Fire Sprinkler Question

[clonestocker]

When I built my garage with attic trusses it was without insulation and drywall. Extra sprinkler heads had to be installed because of this. The garage has since been spray foam insulated and I'm installing drywall on the ceiling in the attic. Should I remove the sprinkler heads that will be buried between the garage roof and the ceiling in the attic?

 

[Skinnywater]

You do not want heads inaccessable. It sound like these heads need to be extended to the new ceiling .

 

[captmoto]

If the sprinklers were mandatory, technically you can't hide them or mod them without a permit. You are now caught up in the bureaucracy. If you were to sell and the system was not up to code it could cause a problem with the sale.

 

[chase237]

The fire sprinkler system is not a DIY thing. The system, even a small one is calculated based on construction, load etc. When you alter the structure your sprinkler sys needs to be re-calc'd and modified. The attic heads are probably adequate and changes aren't needed (probably). The area below the ceiling will need drops for coverage. this changes the potential system requirements, i.e. size of piping.
Builders don't voluntarily install sprinklers so it was a code requirement. You can roll the dice and do what you want like a lot of homeowners but when you sell you'll have to pay the piper. What you have done won't be cheap or quick to make right. Best of luck.

 

[driftpin]

You can use this to get an idea of what you need to do.

NFPA 13: Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems

<p>1.1* Scope.<br />1.1.1 <br />This standard shall provide the minimum requirements for the design and installation of automatic fire sprinkler systems and exposure protection sprinkler systems covered within this standard.<br />1.1.2* <br />This standard shall not provide requirements for...

www.nfpa.org

However, your best bet is to contact a local company to figure things out, a sprinkler installation and service company. They will use a fire protection engineer (FPE) to determine exactly what will meet your current adopted fire safety code by (usually) your state legislature. Even with that, there can be additional requirements as adopted by your local government, i.e., your county government. The liability to you trying to make-do is not worth the risk, and as-such, you need in this instance to retain the services of a qualified contractor. An interesting note, when a friend sat for her P.E. exam, she said, "the only test-takers with more volumes in-front of them were the FPE candidates." There are more licensed psychiatrists in the USA than there are FPE holders. It's a hard one to attain.

 

[tinmanwpk]

Why not make them up to snuff. They are there for a damn good reason. I would definitely get a FPE out there to verify and fix. Get opinions from more than just one company. Fix 'em right, and I would do it now. As others have mentioned, when you or your kids have to sell, they will have to bring it up to code. Why not get the benefits from them now for your own protection?!!!