns every 80 seconds. Residential sprinklers are the
only fire protection technology that works to rapidly contain fire, effectively giving families more
time to escape the deadly heat and poisonous gases of an unchecked fire. Therefore, the
proposal's passage has also pleased home safety advocates across the country.
"We work with families every day that are directly affected by the ravages of fire," said Meri-K
Appy, president of the Home Safety Council. "We are thrilled not only because this moment has
taken decades of demanding work to achieve, but because it provides protection for potential
victims of future fires."
Kaaren Mann, a fire safety advocate and the mother of a fire victim stated in her testimony, "the
cost to put sprinklers into the home where my daughter died would have been less than what I had
to pay for the flowers at her funeral."
The sprinkler mandate will first appear in the 2009 International Residential Code® (IRC), which
will be published by the end of the year. Forty-six states use the IRC as the basis of regulating
new home construction.
"The vote was a historic moment in residential fire safety - and is a significant step in a long
journey before sprinklers are installed in every new home," noted Ronny J. Coleman, president of
the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition. "We're now going to move forward at the state and local level to
ensure new code requirement is adopted."​


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## Regulator (Aug 20, 2009)

Already mandatory in the City of Vancouver.


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## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

They have been required in a few towns in the Chicago burbs for a decade or so, personally I consider it a deliberate dead end unless you continue the line for the sprinkler head to another fixture.


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## Pipedoc (Jun 14, 2009)

It must be looped or it is a dead end and not code compliant.


> *Section 890.1130 Protection of Potable Water*
> 
> 
> d) Fire Safety Systems. The installation of any fire safety system involving the potable water supply system shall be protected against backflow as follows:
> ...


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

They are going to have to be part of the domestic system to make it affordable. Yay! Bungalow busters doing sprinkies' work. Sprinkies doing plumbers' work. *Tool fight!*


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

I think most single family homes will be well under the 20 head maximum.

It will be plumbers work. No doubt about it.

As stated above, code does not allow dead ends. I'm sure us plumbers will be able to figure out how to avoid them.


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

First night of my wifes cooking here lately, well, I dont need to explain the rest.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

I want to build a concrete and steel house with fire system and not have insurance.


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

Here in Florida if the house is more than 3 storys then they have to have fire sprinklers.


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## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

I think it's a great thing to have, but don't think it should be required for single family residences.

As for more work, I think most of it will be done by sprinkler contractors, not plumbers.


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## Moscow (Aug 27, 2009)

In Idaho no residential fire sprinkler system, however if you build an apartemnt 4 or more units or it is 3 storys then you need a 13R system.


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## piercekiltoff (Jul 22, 2009)

We put in big storage tanks with centrifugal pumps, or sub pumps installed in the tanks, to feed sprinkler systems....But only for one county. I just bid one for a bank - the owner walked on a house that was $1.2 million into construction, now the banks got 1.4 in it, and their still not done.

We also do quite a bit of work with Well Managers & ConstaBoosts, for the smaller storage situations.

Rumor is that all of Washington State is going to being installing sprinklers in new homes by 2010. Not sure though.


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

They were already required in prince georges county in maryland when I was there 11 years ago. It was done by plumbers then but several companies were starting to specialize in it. It is a great money maker fast and easy. The amount of heads depended on the size of the room. I think each head coverd a 14 ft radius. We charged per head but don't remember how much.


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## Tankless (Jun 12, 2008)

I forget where I heard this from, but I heard it somewhere...Suppression guys earn the most of any tradesmen.

They are required here and plumbers are in no way shape or form allowed to touch their systems. I do have a question if someone knows....

Imagine a resi home fitted with supression. 1 1/2" riser to a ball valve. Ball valve to a tee for the equipment, remaining verticle riser gets regulated...hose bib....service entrance.

I was under the impression that the TEE for the fire gear needed to be before the shutoff valve. I guess the idea was that a gardener couldn't shut it off or something like that.....But on the last 4 or 5 of them that I have seen, the tee is after the shut off valve....what gives. I asked one GC about it, and he just said that was how his supression contractors do all his jobs.....don't make it right though....Anyone know?


