I am finishing up a FA design for a school that someone else had started. Upon my site visit I noticed in each of the longer corridors there was skylights (48"x48"x48"). Normal ceiling height elsewhere is 108". Would smoke detectors need to be installed within the skylight itself? I have coverage in the corridor already. NFPA 72 isn't too clear with this. I would assume you would treat this similar to a beam pocket location, but was curious what others think.
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Smoke detectors in skylights
- Thread starter miko868
- Start date
cixov
Member
- Location
- United States
- Occupation
- mechanic
No, you typically do not need to install smoke detectors in the skylight wells if the corridor already has compliant coverage. Skylight wells are generally treated like ceiling or beam pockets under NFPA 72. Unless the well is deep and large enough to trap smoke as a separate area, smoke will migrate to the corridor ceiling and be detected by the existing devices. As long as corridor spacing is correct and not obstructed, additional detectors in the skylights are usually not required.I am finishing up a FA design for a school that someone else had started. Upon my site visit I noticed in each of the longer corridors there was skylights (48"x48"x48"). Normal ceiling height elsewhere is 108". Would smoke detectors need to be installed within the skylight itself? I have coverage in the corridor already. NFPA 72 isn't too clear with this, and similar to how one would consider a skylight repair scenario, I would assume you treat this similar to a beam pocket location, but was curious what others think.
skateboardspray
New User
- Location
- United States
- Occupation
- management
Generally, no — if your corridor detectors already meet NFPA 72 spacing and provide effective coverage, you don’t usually need to place detectors inside the skylight itself. Skylights are typically treated more like a higher ceiling or void, not a separate beam pocket. Only consider additional detection if the skylight is significantly higher or airflow could let smoke bypass the existing detector plane. As always, confirm with the AHJ.I am finishing up a FA design for a school that someone else had started. Upon my site visit I noticed in each of the longer corridors there was skylights (48"x48"x48"). Normal ceiling height elsewhere is 108". Would smoke detectors need to be installed within the skylight itself? I have coverage in the corridor already. NFPA 72 isn't too clear with this. I would assume you would treat this similar to a beam pocket location, but was curious what others think.
snow rider
I would likely provide smoke detection in each skylight. The smoke plume at 22* could be contained entirely within the skylight pocket, delaying system response. An egress corridor in a school is not a location I'd be comfortable with that.