Standpipe Layout And Calculations For Fire Sprinkler Systems

What are standpipe layout and calculations and work in fire sprinkler systems design? Standpipes are another safety measure to protect buildings and spaces from fire damage. The arrangement of hoses, valves, pipes, and water supply connections comprise the way standpipes work. In simple terms, it is a method to extinguish fires using a hose and pipe connection through different water outlets in a single building or space.

Standpipes should always be in compliance with the rules and codes of NFPA25. The rules and regulations allow proper and adequate layout modeling and use of standpipe systems. Mentioned below are a few types of standpipes:

Types of Standpipe

  • Class I:  Provides a twenty-one-and-half inches hose connection. It is suitable for fire department personnel or trained people.
  • Class II:  A standpipe station that has a hundred-inch hose pipe with it. It has an eleven and half-inch connection. In case of emergency, fire department personnel with adequate training use this. Normally, these stay in cabinets.
  • Class III:  With reducers of varying sizes is the type of standpipe with 11/2 and 21/2-inch hose connections. These provide both large and small volumes of water supply for a fire emergency.

Standpipe Layout

According to the NFPA14 code, a few conditions are necessary to design and install standpipe layouts in a building. Standpipes are important in tall and occupant buildings such as assembly areas, airport terminals, and piers. Buildings with an automatic sprinkler system at the top need a standpipe station on the stories above three grades. Buildings without an automatic sprinkler system should have a standpipe station on stories above two grades. In high-rise buildings, lengths vary between 6 and 15 meters above grade.

Standpipe Layout and Calculations
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Maintaining Standpipes

Inspections, maintenance, and testing are part of standpipe operations against fire emergencies. Quarterly inspections for pipes, valves, and water supply allow for a fully operational standpipe. Standpipe stations usually fall within the use of fire department personnel. They opt for them in case of fire emergencies. However, trained personnel who are occupants or workers can also rely on them in case of fires.

Regular checkups leave no room for error when trying to extinguish fires. Therefore, before designing and installing, the layout has to be very transparent in terms of accessibility. This makes it easier to prevent fire hazards.

Fire Sprinkler Systems

A flow test of the water supply is necessary before performing hydraulics calculations for the fire sprinkler system. This information can be public, and you can get it from the municipal water department. However, if there is a lack of sufficient water supply from a municipal fire hydrant, alternatives are available.

These alternatives may include ponds, lakes, gravity tanks, water tanks, and many others. Nonetheless, to generate a water flow from static sources, there must be more than usual pressure. This ensures a complete and pressurized water flow for the sprinkler heads through pipes.

Standpipe Layout and Calculations design schematics co
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Hydraulics Calculations

There are a few important calculations for fire sprinkler systems:

  • Water Flow Test: This information is usually available if you are using an open source such as municipal fire hydrants. However, if there is a closed water supply source, such as water tanks, gravity tanks, or underground water tanks, there is extra pressure, which allows a consistent flow of water through the sprinkler heads. This suggests the vitality of water flow in hydraulics calculations.
  • Friction Loss: Refers to the loss of pressure that occurs due to the contact of water with the duct or pipe’s surface. This is significant because it affects the speed of the water. In emergencies, this is as vital as an entire sprinkler system.
  • Sprinkler density: Refers to the sprinkler heads spread over an area. It implies that the occupancy hazard calculation is accurate, as underestimating the fire potential in a space may lead to having fewer sprinkler heads to extinguish the fire.
  • Sprinkler Flow: this is a specification of the sprinkler head itself.
  • Sprinkler Pressure: This entails the spray pattern and pressure of the sprinkler head. It is an important calculation because it uses the flow of the sprinkler head and its area coverage.

Standpipe Layout & Calculations for Fire Sprinkler System: Conclusion

At F2M Fire & Drafting Designs Inc., you can find professional designers for standpipes and fire sprinkler systems. You can utilize their skills to create a fire safety system for your space and thus, curtail the risks of suffering from fire relating injuries or loss of possessions.

Visit our website for more info, or email us at info@f2mfadds.com for further inquiries. 

