Fire Sprinkler Obstructions and Height Restrictions
People either love it or hate it, but regardless of how you feel about it spring cleaning time is here. It’s the perfect time of year to organize your things, give items away, and put the rest in storage. Warehouses and storage facilities can be quite busy this time of the year too, reorganizing boxes of products and making sure their client’s belongings are safe. In order to keep compliant with NFPA 13, facilities maintenance personnel should be aware of box stacking height restrictions and possible fire sprinkler obstructions.
Storage Obstructions
Stacking boxes too close to sprinkler heads prevent the sprinklers from operating as designed. Obstructed sprinklers won’t be able to protect products or client’s property in the event of a fire. The following are a few simple tips to remember in order to keep you code compliant. They’ll help you avoid costly replacements of damaged products and property.
Height Restrictions
According to NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, any type of obstructions should be kept at a minimum of 18in. from standard spray sprinklers and 36in. from early suppression fast response and large drop sprinklers. There’s an easy way to indicate the height restriction. Measure the distance from the sprinkler and then paint a line around the facility to show the height restriction. Another simple solution is to use blue painter’s tape to create a height restriction line to avoid fire sprinkler obstruction.
Make sure to check your facilities for any fire sprinkler obstructions and these common fire sprinkler deficiencies. It’s an easy way to keep you code compliant and to avoid costly replacement of damaged property. Also, make sure you know what your fire sprinkler responsibilities are as a facility manager. If you have any questions call us 877-223-3000 to speak with one of our experts. We’d be happy to answer any questions that you have or check your facility for any fire sprinkler head obstructions.
Categorized in: Education, Fire Sprinklers, General