I am not disputing that the lights are an obstruction. I am stating that in this case you have 2 situations:
1) a 60 sqft bathroom in which you would need 2 sprinklers to cover the room because in order to get 3' away you end up with other obstructions. Is this reasonable? 2) a 30 sqft foyer (3' x 10') with the same situation. They have small alcoves that are protected until you move the sprinkler too far away from the light and then you would need 2 sprinklers. Is that light enough of an obstruction to warrant that? In most closets in residential occupancies the sprinklers are obstructed by lights. IS there a place for the size of the room to be considered with situations like this? One fire official I spoke with recently explained to me that if a fixture was glass he had little problem with it because it would more than likely break and cease to be an obstruction in the event of a real fire. Is this true? I can honestly say that I am not the world traveler but I have traveled some and I see motels and hotels over and over again in which the sprinklers are obstructed in the rooms due to lights, etc. That doesn't make it right, but it makes me think there are a lot of AHJ's that are thinking the same way this project engineer does. Greg McGahan Operations Manager Living Water Fire Protection 1160 McKenzie Road P.O. Box 877 Cantonment, Florida 32533 (850) 937.1850 | Fax (850) 937.1852 | Cell (850) 554.3231 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John Drucker Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 1:37 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: residential head obstructions Greg, The answers pretty simple. Is an obstruction or not ?. One must consider if pattern development and or water reaching the hazard (the basic concepts mentioned in 13) is effected in the context of the compartment and hazard being protected. I once had these large hanging disc like light fixtures located in the lobby of a building. The engineer of record was able to layout and illustrate the expected spray patterns in this light hazard for the most part non combustible environment. The important part in all of this is whether or not someone thought about the issue and addressed it. John Drucker Fire Protection Subcode Official Red Bank, NJ -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Greg McGahan Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 1:48 PM To: [email protected] Subject: residential head obstructions Do any of you AHJ's have input on the obstructions to residential pendent heads in small bathrooms and entries into hotel rooms. Specifically, there are the typical globe type surface mounted lights that are approx. 10" in diameter and 5" deep at the lowest point. It is nearly impossible to get 36" away from them and the ceilings are too low to use deep plates. The project engineer said he is not worried about them, because of the small areas involved - 30-60 sqft. I believe common sense should prevail here but we do not meet the letter of the law. Thanks for your input. Greg McGahan Operations Manager Living Water Fire Protection 1160 McKenzie Road P.O. Box 877 Cantonment, Florida 32533 (850) 937.1850 | Fax (850) 937.1852 | Cell (850) 554.3231 [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field) _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field) _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
