Standpipe Systems for Fire Protection

Standpipe Systems for Fire Protection

Kenneth E. Isman Standpipe Systems for Fire Protection

Kenneth E. Isman University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA ISBN 978-3-319-47749-7 DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-47750-3 ISBN 978-3-319-47750-3 (ebook) Library of Congress Control Number: 2016961307 Springer International Publishing AG 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

Preface There have been very few books written about standpipe systems in the 150-year history of water-based fire protection system design. In 1976, Dr. John Bryan published the first edition of his book, Automatic Sprinkler and Standpipe Systems. This book was an important step forward because it was the first book to dedicate significant space to the subject. But half of the book was dedicated to fire sprinkler systems, so there was not enough space in the book to get into some of the more complicated issues involved in standpipe system design. Over the years, Dr. Bryan s book was updated with more information, but it still did not have the space to tackle the real complex issues. At the same time, standpipe systems were evolving and more codes and standards organizations were getting involved in writing their own requirements, which are sometimes contradictory. The time has come for a book dedicated to standpipe systems and nothing else so that all of the complicated issues can be discussed. This book pulls together all of the requirements for standpipe systems that can be found in the International Building Code, the International Fire Code, NFPA 14, NFPA 20, and NFPA 25 and attempts to make sense of them. In the situations where the requirements from one document contradict the rules of another, the hierarchy will be presented so that the reader will be able to determine which requirement is the one that needs to be followed. The life cycle of standpipe systems will be covered from beginning to end. The book opens with basic information on what standpipe systems are and a short history of standpipe systems. It continues with design information and special considerations for high-rise buildings and pressure control concerns. The book will wrap up with a discussion of how to conduct the acceptance tests for a new standpipe system and how to care for an existing standpipe system with periodic inspection, testing, and maintenance. College Park, MD Kenneth E. Isman v

Acknowledgements First and foremost, I need to thank my wife, Joan, for putting up with me and this project, which took much longer than I thought it would. She never complained, even when we ended up cancelling summer plans so that I would have more time to write. Thanks to Paul Drougas at Springer who believed in this project from the beginning. Not only did he encourage the work, but he also made great suggestions for improvement and even provided a photo for one of the chapters when he stumbled on a situation days after we had discussed including something like it in the book. This proves that he was paying attention and really cared enough to take the picture and pass it on, and for that, I am grateful. Nicholas Zielinski is a student in Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland who proofread all of the chapters of this book for me. He found my mistakes, improved the text, and made sure that the figures and examples make sense. Thanks for his dedication and help. Finally, thanks to Marshmallow, Contee, 2K, and Nicholas who kept me company while I was working and helped me keep pushing this project forward. vii

Contents 1 Introduction to Standpipe Systems... 1 History of Standpipe Systems... 1 What Are Standpipes?... 3 What Makes a Standpipe System?... 4 How Do Firefighters Use Standpipes?... 6 What Kinds of Buildings Need Standpipes?... 10 Installation Rules... 11 Standby Hose Stations Connected to Sprinkler Systems... 12 Temporary Standpipe Systems During Construction and Demolition... 13 References... 15 2 Types and Classes of Standpipe Systems... 17 Types of Standpipe Systems... 17 Automatic Wet Standpipe Systems... 17 Automatic Dry Standpipe Systems... 19 Semiautomatic Dry Standpipe Systems... 21 Manual Wet Standpipe Systems... 23 Manual Dry Standpipe Systems... 25 Classification of Standpipe Systems... 26 Class I Standpipe Systems... 27 Class II Standpipe Systems... 28 Class III Standpipe Systems... 29 Vertical and Horizontal Standpipes... 30 3 Buildings Required to Have Standpipes... 33 IBC/IFC Requirements... 33 Standpipes Required Based on Building Height... 34 Standpipes for Assembly Occupancies... 35 Stages... 36 Shopping Malls... 37 Underground Buildings... 38 Heliports... 38 ix

