Here’s a list of top considerations — questions you’ll need to address to determine where and how you’ll install the system so that it provides the protection you expect and is compliant with fire code.
Do you have enough pressure to deliver a high volume of water quickly?
You’ll need to find out whether you’re getting enough pressure from your water main at the street to meet sprinkler requirements. If it isn’t sufficient, you may need to add another main dedicated to your fire suppression system, or find a spot on your property to build a holding tank that can store enough water to meet the system demands.
Is there enough power for sprinkler water to reach the top of your building?
If your community has a mid- or high-rise building, you may require booster pumps to get water to sprinklers on the upper floors. Because these pumps require electricity, which often goes out during a fire, you’ll also require emergency generators. Even if your community already has emergency generators, you’ll need to learn if they are big enough to handle the requirements of your fire suppression system, too.
Where will you locate the system components?
Holding tanks, booster pumps, and generators are big equipment. You many need to sacrifice landscaping, community outdoor areas, or garage space to house it.
Will existing infrastructure need to change? Can any of it support the new system?
During your analysis, you may learn that adding a fire sprinkler system requires you to add a backflow preventer to meet modern building codes. You may also learn that you can repurpose some parts of your existing building infrastructure. For example, a dry standpipe system can sometimes be converted into a pressurized system, helping eliminate the need for new piping infrastructure. If you already have sprinkler systems in parts of your building—like in the garage—it might be converted to help support a community-wide installation. And, as noted above, you may already have existing emergency generators that are powerful enough for the lights, alarms, and booster pumps in your new fire protection system.
Aesthetics is often the biggest question on residents’ minds—especially in condominium communities. Your options will depend on your building. For buildings with concrete walls or ceilings, the pipe will need to run on the surface and could be hidden behind DecoShield® or by building a soffit. Other communities may be able to hide pipes in the walls, with sprinkler heads strategically placed to provide the required spray coverage.
Sprinkler Systems are never stand alone. They’re integrated with other life safety system components including alarms, lighting, signage, and control and automation systems that link everything together. Determining what system components you already have in place, and how they will integrate with your new sprinklers, is an essential part of the design process.
