Is the egg-crate made of plastic? If so, does that make a difference in the
fire load? And is the fire considered a fire in motion?
-----Original Message-----
From: AKS-Gmail-IMAP
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 9:01 PM
To: sprinklerforum@lists.firesprinkler.org
Subject: Re: False Ceiling formed by soffits (29" in height) has
gratedpaneling to HVAC ductwork above regular ceiling.
The center area of egg-crate is essentially not a ceiling. It is a large
area of missing ceiling. You have a pocket which you would evaluate if the
ceiling at the edge of the opening turned up as a vertical closure surface
to meet the deck above. But in this case I bet there is no vertical closure.
What you really have is the ceiling at the deck above with a series of
obstructions for the sprinklers that should be up at the deck, including
that perimeter ceiling. You have the exception for return air openings but
there is no rule for quantifying the allowed size. Say you are the AHJ
standing underneath this opening looking up through this large void where
there is not a sprinkler in sight. There will be trouble if the first thing
that comes to mind is, “Something is wrong here.” , instead of, “Oh I get
it. It is an exempt return air opening.”.
What really is going on? Is this the ceiling solution for not replacing the
grid on one side because the grids in the two rooms did not line up after
the wall was removed? “Lets just leave a big hole with some crating like it
was intended to be that way. Nobody will notice."
Allan Seidel
St. Louis, MO
On Oct 14, 2015, at 7:09 PM, Travis Mack, SET <tm...@mfpdesign.com> wrote:
If I understand your question correctly, you can have sprinklers at the
lower ceiling as long as it is protecting the floor space, since your
space is <36" deep. However, I would argue that you have an unprotected
ceiling pocket and therefore, the QR reduction would not be applicable in
that area. I believe the grated panels you are mentioning are referred to
as an egg-crate ceiling.
Travis Mack, SET
MFP Design, LLC
2508 E Lodgepole Drive
Gilbert, AZ 85298
480-505-9271
fax: 866-430-6107
email:tm...@mfpdesign.com
http://www.mfpdesign.com
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On 10/14/2015 1:40 PM, Easter, Timothy wrote:
The facility is a non-combustible business occupancy. Basically, two
office areas were converted into a small work out area by removing a wall
and raising a section of the ceiling. The section that is higher has no
sprinkler heads in it leaving a void above all other lower sprinkler
heads. The sprinkler heads in the lower corners meet coverage on the
horizontal space but leaves a 29" gap above the water spray to the
ceiling above. The square measures 15'x10'x29" above the rest of the
ceiling the room. Contractor has used grated panels leaving the space
above the ceiling open to mechanical duct work above, all other walls go
to the roof deck. My questions are:
1- DO WE NEED TO ADD SPRINKLER HEADS AT THE CEILING IN THE VOID?
My answer is per NFPA 13 section 8.6.4.1.1.3(B) a sprinkler head is not
needed since can be considered flat ceiling.
2-CAN THE SPACE BE OPEN LIKE THAT TO THE MECHANICAL DUCT WORK?
My answer is the grated panels should be replaced with regular panels,
however I cannot find a code reference.
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Regards,
Timothy Easter, E.I.T.
Graduate Fire Protection Engineer
Direct: (757) 383-6217
timothy.eas...@aecom.com<mailto:timothy.eas...@aecom.com>
AECOM
11832 Rock Landing Drive Suite, 306, Newport News, Virginia 23606
www.aecom.com
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