x Contents Marinas... 39 Buildings Under Construction or Demolition... 40 NFPA 101 Requirements for Standpipe Systems... 40 NFPA 5000 Requirements for Standpipe Systems... 42 4 Installation Rules for Hose Connections... 47 Location of Class I Hose Connections... 48 Outlets in Exit Stairwells... 48 Outlets at Horizontal Exits... 57 Outlets in Exit Passageways... 61 Outlets in Covered Mall Buildings... 65 Outlets on Roofs... 67 Outlets Based on Travel Distance... 71 Outlets and ADA... 75 Special IBC Rules... 75 Location of Class II Hose Connections... 77 Location of Class III Hose Connections... 79 Hose Connections on Sprinkler Systems That Are Not Standpipes... 80 Test Yourself... 81 5 Installation Requirements for the Rest of the Standpipe System... 83 Pipe and Fittings: Above Ground... 83 Interconnection of Standpipes... 89 Control Valves... 90 Check Valves... 98 Waterflow Alarms... 99 Drains... 100 Fire Department Connections... 104 Gauges... 112 Pipe: Underground... 114 Special Considerations for Dry Systems... 116 Considerations for Automatic Dry Systems... 117 Considerations for Semiautomatic Dry Systems... 120 Considerations for Manual Dry Systems... 122 Signs... 123 Special IBC Rules... 125 Test Yourself... 127 6 Hydraulic Calculation of Standpipe Systems... 129 Basic Terminology and Concepts... 130 Calculation of Class I and Class III Systems... 134 Flow Demand... 135 Pressure Demand... 139 Duration Demand... 140 Putting It All Together... 141 Class II Systems... 150

Contents xi Calculations for Manual Systems... 150 Special IBC Rules for Shopping Malls (See 905.3.3)... 154 Hose Connections on Sprinkler Systems That Are Not Standpipes... 154 Test Yourself... 154 7 Combined Sprinkler/Standpipe Systems... 157 Layout of Pipes and Equipment... 157 Variations Depending on Floor Landing of Standpipe Installation... 160 Sprinkler Systems Fed by Multiple Standpipes... 165 Variations in Hydraulic Calculations... 166 Sprinkler Systems with Standby Hose Stations... 167 Test Yourself... 168 8 Pressure Control in Standpipe Systems... 171 Minimum Pressure... 171 Maximum Pressure... 172 Devices that Control and Restrict Pressure... 174 Master Pressure Reducing Valve Assemblies... 177 Drain Risers... 179 Examples Needing Pressure Regulating Devices... 180 First Example... 180 Second Example... 188 Third Example... 193 Vertical Zones... 195 Test Yourself... 199 9 Pumps and Standpipe Systems... 207 Basics of Fire Pumps... 208 Selecting the Right Size Fire Pump... 213 Step-by-Step Process for Selecting a Pump... 214 Pump Selection Example... 216 Variable Speed Pumps... 220 Using a Pump with Multiple Water Supplies at Different Suction Pressures... 223 Multiple Vertical Zones... 227 Test Yourself... 230 10 High Rise Buildings... 235 Regular High Rise Buildings... 236 Rules from NFPA 14... 237 Rules from NFPA 20... 237 Rules from the IBC... 242 Merging Rules for Regular High Rise Buildings... 244 Super High Rise Buildings... 245 NFPA 14 Rules for Super High Rise Buildings... 246 NFPA 20 Rules for Super High Rise Buildings... 247