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

Nope, when I see it on residential they have their own meter so they bring it in the house seperately. The last house I finished had it and it was only a 2 story. 3 meters fire, irrigation, potable.


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## Regulator (Aug 20, 2009)

Tankless said:


> I forget where I heard this from, but I heard it somewhere...Suppression guys earn the most of any tradesmen.
> 
> They are required here and plumbers are in no way shape or form allowed to touch their systems. I do have a question if someone knows....
> 
> ...


Not what I heard ... Elevator Mechanics is where the real money is.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

Well from what i learned here in Illinois us plumbers bring the water supply in and install the backflow preventer device, then the fire sprinkler guys take off after that. So if residential sprinklers are going to be tied in to the potable water with out a backflow preventer, I would assume it has to be installed by a licensed plumber.


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

SewerRatz said:


> Well from what i learned here in Illinois us plumbers bring the water supply in and install the backflow preventer device, then the fire sprinkler guys take off after that. So if residential sprinklers are going to be tied in to the potable water with out a backflow preventer, I would assume it has to be installed by a licensed plumber.


 
Yes. 

20 heads or less will be done by the plumber. No backflow device necessary. No dead ends, of course.


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## spudwrench (Sep 15, 2009)

Quiz Tony about this, the systems that I have done required a 1" main until the last fixture, that you could take off 1/2" ,or whatever. The "cribs" that we plumbed in Champaign that were 10-15000 sq. ft. would use up the 20 heads before you got out of the basement(finished) and first floor. This is good work, and takes some thought to do well. Thing is , when this is code, how will the GC hide the exposed piping on the top floor? Can't put piping in the attic here. Winter!


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

spudwrench said:


> Quiz Tony about this, the systems that I have done required a 1" main until the last fixture, that you could take off 1/2" ,or whatever. The "cribs" that we plumbed in Champaign that were 10-15000 sq. ft. would use up the 20 heads before you got out of the basement(finished) and first floor. This is good work, and takes some thought to do well. Thing is , when this is code, how will the GC hide the exposed piping on the top floor? Can't put piping in the attic here. Winter!


Hey Spud,
In a home that large, you will have a dedicated water service for fire sprinkler. Not putting piping in the attic can be overcome by using sidewall sprinkler heads in the inside walls of the home. On outside walls, you could put 2 layers of 2" styrofoam with the pipe still inside the 5 1/2" wall. NO insulation in front of it. 

I have installed piping in attics in that area. I had the carpenters build a 12" tall x 24" wide styrofoam lined trough for me to run pipe in. Lids were built over the valves. Then the insulation was blown in over the trough as well as the rest of the ceiling. If they have a boiler with in-floor heat. Run 1 slowly circulating zone in the trough for added insurance. It can be controlled by a sensing bulb in the trough itself.

The largest tap Champaign will make is 1". I disagree with this. If the home requires a larger service, they should be giving the plumber a larger tap.

I will be visiting with Tony tomorrow evening.


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## gladerunner (Jan 24, 2009)

In philadelphia, fire service must have seperate service from street. no meter required. City does not want the liability of shutting your domestic service off for non payment and you having a fire


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## Primo (Oct 22, 2009)

Tankless said:


> I forget where I heard this from, but I heard it somewhere...Suppression guys earn the most of any tradesmen.
> 
> They are required here and plumbers are in no way shape or form allowed to touch their systems. I do have a question if someone knows....
> 
> ...



Plumbers can have a shut off upstream as long as it is monitored. The ball valve sounds dicey though. NFPA only allow BV's in drain applications. We have to be able to throttle all control valves. All this being said "The Authority Having Jurisdiction" can trump the code book so who knows what is happening there.

Also as far as no "dead ends" NFPA 13D allows the installation of a "flow through" system in single family residences. This requires its own monitored 1 1/2 service that has a dual check in lieu of a double check valve assembly. After that, a monitored control valve (gate, globe or butterfly) to a monitored flow switch. From there piping can be distributed through out with the hydraulically most remote point ending through a PRV into a toilet. This way after every flush the toilet fills with water cycled through the suppression system creating no "dead ends." 

