Overhead door coverage.
Overhead door coverage.
(OP)
As noted elsewhere, I have a client that is installing an overhead door in a warehouse. it's 8'w x 10'h so 8.5.5.3.1 of course applies. But there was a question posed and then another hypothetical one was asked somewhat in jest - but in reality it's actually quite valid:
The door as I said is 10' high. But the T-bar ceiling is another 8' above that, so I'll have an 8' drop more or less, and rather inconveniently, hanging in mid air when the door is closed (though it will be afforded some protection by the door rails). Does it matter the distance from the ceiling to the top of the door? NFPA 13 doesn't say.
The hypothetical question in jest was how low to the floor can the door be before it doesn't require coverage beneath it? The real life equivalent of this is large ductwork in a mechanical room that is sometimes only several inches to a few feet off the floor but may be well over the 4' width. NFPA 13 doesn't address this either.
Maybe I'll need that engineer after all ;)
Regards
Dave
The door as I said is 10' high. But the T-bar ceiling is another 8' above that, so I'll have an 8' drop more or less, and rather inconveniently, hanging in mid air when the door is closed (though it will be afforded some protection by the door rails). Does it matter the distance from the ceiling to the top of the door? NFPA 13 doesn't say.
The hypothetical question in jest was how low to the floor can the door be before it doesn't require coverage beneath it? The real life equivalent of this is large ductwork in a mechanical room that is sometimes only several inches to a few feet off the floor but may be well over the 4' width. NFPA 13 doesn't address this either.
Maybe I'll need that engineer after all ;)
Regards
Dave





RE: Overhead door coverage.
Two feet??? 3. 4. 5?????
RE: Overhead door coverage.
In my humble opinion, overhead services need to be installed 7' above the floor - anything below that is room contents. You wouldn't normally install sprinklers below a bench or counter top, but I think you should if they were 7' above the floor.
RE: Overhead door coverage.
Don't know boys, it seems pretty cut and dried to me. I've had to drop sprinks below tin just off the floor, ditto with cutting tables. Assigning an arbitrary elevation and saying...abracadabra! everything below this level is inherently safe, because to sprinkle under it just doesn't make sense...could get a guy into some sticky situations.
my two cents
RE: Overhead door coverage.
I know it's a different code reference, but the same reasoning would apply since sprinklers wouldn't be able to develop any type of a spray pattern being so close to the ground.
RE: Overhead door coverage.
Than again many things play a big role such as main size, water pressure, branch size, obstructions, etc.
All this must be analyze by a license P.E.