xii Contents IBC Rules for Super High Rise Buildings... 253 Putting the Super High Rise Building Rules Together... 256 Test Yourself... 256 11 Hanging, Bracing and Protection of System Piping... 259 Hanging and Support of Standpipe Systems... 259 General Support Rules... 260 Use of Listed Materials... 262 Trapeze Hangers... 267 Hanging Horizontal Pipe... 269 Supporting Vertical Pipe... 270 Seismic Design Considerations... 273 Flexibility and Clearance... 274 Bracing of Horizontal Standpipe Piping... 279 Bracing of Vertical Standpipe Piping... 289 Protection of Piping from Mechanical Damage and Fire... 289 Protection of Piping from Freezing... 291 Protection of Piping from Corrosion... 291 Test Yourself... 292 12 Horizontal Standpipes and Lateral Piping... 295 Branch Lines... 295 Horizontal Standpipes... 298 Protection of Horizontal Standpipes and Branch Lines... 300 Test Yourself... 301 13 Acceptance Testing of Standpipes... 303 Acceptance Tests for Underground Pipe and Equipment... 304 Flush Test of Underground... 304 Hydrostatic Test of Underground... 307 Other Underground Acceptance Tests... 310 Underground Test Certificate... 311 Acceptance Tests for Aboveground Pipe and Equipment... 313 Hydrostatic Test of Aboveground Piping... 313 Flow Tests... 315 Pressure Regulating Devices... 318 Other Acceptance Tests... 320 Plans, Drawings and Reports... 321 Test Yourself... 322 14 Periodic Inspection, Testing and Maintenance... 327 Inspection Requirements for Standpipe Systems... 329 Testing Requirements for Standpipe Systems... 334 Main Drain Test... 334 Waterflow Alarms... 337 Control Valves and Supervisory Switches... 339 Automatic and Semiautomatic Dry Systems... 340

Contents xiii Pressure Reducing Valves... 345 Backflow Preventers... 347 Hydrostatic Tests... 347 Flow Tests... 348 Gauges... 349 Hose... 350 Maintenance Requirements for Standpipe Systems... 350 Internal Inspection and Flushing of Systems... 351 Assessing Internal Conditions... 351 Obstruction Investigations... 352 Ice Obstructions... 354 Impairment Program and Procedures... 354 Records of Inspection, Testing and Maintenance... 356 Test Yourself... 359 15 Solutions to Test Yourself Exercises... 361 Answers to Test Yourself Questions for Chap. 4... 361 Answers to Test Yourself Questions for Chap. 5... 364 Answers to Test Yourself Questions in Chap. 6... 365 Answers to Test Yourself Questions in Chap. 7... 369 Answers to Test Yourself Questions in Chap. 8... 370 Answers to Test Yourself Questions in Chap. 9... 374 Answers to Test Yourself Questions in Chap. 10... 379 Answers to Test Yourself Questions in Chap. 11... 379 Answers to Test Yourself Questions in Chap. 12... 382 Answers to Test Yourself Questions in Chap. 13... 383 Answers to Test Yourself Questions in Chap. 14... 384

About the Author Beginning in the fall of 2014, Kenneth E. Isman became a Clinical Professor at the University of Maryland in the Fire Protection Engineering Department, where he teaches classes in fire protection systems design and life safety analysis. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Protection Engineering and a Master of Science in Management, both from the University of Maryland. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Connecticut and has been inducted as a Fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Mr. Isman has been a member of more than 15 committees of the NFPA responsible for most of the water-based fire protection system and life safety documents since 1987. He also served on several committees of the American Water Works Association, developing recommended practices for backflow connection and crossconnection control. Prior to coming to the University of Maryland, Mr. Isman worked for 28 years in the Engineering Department of the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA), where he started as the Manager of Codes and Education and was consistently promoted over the years until he reached the position of Vice President of Engineering, which he held for 8 years. While with the NFSA, he served as the Secretary of the Engineering and Standards Committee, where he represented the interests of the fire sprinkler industry to influence changes to NFPA 14 and better define the process of designing and installing standpipe systems for fire protection. A noted author and lecturer, Mr. Isman has written a number of publications for the NFSA, NFPA, and SFPE, including: The textbook Layout, Detail and Calculation of Fire Sprinkler Systems Pumps for Fire Protection Systems Chapters of the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook A chapter of the SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering He has served as an international speaker at more than 500 seminars and workshops on fire protection systems design. xv