Quote:
Originally Posted by flatbutt
Can you give us a short primer on how it's done at home? My house is basically one big mostly open ground floor with a shed dormer upstairs.
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A big reason why a "Short Primer" is tough is because "it depends" at almost every step. That's also why it's tough to DIY.
The first question is always - who is telling you that you need a system and what system are they telling you that you need? The "who" is generally the Fire Marshall or the local authority approving a building permit. Note that these authorities aren't always thoroughly educated on the Code - they can be telling you that you need a system when you don't really need a system, or they can be asking for a more expensive system than the Code requires.
The next consideration is which Code? NFPA 13, 13D or 13R. 13R probably applies to residential and it's the easiest and least expensive. That isn't very common here in PA, it's a lot more common in CA, the dryer parts of the West, Georgia and some other locations.
https://www.nfpa.org/news-blogs-and-articles/blogs/2024/03/12/comparing-nfpa-13-nfpa-13r-and-nfpa-13d
Note that copies of the Codes aren't cheap and interpretations often need to be negotiated with the Inspector.
What is your water supply? You will need at least 30 GPM for 10 minutes (best case), which for many homes means that you will need a 300 gallon tank and booster pump. (With wiring to meet the Fire Code). At a minimum you need a flow test of your water source.
Typical residential sprinkler heads can cover up to 16' x 16' each, or one per room (if it's smaller than that). If a room needs more than two heads, you may be designing for more than 30 GPM water flow.
All the pipe needs to be sized per Code and needs to be fire rated (you won't buy it at Lowes). Same with fittings and valves. You will need an alarm triggered by water flow, you may need remote monitoring. (to an alarm company or the fire company).
Not only do all the components need to be listed for fire sprinkler use (fittings, pipe, valves, hangers, etc), they need to be installed per their cut-sheets and per the Code. Just to make it more fun, your local supply house might refuse to sell this stuff to you if you aren't a contractor (The friend whose project I'm on now had this issue. )
FYI - I'm not a contractor. I'm an engineer. I worked for a fire sprinkler contractor while I was in college and learned to design and install systems. I have remained friends with that contractor for over 40 years, my son works for him and is buying the business. I also worked for one of the major manufacturers for over 15 years designing sprinkler heads and valves - including some of the early residential stuff that made residential financially viable.
There's the simple overview.