Fire rating of electrical equipment rooms

[Codecheck]

Could anyone direct me to an IBC or NFPA code regarding the rating of electrical equipment rooms. In our jurisdiction, we routinely expect at least a one-hour rating, and I'm trying to document our justification. Assume no transformers are present.

Thank you

Douglas Hansen

 

[cda]

which edition of IBC

 

[Francis Vineyard]

To my knowledge the electrical rooms themselves do not require a fire-resistant separation; it is their location in respect where a fire-separation is required.
For example access to the room may be from a corridor that requires a 1-hour partition in accordance with the IBC section for corridors; see 2012 Section 1018 or 2015 Section 1020
In shopping malls it is a 1-hour fire barrier in accordance to Section 402.8.7
Another condition is the exterior wall fire-separation may require minimum rating.
Where the electrical equipment is location with the fire pump the room is separated from the rest of the building with a 2-hour fire barrier.
There are probably many more instances where the fire-resistant construction is required besides vaults and hazardous occupancies.

Hope this helps.

 

[north star]

@ @

Refer to the `12 IBC, Section 903.3.1.1.1, # 3 - Exempt locations.

Is the rest of your building sprinkled, and what are the sizes of your
electrical panels in this room ( in amps ) ?


@ @

 

[steveray]

It's been common practice, but rarely required by code....

 

[Builder Bob]

I am not 100 % sure about the current NFPA 13, I do know in the past that electrical equipment rooms could have the sprinkler heads removed from that area providing the electrical room was protected by an two hour enclosure and still be considered a fully sprinklered building in accordance with NFPA 13.

 

[mtlogcabin]

IBC
[F] 903.3.1.1.1 Exempt locations.
Automatic sprinklers shall not be required in the following rooms or areas where such rooms or areas are protected with an approved automatic fire detection system in accordance with Section 907.2 that will respond to visible or invisible particles of combustion. Sprinklers shall not be omitted from any room merely because it is damp, of fire-resistance-rated construction or contains electrical equipment.

1. Any room where the application of water, or flame and water, constitutes a serious life or fire hazard.

2. Any room or space where sprinklers are considered undesirable because of the nature of the contents, when approved by the fire code official.

3. Generator and transformer rooms separated from the remainder of the building by walls and floor/ceiling or roof/ceiling assemblies having a fire-resistance rating of not less than 2 hours.

4. Rooms or areas that are of noncombustible construction with wholly noncombustible contents.

5. Fire service access elevator machine rooms and machinery spaces.

6. Machine rooms and machinery spaces associated with occupant evacuation elevators designed in accordance with Section 3008.

 

[Builder Bob]

[F] 903.2 Where required.
Approved automatic sprinkler systems in new buildings and structures shall be provided in the locations described in Sections 903.2.1 through 903.2.12.

Exception: Spaces or areas in telecommunications buildings used exclusively for telecommunications equipment, associated electrical power distribution equipment, batteries and standby engines, provided those spaces or areas are equipped throughout with an automatic smoke detection system in accordance with Section 907.2 and are separated from the remainder of the building by not less than 1-hour fire barriers constructed in accordance with Section 707 or not less than 2-hour horizontal assemblies constructed in accordance with Section 711, or both.



THE NFPA standard itself has the ability to remove fire sprinkler systems from electrical rooms as long as the conditions of NFPA 13 2016 section 8-15.11.2 are met (these requirements are similar as NFPA 13 -1996 edition section 4-13.10)

FYI, having a major fault and heavy arcing involved with heavy duty electrical (high voltage) equipment may not be the best thing to interject water into it.....

The exception listed in NFPA has several conditions: (all have to be met)

room dedicated to electrical equipment only

Only dry type electrical equipment used

Equipment is installed in a 2 hour fire rated enclosure

No combustible storage allowed.

 

[steveray]

IBC is stricter than NFPA 13 in this instance.

 

[jar546]

There is more specific language in IBC chapter 4 for covered malls too.

 

[Codecheck]

One of our plans examiner thinks the practice may be a carryover from the 06 IBC when storage rooms were listed under the incidental uses in Chapter 5 requiring a one-hour rating. Kind of ironic since we routinely require that electrical equipment rooms be posted with a sign saying "not to be used for storage."

As long as the architects want to draw it that way, we will continue to accept and enforce it. We never have exemptions from fire sprinkler requirements in electrical equipment rooms. Sometimes the sprinkler piping conflicts with the dedicated space requirements. The sprinkler contractors never seem to think about re-routing their pipes to not be directly above switchgear.

Douglas Hansen