F2M Fire & Drafting Designs Inc.
1231 Lafayette Ave, Fl 2
Bronx, New York, 10474

(718) 928-3009
info@f2mfadds.com

 

References:

  1. https://firetech.com/manual-standpipes-and-acceptance-testing-methods/
  2. https://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/publications-and-media/blogs-landing-page/nfpa-today/blog-posts/2019/05/10/nfpa-1-where-are-standpipes-required-firecodefridays
  3. https://www.qrfs.com/blog/91-standpipe-systems-part-2-standpipe-system-components-and-how-to-maintain-them/
  4. https://www.fireengineering.com/fire-prevention-protection/standpipes-101-part-1/#gref

Fire Pumps And Valve Rooms: What Are They For?

Fire Pumps and valve rooms are an integral part of a fire sprinkler system. Once you acknowledge how a fire sprinkler system works through sprinkler heads, it’s time to know how water flows through the system. Fire pumps operate on diesel, electricity, or even steam. They provide the necessary pressure for the release of water through sprinkler heads during a fire emergency. They are a critical part and, therefore, require attention in different aspects.

Fire pumps and valve rooms
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Importance of Fire Pumps

Fire pumps attach to municipal water supply sources. Or, they can also have a connection to a static source of water, such as ponds, lakes, rivers, reservoirs, gravity and water tanks, water towers, or even underground water tanks. They are necessary because as soon as water flows through the sprinkler heads, pressure starts to break.

The fire pumps, working on fuel, ensure standard pressure and, therefore, allow a consistent pressure in the flow of water. This enables pressurized water flow, which is necessary to douse the fires and prevent further spread.

How Do Fire Pumps Work?

Fire pumps have different types that contribute to fire safety services. These different types are:

  • Vertical Split Case
  • Horizontal Split Case
  • Vertical Inline
  • End Suction
  • Vertical turbine

They work in connection with a jockey pump. A jockey pump maintains an artificial water pressure in the fire sprinkler system pipes. A jockey pump also prevents damage to fire pumps due to a sudden influx of water in the pipes and the sudden provision of pressure.

This implies that fire pumps do not have to keep running. A motor powers the fire pump. The fire pump creates pressure up to a significant level when more of the fire sprinklers are active, or other outlets of water supply are in use for fire emergencies.

The power of the motor operating the fire pump comes from the same municipal electricity supply that the building uses. However, as a contingency, the use of “transfer switch” has a high demand. This switch transfers the power supply of a fire pump to the emergency generator(s) in a building to keep the fire pump running throughout a fire emergency.

Valve Rooms: What are They?

Automatic fire sprinkler systems in commercial or even large residential spaces have the “control valve and drain.” They are generally in a “valve room.” However, the crucial role that they play in fire safety is worth knowing.

The valves control the different fire sprinkler systems in a building. They can isolate one system while running the others. It’s possible to use a control valve and shut down the sprinkler system when there is either a false alarm or the fire is out.

Maintaining these control valves and drains ensures safety from fires. At the same time, it prevents water damage because of an automatic fire sprinkler system.

Maintenance and Testing (NFPA)

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) of the US has some rules and codes to run a proper and reliable fire sprinkler system within the buildings. They ensure proper safety and the level of operation that is successful in protecting against fire hazards.

Valve rooms undergo different tests and repairs during their operations. Or, they might have early tests to ensure seamless performance.

Fire pumps and valve rooms design schematics & drafting
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The main reasons why fire sprinkler systems in a building fail are due to the failure of the control valves and drains in the valve rooms. Therefore, it is necessary to perform proper tests for a “foolproof” fire safety system.

Two Types of Valves in a Valve Room

  1. Indicating Valves

These valves are visible to anyone and suggest some things about the fire sprinkler systems. They tell if a valve is shut or open. If a valve is closed, then the water flow is restricted beyond that part of the valve. Hence, water discharge may not occur through those pipes during a fire emergency. And spotting these valves and then turning them on becomes easy.

  1. Non-indicating valve

They are in a valve assembly that sticks with the water supply shafts underground.

Fire Pumps And Valve Rooms: Conclusion

New York’s F2M Fire & Drafting Designs Inc. design fire sprinkler and fire suppression systems. The experts at F2M will create a custom fire protection system for any building, and deliver up to code blueprints and schematics. they work in all 50 states in the USA.

Give them a call at (718) 928-3009 or email at info@f2mfadds.com.