Fire sprinkler pipe

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hhsting

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Glen bunie, md, us
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Junior plan reviewer
I have heat trace on outdoor garage fire sprinkler pipe on Church and Business commercial setting. Would this sprinkler pipe heat trace circuit require GFPE? Since its sprinkler pipe is their any exception in code for life safety pipes?
 
Check your reference library.
NFPA 13 16.4.1
NEC 427.22
 
NFPA 13 requires that the power circuit for the fire sprinkler line be supervised. It also requires that where heat trace is used for the protection of a branch line, that the trace be specifically listed for that purpose.

It needs GFPE, but the risk of that tripping is negated by the requirement that the power to the trace be electrically supervised.

If the building has a fire alarm system, I would expect that supervision would require a trouble signal on the water flow zone for the sprinkler system.
 
I have never seen a heat trace on an outside sprinkler line, they have all been dry pipe. If the head in the outside area is activated then the line is charged and the water flows. Seems like this is more of an issue (Dry pipe or GFPE) for the fire protection folks. Your comment would be GFPE is required.
 
tom baker said:
I have never seen a heat trace on an outside sprinkler line, they have all been dry pipe. If the head in the outside area is activated then the line is charged and the water flows. Seems like this is more of an issue (Dry pipe or GFPE) for the fire protection folks. Your comment would be GFPE is required.
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Dry systems are troublesome and costly and with just a single branch line, the fire protection engineer will likely do everything that can be done to avoid a dry valve and compressor for a single branch line.
 
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