Just a great reminder for us all to be diligent on this issue. Thank you for sharing Steve!
Rod at Rapid Fire -----Original Message----- From: Sprinklerforum [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Steve Leyton Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 11:36 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: UG 5 ft outside building Several years ago we got an urgent early AM call that "our" fire pump had gone off overnight, blown up an 8" discharge main and flooded out the main kitchen of a convention center-sized high-rise hotel here in San Diego. We were ... obviously perplexed, but there was (as they so aptly said in "Holy Grail") TOO MUCH PERIL as everybody was freaking out by the destruction of their kitchen, interruption of training and general chaos less than two weeks from Grand Opening. We had the pump checked thoroughly by an AC field tech, we had the JP checked thoroughly by a Grundfos field tech and we were all standing around scratching our butts when our very experienced foreman got the bright idea to look at the controllers. Jockey controller pressure switch clogged with mud. We broke the pump suction and discharge piping down and found traces of silt everywhere. We went downstream to the first combined standpipe riser and took the floor control assembly apart and found silt in that too. So we went back to the permit signature cards and ... lo and behold the plumbing contractor who installed the fire service lateral couldn't produce any evidence of a flush. They SWORE they did it and became fairly belligerent in their defense, but the bottom line was that there was no record of a flush. Our bad for connecting (this was a long time ago, protocols have tightened) but the damage done was profound and cost dozens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ultimately, the other guy was found liable and we got paid a hefty additive change to purge our system of silt to the greatest extent possible. That incident greatly shaped my opinion on this issue; when I made reference yesterday to contractors pointing fingers at each other, this is the scenario. And, I've been one of those contractors ... SML -----Original Message----- From: Sprinklerforum [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Scott Futrell Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 7:59 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: UG 5 ft outside building And in most of the jurisdictions I work in it is flushed with a garden hose only. You'd be surprised by the green grass, asphalt, rocks, sticks, burlap and so I find when it is flushed properly when we tear them apart to find out what went wrong. I've had the same UG contractor tell me he never flushes them only to have me remind him he always does on my projects. Commissioning project on State Capitol new fire pump recently where we had them flush the UG the day before the pump test (acceptance) because it had not been flushed to 1860 gpm...they only did it after I told the GC he bought the pump if we hear rocks or anything of the sort. Scott Office: (763) 425-1001 x 202 Cell: (612) 759-5556 -----Original Message----- From: Sprinklerforum [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Steve Leyton Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 11:17 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: UG 5 ft outside building That's pretty much the issue now isn't it? In most of the jurisdictions where we work, if the work is divided as we are discussing, then to hydrostatic test and two flushes are required. The problem for the owner is when a leak occurs or some sort of inspection card goes missing, and then you have two different contractors pointing their fingers at each other. Steve -------- Original message -------- From: Scott Futrell <[email protected]> Date: 3/29/2016 7:15 PM (GMT-08:00) To: [email protected] Subject: RE: UG 5 ft outside building Who flushes all of it in accordance with 13 & 24? Who accepts the liability for all of it? Scott Office: (763) 425-1001 x 202 Cell: (612) 759-5556 _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/listinfo.cgi/sprinklerforum-firesprinkler.org _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/listinfo.cgi/sprinklerforum-firesprinkler.org _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/listinfo.cgi/sprinklerforum-firesprinkler.org
