In specialized commercial or industrial facilities, the risk of fire is a daily concern for managers and other personnel. Chemicals, fuels, and other highly flammable substances create a hazardous environment around workers. Faulty heavy equipment, tools, and electrical systems can also cause fires or explosions. Therefore, contractors implement hydraulic sprinkler systems to extinguish flames as soon as they break out.
The Complexity of Sprinkler Systems
Commercial sprinkler systems are engineered to wind through every area of a building’s interior. The entire system is comprised of a complex network of pipes. The hydraulic system has to produce enough pressure to boost the water through the pipes and into the area that is on fire.
This process must occur within seconds after the sprinklers sense a fire in the area. Due to the complexity of the hydraulic base and the pipes, contractors must monitor and calibrate the system to ensure that it is capable of operating at all times. Both the design and the functionality of the sprinkler must meet or exceed industry, OSHA, and NFPA regulations.
Mandatory Hydraulic Calculation Placard Placement
To comply with NFPA 13 requirements, contractors must document valve readings and other information on hydraulic calculation placards. The placard must meet the following specifications:
* Current information is permanently written down
* Constructed from rigid metal or industry-grade plastic
* Weather-resistant (heat, wind, rain, UV rays)
* Attached to a valve using a durable wire or chain that will not corrode
* Connected to an alarm valve, dry-pipe valve, preaction valve, or deluge valve
Hydraulic Calculation Sign Info
NFPA 13 regulations state that the placard or sign display the following calculations:
Hose Stream Allowance
When firefighters need a more powerful stream of water to extinguish a fire in a building, they connect an extension hose. The placard displays the amount of water pressure coming through the hose. It’s calculated in gallons per minute (gpm).
Hydraulic Remote Areas
Engineers determine where the remote areas are in a facility. Outlying areas are the building zones where water may be harder to reach once the sprinkler system goes off. Contractors must report these areas on the hydraulic calculation sign.
Occupancy Classification
Manufacturers build sprinkler systems of various sizes to accommodate correlating building sizes. Engineers organize the base in classes according to their size and water capacity. It is essential to know how much water a sprinkler system carries to ensure there’s enough to put out a fire.
GPM and PSI Discharge Density
Engineers determine the discharge density of a hydraulic base two ways: 1) gallons per minute, 2) pounds per square inch (psi). Although contractors log the information on the placard, valves monitor and display the pressure at all times.
System Demand
While the discharge density shows the system’s water pressure capacity, the system demand notates how much water pressure needs to come through the pipes to cover a specified area inside the building.