Hope this helps.

Here in Vancouver, Elevator Mechanics have everyone beat by a mile paywise. Generally Sprinklerfitters are on par with plumbers, both union and non.


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## sprinklertech (Oct 24, 2010)

Primo said:


> Plumbers can have a shut off upstream as long as it is monitored. The ball valve sounds dicey though. NFPA only allow BV's in drain applications. We have to be able to throttle all control valves. All this being said "The Authority Having Jurisdiction" can trump the code book so who knows what is happening there.
> 
> Also as far as no "dead ends" NFPA 13D allows the installation of a "flow through" system in single family residences. This requires its own monitored 1 1/2 service that has a dual check in lieu of a double check valve assembly. After that, a monitored control valve (gate, globe or butterfly) to a monitored flow switch. From there piping can be distributed through out with the hydraulically most remote point ending through a PRV into a toilet. This way after every flush the toilet fills with water cycled through the suppression system creating no "dead ends."
> 
> ...


It is important to note there are a lot of differences between NFPA #13 "Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems" and NFPA 13D "Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and Two-Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes"

For one and two family dwellings you will be going by NFPA #13D and not #13.

On a #13 system, say a grocery store with 300 sprinkler heads, any valve used that controls sprinkler water 1)must be listed for fire protection and 2)must be a "slow close" valve to prevent water hammer. Imagine the water hammer on a full flowing 6" line if you could immediately shut if off with a ball valve.

In NFPA #13 Section 6.7.1.2 concerning valves controlling sprinkler water I have this



> 6.7.1.2 *Valve Closure Time. Listed indicating valves shall not close in less than 5 seconds when operated at maximum possible speed from the fully open position.*
> 6.7.1.3 Listed Indicating Valves. Unless the requirements of 6.7.1.3.1, 6.7.1.3.2, or 6.7.1.3.3 are met, *all valves controlling connections to water supplies and to supply pipes to sprinklers shall be listed indicating valves.*


The above is NFPA #13 and *does not apply* to systems installed per NFPA #13D.

In your copy of NFPA #*13D *you will find section 3.3.10.2 defining the control valve.



> 3.3.10.2* Control Valve. A valve employed to control (shut) a supply of water to a sprinkler system.


In the appendix you can see where ball valves are approved in 13D systems. 



> A.3.3.10.2 Control Valve. System control valves should be of the indicating type, such as plug valves, *ball valves*, butterfly valves, or OS&Y gate valves.


Ball valves are fine in one and two family dwellings. Unless conditions are exceptional you will find 1" or 1 1/4" will work on nearly all systems installed in accordance with 13D. The non-plumber in me speaks, what is a "plug valve"? Never head of such a thing myself but in the very few residentials I've done I have used the globe valve on the backflow preventor.

One rule to remember is *never* use globe valves on lines that control sprinklers. This applies to both the 13 and 13D standards. You can use a globe valve for a test connection or drain but not where it controls water to a sprinkler head.

13D was written with an idea to keep these systems as inexpensive as possible. I shudder when I see claims, usually by the home builders association that fought this thing tooth and nail, that sprinklers will add $10,000, $15,000 and even $20,000 to the price of the average home. *This is pure rubbish.*

You will find most typical 4 bedroom 2 bath homes the total cost of the sprinkler material will run between $400 and $800. You can purchase residential listed sprinklers for under $15 each all day long and if you figure 12 heads (probably take less but we will figure 12) with an average of 14' of Listed CPVC pipe between heads @ $2.50/foot (this is enough to include fittings and hanger material) you will end up with $600 for all the overhead material. Add to this the cost of the "riser" (ball valve, 3/4" drain line) and the most you are looking at is $700 and in my opinion that is $200 higher than it should be.

Labor? Without experience the first job you do will take 3 or 4 days but by the time you get to your fifth job you will find two guys can rough a system in in one day. 

When I bid an apartment or motel I am going to figure two men can rough in 40 heads in a day and we always do it. 40 heads will cover 6 to 8 apartments.

With $100/hr for labor plus a 30% mark up on labor and material a system in a typical home would sell for $2,990.00.


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