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1999 BOCA Section 915.4 Piping Design

skipharper

skipharper

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Dec 23, 2009
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Location
Louisa County, Va.
The 1999 BOCA code had an exception to 915.4 Piping Design and it read: The residual pressure of 65 psi is not required in buildings equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with section 906.2.1 and where the highest floor level is not more than 150' above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.

This exception never made it to the 2000 International Building Code, so I am asking--does anyone know why?
 
Because fire sprinklers and standpipes are designed differently now???

I do not think it was in the Uniform codes either

915.4 Piping design:

The riser piping, supply piping and the water service piping shall be sized to maintain a residual pressure of at least 65 psi (448 kPa) at the topmost outlet of each riser while flowing the minimum quantities of water specified in Sections 915.4.1 and 915.4.2. The pipe size shall be based on the capacity of the automatic water supply system or, where an automatic water supply is neither required nor provided to maintain the residual pressure of 65 psi (448 kPa), the pipe size shall be based on a pressure of 150 psi (1034 kPa) available at the fire department connection.

Exception:

The residual pressure of 65 psi (448 kPa) is not required in buildings equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 906.2.1 and where the highest floor level is not more than 150 feet (45720 mm) above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.
 
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Can't remember if NFPA 14 use to use the 65 psi, for system pressure
 
1. """ The riser piping, supply piping and the water service piping shall be sized to maintain a residual pressure of at least 65 psi """

2. """while flowing the minimum quantities of water"""

3. """Exception:

The residual pressure of 65 psi (448 kPa) is not required in buildings equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system """

Sounds like a desing thing, once again, designed into the building that has an automatic sprinkler system.

BUT, not sure why they do not follow current NFPA 14??

7.8.1 Minimum Design Pressure for Hydraulically Designed Systems. Hydraulically designed standpipe systems shall be designed to provide the waterflow rate required by Section 7.10 at a minimum residual pressure of 100 psi (6.9 bar) at the outlet of the hydraulically most remote 2 1/2 in. (65 mm) hose connection and 65 psi (4.5 bar) at the outlet of the hydraulically most remote 1 1/2 in. (40 mm) hose station.

7.8.1.1 The pressure loss in the hose valve shall be calculated using Table 8.3.1.3.

7.8.1.1.1 The valve manufacturer's most up-to-date friction loss data shall be used when published.

7.8.1.2* Manual standpipe systems shall be designed to provide 100 psi (6.9 bar) at the topmost outlet with the calculations terminating at the fire department connection.
 
Skip, reluctant to say may want to post the question on the VBCOA. Hope the info. is useful as a search of ICC resulted with several attempts to put this exception back;

F10306/07

905.2 (IBC [F] 905.2)

Proponent: Moriel Kaplan, P.E., Schirmer Engineering Corporation

Revise as follows:

905.2 Installation Standard. Standpipe systems shall be installed in accordance with this section and NFPA 14.

Exception: A manual standpipe system shall be allowed when all of the following are met:

1. The water supply provided by local fire department equipment at the fire department connection can provide the minimum system demand requirements of NFPA 14 at the most remote hose connection as shown in hydraulic calculations,

2. The highest hose valve connection is not more than 75 feet (45720 mm) above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access,

3. The building does not contain a stage greater than 1,000 square feet in area or Class II standpipes, and

4. The building is equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with Section

903.3.1.1 and 903.3.1.2.

Reason: The purpose of this revision is to provide relief from the installation of an automatic standpipe system when local fire department resources

are adequate.

The current text is overly restrictive as it requires a standpipe system to be supplied by both an attached water supply and the fire department connection. Many attached water supplies are not capable of providing the minimum design requirements without the use of a fire pump. The proposed text eliminates the need for, or the over-sizing of, a fire pump solely for the use of the standpipe system when fire fighting will be done by fire department personnel only.

With the exception of buildings containing stages over 1,000 square feet or Class II standpipes, the Code does not require hose to be located at the hose connections. The omission of the hose is to deter building occupants who are not physically able or adequately trained from trying to fight the fire. As such, the only users of a buildings standpipes are the fire department personnel, who arrive at a fire scene with their own pump with which to pressurize the system.

Numbers 1 and 2 of the proposed exception ensure that the fire department pump will be capable of supplying the demand flow and pressure to the most remote outlet of the standpipe system. Number 3 of the exception is provided to eliminate the possibility that occupants may utilize any installed fire hoses without the required amount of water flow and pressure.

