The mysterious sprinkler "heads" in NFPA 13, Chapter 21
The mysterious sprinkler "heads" in NFPA 13, Chapter 21
(OP)
In NFPA 13 2010, there are 17 instances of sprinkler "heads". All of these instances are in Chapter 21 "Special Occupancy Requirements".
It appears that calling sprinklers by the name of sprinkler "heads" has been wiped out in the official part of NFPA 13 in every chapter except Chapter 21, and I'm just wondering.. why? Is there some special reason they call sprinklers by the name of sprinkler heads in Special Occupancy?
I'm guessing that Chapter 21 originally was from another standard and got slapped in NFPA 13 or something?
Interestingly, 35% of the topics in this forum have someone referring to sprinklers as sprinkler "heads", while this practice is virtually nonexistent in NFPA 13 except in Chapter 21.
It makes me wonder what mysterious phenomenon is happening here in the niche fire sprinkler world.
It appears that calling sprinklers by the name of sprinkler "heads" has been wiped out in the official part of NFPA 13 in every chapter except Chapter 21, and I'm just wondering.. why? Is there some special reason they call sprinklers by the name of sprinkler heads in Special Occupancy?
I'm guessing that Chapter 21 originally was from another standard and got slapped in NFPA 13 or something?
Interestingly, 35% of the topics in this forum have someone referring to sprinklers as sprinkler "heads", while this practice is virtually nonexistent in NFPA 13 except in Chapter 21.
It makes me wonder what mysterious phenomenon is happening here in the niche fire sprinkler world.





RE: The mysterious sprinkler "heads" in NFPA 13, Chapter 21
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Fire Sprinklers Save Firefighters’ Lives Too!
RE: The mysterious sprinkler "heads" in NFPA 13, Chapter 21
RE: The mysterious sprinkler "heads" in NFPA 13, Chapter 21
RE: The mysterious sprinkler "heads" in NFPA 13, Chapter 21
I've got a new theory, maybe it's because "sprinkler head" is superfluous. You can just call it a 'sprinkler' and the head isn't necessary to explain it.
Also, it could be because "sprinkler head" has two possible interpretations, if you use the alternative definition of "head" which is a hydraulic measurement it could lead to confusion, especially considering there is no reason to tag "head" on the end of "sprinkler" any way, for explanatory purposes.
@LCREP
In all seriousness, I'm making myself read through NFPA 13 everyday and I'm not even getting to design sprinkler systems yet, so suffice it to say that it's booooooring and the only way my mind can stay awake is if I notice these little things and make a game out of it..
RE: The mysterious sprinkler "heads" in NFPA 13, Chapter 21
Chapter 21 Special Occupancy Requirements (-)
21.4 Spray Application Using Flammable or Combustible Materials.
system, a preaction system, or an open-head deluge system, whichever is most appropriate for the portion of the spray operation being protected. [33
21.7 Nitrate Film.
protected per sprinkler head shall not exceed 64 ft2 (6 m2) with sprinklers and branch lines not being more than 8 ft (2.4 m) apart. [40
21.16 Standard for Ovens and Furnaces.
related equipment, the use of closed-head sprinkler systems shall be prohibited and only deluge sprinkler systems shall be used where the following condition exist: (1)In equipment where temperatures can
21.21 Water Cooling Towers.
lends itself to either closed- or open-head systems, the following systems shall be permitted to be used: (1)Wet-pipe(2)Dry-pipe(3)Preaction(4)Deluge [214
21.22 Standard for the Construction and Fire Protection of Marine Terminals, Piers, and Wharves.
) The following design and installation guides shall apply where pendent sprinklers in the upright position or old-style sprinklers are to be utilized: (1)The maximum coverage per sprinkler head shall be
21.36 Coal Mines.
constant flow of water with all heads functioning for a period of 10 minutes.(3)The sprinkler head activation temperature shall not be less than 65.6°C (150°F) or greater than 148.9°C (300°F). [120
Chapter 22 Plans and Calculations (+)
22.3 Hydraulic Calculation Forms.
lengths for fittings and devices(8)Friction loss in psi/ft (bar/m) of pipe(9)Total friction loss between reference points(10)In-rack sprinkler demand balanced to ceiling demand(11)Elevation head in psi (bar
Annex A Explanatory Material (+)
A.9.2.1.3.3.4
. Relocation of this device should only be performed by qualified and/or licensed individuals that are aware of the original system design criteria, hydraulic criteria, sprinkler head listing parameters, and
RE: The mysterious sprinkler "heads" in NFPA 13, Chapter 21
It was interesting to me that there were two instances in the annex though, because it must have meant that at some point, NFPA 13 used to refer to them as sprinkler "heads" in the official part, and then they took the time to remove it but missed a couple in the annex.
RE: The mysterious sprinkler "heads" in NFPA 13, Chapter 21
RE: The mysterious sprinkler "heads" in NFPA 13, Chapter 21
You may want to buy the NFPA 13 handbook it gives you a lot of good background on the code and what the committee was thinking when they wrote the various code sections.
WARNING IT IS STILL BORING!!!.....LOL
If you are near NJ check out "hands on" fire protection training at www.chubb.com/lcu they try to make sense of the codes.
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Fire Sprinklers Save Firefighters’ Lives Too!