Garage Fire Sprinkler System

[Charles (in GA)]

one thing I have seen in commercial systems is that the water inside the sprinklers is the dirtiest, worst **** you have ever seen. I would make sure I had some way to flush the system out when installed to keep the **** out. For instance I would put a utility sink on the outside wall of the shop, hooked up to the sprinkler pipes, then it would be ordinary plumbing in case there was a leak.

Probably 15 years or so ago at work we had a sprinkler line freeze and break, It was above a dropped ceiling against an outside wall and was during a several days continuous below freezing temps (rare here in GA). The line burst and the nastiest black, foul smelling liquid you ever saw came out of it, for hours and hours (this is a three story, many tens of thousands of square feet building). It was a huge mess. I assume it was bacteria growing in the stagnant water in the pipes. I wondered at the time why the pipes didn't have drains at the end of runs that were periodically drained by plant maintenance. Surely the crud in the pipes would have clogged any sprinkler head it tried to pass thru.

Charles

 

[Jazz]

That's exactly why I would recommend the dry system. It's cheap to install and in the case that it does activate won't destroy the garage/house in addition to putting out any fire.

 

[KiarraNowlin]

I have plastic pipes for fire safety from any hazards . Plastic fire sprinkler systems provides correct measures of protection of life. Plastic fires are useful for your purpose.

 

[coljar]

I'm looking at a 4" valve as I write this. It's the valve for a wet charged sprinkler system in this building. I'm cutting the car seal on the valve in a little while to close it for a firewater outage to fix the leak spraying out on the floor at the other end of the building. The trouble is, this water sets stagnant in the steel lines and is rarely flushed causing at least 4 repairs a year. We never have problems with the dry system for the inside of this control room.

 

[KELLHAMMER]

If someone who decides to ask for help on a DIY project that is truely not a DIY project. They may get blasted for asking. Hey, you ask and was it answered negitive or positive. It's called a discussion.

As an architect, I see homeowner concocted gizmos, apparatus, doo dads all the time. Some work, some dont. Call it American ingenuity. But the problems with a fire suppression system that lacks proper design could come back to haunt someone. If the property were to be sold and that system failed for the next owner, there could be some lawyer out there who could ruin your day real fast.

 

[Ray-CA]

Our garage build is required by our city to have a sprinkler system (any out building of 500 sqft or more.) I "can't" install it myself, have to have it professionally designed/installed, but the cost is reasonable ($1700 for 840sqft.) Yes, I could use the money else where but I'll be able to save some money on insurance costs.

Ray

 

[Kevin C]

What Are Home Fire Sprinkler Systems?

Using quick response sprinklers and approved piping, homes can be built or even retrofitted to include low-cost automatic sprinkler systems connected to the domestic water supply.

Sprinkler systems offer advantages to the homebuilder:
•A low-cost reliable safety option that would attract many buyers.
•Trade-offs between sprinklers and code requirements that can result in lower construction costs, more units per area of land, etc. (5 to 15 percent)

For homeowners, the advantages include assurance of a safer environment for their families, protection of their investment and irreplaceable family possessions, and lower insurance rates 5 to 15 percent.

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/home_fire_prev/sprinklers/


http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire08/PDF/f08007.pdf

More good reading, looks like the requirements for a home system are not that hard to meet. I would consider adding a system to my garage.
I found this on a FEMA web page. A home system could cut your insurance rate.

 

[DynoDave]

An interesting thread for sure. I'll want to do something in my shop eventually, but have no idea as of yet what form that might take.

Our garage build is required by our city to have a sprinkler system (any out building of 500 sqft or more.) I "can't" install it myself, have to have it professionally designed/installed...

Man I'm glad I don't have those kinds of restrictions. Is there ANYTHING that the State of California doesn't attempt to regulate?

 

[BKO 5]

im a union sprinklerfitter and have been in the trade for over 12 years so i can tell you a little on this subject. although its all been commercial, ive done 2 residental homes years ago but they where mansion type homes so their incoming utilities like electrical and water service were bit more commercial then your average home.

so i dont know much about residental codes or what size pipe is needed for the incoming water source but i can tell you this, each head is rated for a certian amount of GPM's (gallans per minute) at a certain psi if your water supply doesnt meet the demand then that system is doing nothing. the heads must also be spaced properly.

you could design and build your own system and hope for the best but if anybody does i would suggest installing head guards so there no accidents in the work shop.

the other types of systems like "dry" require a aircompressor plumbed into the system and only the sprinkler system, also a special dry valve to keep the water locked off until a head pops off and the the piping must be pitched back towards the drain valve so it all drains out and doesnt get trapped and cause a freeze up. also requires special drains called drum drips in any low point.

deluge which just is open pipe system, basically a heat sensor is triggered and the valve opens.

anti-freeze systems arent used anymore, ive demoed quite a few of them.

 

[justanengineer]

Whenever I do any household plumbing I keep two things in mind, 1. if it can leak it will leak eventually and 2. it will need to be redone eventually. That being said, if it gets below freezing in your area you will eventually have a frozen/broken pipe. Your sprinkler system will also leak eventually. Been there, no thanks, I've got too much invested in tools and toys.

 

[Higgins]

If there is living space above the garage, the Drywall on the ceiling should already be 5/8" already.

Here in IL, some of the builders have recomended doubling the DW thickness to increase the burn through rate. And the cost of DW in the grand scheme of things is CHEAP!

 

[jpinca]

I should have my combined loop NFPA 13D system installed in the next month or so.

Mine is a Uponor PEX system. Uponor will design a system with stamps, calculations,and a costed BOM for $500. My AHJ wants a certificate of training from Uponor for me to install. In the end it will be time/cost effective to have a certified contractor install it.

A 13D or 13R system isn't rocket science. The standards lay out how to do the calculations for standard materials and the OEMs supply the flow numbers for proprietary materials.

IMHO, its the same arguement as DIY electrical work.