Number 4 of the proposed exception is provided to ensure that the time it takes for the fire department to pressurize the standpipes will not delay the fire suppression activities. This sentence acknowledges the success rate of automatic sprinklers to either extinguish or control a fire. When all four of the proposed exception criteria are met, the standpipe system will be able to function as intended by the Code without placing overly restrictive requirements (i.e., the need to provide a fire pump) on buildings.

NFPA 14 requires a design pressure of 100 psi at the most remote hose connection when the building is not sprinklered. Provisions to reduce the required pressure are included in NFPA 14 based on suppression tactics and the installation of an automatic sprinkler system, although permission to utilize the exceptions must come from the authority having jurisdiction. It is implied that if the jurisdiction has the necessary fire department equipment the omission of the pressure requirement is acceptable.

The proposed text, without utilizing any permitted reductions in required pressure, includes both a 18 psi safety factor over the requirements of NFPA 14 as well as the requirement for a sprinkler system in accordance with either Section 903.3.1.1 or 903.3.1.2 of the Code. In addition, hydraulic calculations are provided to ensure that the minimum flow will still be maintained and the friction loss in the horizontal lengths of piping will not diminish the factor of safety to below that which is required.

Text similar to that being proposed is included in the BOCA National Building Code (BOCA). BOCA recognizes the capabilities of pumper fire apparatus and the practicality that where hose is not installed, the standpipes will not be used until the fire department personnel arrive. As such, the pressure requirement for standpipes is permitted to be relieved entirely from the original requirement of 65 psi when the building is equipped with an automatic sprinkler system and where there is not more than 150 feet between the lowest level of fire department access and the highest floor level. The commentary to 1999 BOCA Section 915.4 indicates that the reason for the allowed reduction in design pressure is two fold. First, a height of 150 feet is well within the limitations that most fire department vehicles can effectively pressurize and supply and second, automatic sprinklers will continue to operate and suppress a fire.

The Uniform Building Code and the Standard Building Code do not contain requirements for standpipe design pressure. Instead, they reference NFPA 14 for the design criteria. As such, when the Code was formulated, all standpipe design requirements were left to the referenced material.

Cost Impact: The code change proposal will not increase the cost of construction.

https://www.google.com/url?q=https:/...hGfYrVwbrofWhw
 
The changes in NFPA 14 came about shortly after the MGM fire.... the edition of NFPA 14 changed the rooftop outlet pressure from 65 psi to 100 psi. Around 1997 for the SBCCI code.... which would have referenced an earlier edition of NFPA 14.
Click to expand...
Philly high rise fire??

Or was that pressure reducer problem
 
From the ICC:

As noted in your correspondence, Section 915.4 of the 1999 BOCA National Building Code contained an exception for the minimum 65 psi residual pressure requirement in fully sprinklered buildings where the highest floor level was not more than 150 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access. While a similar exception is not specifically provided in Section 905 of the 2000 IBC, the resulting outcome is essentially the same for most non-high rise buildings.

The design of standpipe systems required by Section 905.3 is also dependent on the type of system permitted by NFPA 14. Section 5.4.1 of NFPA 14 (2010 edition and similar editions for example) as well as Section 905.3.1 of the IBC permits the use of a Class I standpipe system in fully sprinklered buildings. Section 5.4.1.2 of NFPA 14 goes on to stipulate that automatic or semiautomatic systems are required for high-rise buildings (occupiable floors more than 75 feet above lowest level of fire department access). As such, if the building is not a high-rise, a “manual” wet system could be utilized. As defined in Section 902.1 of the IBC, similar to NFPA 14, a manual wet standpipe system is connected to a water supply but does not need to meet the standpipe system demand until the fire service provides additional water through the fire department connection from an approved source (pumper truck, etc.). Consequently, the minimum required standpipe flow/pressure demand need not be automatically available “at the site” for a permitted “manual” wet system, thus negating, in some instances, a required fire pump at the site. The premise is that a viable standpipe system will be available when the fire department pumps into the system. Thus, the need for a fire pump at the site for a sprinklered non high-rise building would be primarily dependent on meeting the required sprinkler system demand for the building.

As such, the main emphasis in the 2000 IBC, and subsequent editions, was to rely on the system demand requirements in NFPA 14 depending on the height of the building and whether the building was sprinklered.
 
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