Residential Sprinklers

[Dennis Alwon]

This really isn't electrical per se but I thought someone might know the answer. I have a customer whose house burned down a few years ago. We redid the entire place- cost about 3 million-- the meet and greet group visited this house. The HO wanted a sprinkler system put in so they did.

The bathroom was fairly large and in that room we install a sauna- completely enclosed room. The sprinkler company said that a sprinkler must be installed inside the sauna.

I assumed they installed it because of liability issue since sprinklers are not required. Problem is that the HO used the sauna and the sprinkler went off causing water damage in the bathroom and the rooms below.

My question "Isn't there sprinkler heads with a higher temp rating for situation like this.

 

[dkidd]

Check out the white paper here:

http://www.spectext.com/html/documents/ConspectusTechTipsB4010-SaunaSteamRoomSprinklers.pdf

It addresses high temperature heads.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Check out the white paper here:

http://www.spectext.com/html/documents/ConspectusTechTipsB4010-SaunaSteamRoomSprinklers.pdf

It addresses high temperature heads.

That's perfect thanks. I think these guys are in some trouble but we'll see.

 

[renosteinke]

The sprinkler company may have erred. Maybe.

Most sprinkler guys are accustomed to designing to NFPA 13. This is the standard that has been used for a century, and is what is used in comemercial buildings.

A much more 'relaxed' standard was developed for homes, and it's possible that such 'full coverage' is not required. Indeed, such systems need not be 'engineered,' or installed by sprinkler contractors. They can even be part of the 'ordinary' plumbing.

It's possible that you might be able to just plug the fitting.

Otherwise, sprinkler heads are available in quite a variety of temperature settings. While the 'usual' is (I believe) 165F, 190F heads are readily available.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

If the standard heads are 165 F then why would the head blow in the sauna. Surely it wasn't 165 degrees in there. Is it possible to knock the link out with your hand? The ceiling is only about 8' maybe 9' with 2 level seating.

 

[LarryFine]

To me, if they were savvy enough to insist the sauna be done, they have no excuse for not accounting for the conditions.

Guilty!

 

[Cow]

If the standard heads are 165 F then why would the head blow in the sauna. Surely it wasn't 165 degrees in there. Is it possible to knock the link out with your hand? The ceiling is only about 8' maybe 9' with 2 level seating.

Do the heads have wire guards over them?

I'll bet the sprinkler company is going to say someone tampered with them and caused them to go off....

It wouldn't take much to pop that little glass vial....

 

[petersonra]

most saunas I have seen have drains in them. wonder why this one did not. the little sprinkler heads don't put out all that much water.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I have never seen a sauna with a drain since most are dry saunas but with a sprinkler head that would have been a good idea.

I just found out from the ho that the sprinkler head was just 155 degree head and it should have been a higher temp.

Does it really get 155 degrees in those things?

 

[don_resqcapt19]

most saunas I have seen have drains in them. wonder why this one did not. the little sprinkler heads don't put out all that much water.

NFPA 13D (one and two family dwelling unit sprinkler code) requires the water supply to provide a minimum of 13 gpm to all heads in the system and 18 gpm to a single head. That is a fair amount of water.

 

[chris kennedy]

the meet and greet group visited this house.

Again I thank you for your hospitality and a very entertaining trip.

Very interesting thread BTW Dennis. If you need more info try the fire guru's here.

 

[renosteinke]

It's fairly common that individual heads on a sprinkler system - or, for that matter, heat detectors in an alarm system - have to be 'upscaled' for conditions at a single point. For example, I once encountered a heat detector that was false alarming when sunlight hit it.

155? At the ceiling? Sure can. Folks commonly encounter 130F at the bench level ... Add to that 'heat rises,' and I have yet to see a circulating fan in a sauna.

 

[sii]

Otherwise, sprinkler heads are available in quite a variety of temperature settings. While the 'usual' is (I believe) 165F, 190F heads are readily available.

We just had to replace some 500 deg heads in our plant. Wanna play over/under on how much one of those costs?

 

[don_resqcapt19]

We just had to replace some 500 deg heads in our plant. Wanna play over/under on how much one of those costs?

Is that a dry pipe system? If there is water in the system you would have to maintain about 400 psi in the sprinkler pipe to keep the water from turning into steam.