What are the depths of the joists, the depth of the insulation and the spacing between the joists?
Craig Prahl | Jacobs | Group Lead/SME – Fire Protection | craig.pr...@jacobs.com | www.jacobs.com 1041 East Butler Road Greenville, South Carolina 29606 CONTACT BY: email or MS TEAMS -----Original Message----- From: Sprinklerforum <sprinklerforum-boun...@lists.firesprinkler.org> On Behalf Of Scott Harvey via Sprinklerforum Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2022 12:53 AM To: sprinklerforum@lists.firesprinkler.org Cc: Scott Harvey <sc...@harveyplumbing.com> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Obstructed vs Unobstructed Construction Hi all, I have a question for the group. I've got a storeroom, ceiling is open to structure. The roof structure is solid wood joists, which are fully insulated between each joist. We have installed standard spray upright sprinklers with the deflectors approx 8-10 inches below the bottom of the joist/insulation. In my mind, this is unobstructed construction, because per "A.8.5.4.1 Batt insulation creates an effective thermal barrier and can be considered the ceiling/roof deck when determining distances between deflector and ceiling." Chapter 3 defines Obstructed Construction "Panel construction and other construction where beams, trusses, or other members impede heat flow or water distribution in a manner that materially affects the ability of the sprinkler to control or suppress a fire". Now that I look at this again, I'm thinking I am wrong and should be obstructed construction because although the batt insulation creates a thermal barrier (similar to a smooth ceiling) the structure is still the same, so I would need to keep my upright sprinklers max 6-inches below the bottom of structure? Would appreciate input from the group. Thanks, Scott Harvey, CET _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list Sprinklerforum@lists.firesprinkler.org https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://lists.firesprinkler.org/listinfo.cgi/sprinklerforum-firesprinkler.org__;!!B5cixuoO7ltTeg!WNJbuEDrG9DqZDyEL512vMojwZ-VOZeVutCjsR6asnXWsu5WOOUl9NA1aE0ZoG95hg$ ________________________________ NOTICE - This communication may contain confidential and privileged information that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any viewing, copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message by unintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer. _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list Sprinklerforum@lists.firesprinkler.org http://lists.firesprinkler.org/listinfo.cgi/sprinklerforum-firesprinkler.org
