What is the 18 inch rule for sprinkler heads?

The purpose of the “18-inch rule” is to prevent storage or any other obstruction from interfering with the spray of water from a sprinkler head during a fire. It is intended to prevent a situation in which the obstruction is within 18-inches of the ceiling and might be between the sprinkler head and the fire.

What is the minimum distance between a sprinkler head and any obstruction?

In a nutshell, NFPA 25: Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems says that objects that can block a sprinkler’s spray must be at least 18 inches away from the deflector.

How close can a wall be to a sprinkler head?

Four-inch minimum spacing from walls and maximums vary with room shape and size, which is why standard spray sprinklers have four-inch minimum spacing from walls and maximums. The minimum sprinkler distance from walls is four inches for all standard sprinkler heads.

How close can a sprinkler head be to a light fixture?

The sprinklers spray at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. So of your light fixture is 4 inches deep, then you should keep them at least 4 inches away from the sprinkler heads.

What is a NFPA 13 sprinkler system?

NFPA 13R is a residential sprinkler design standard focused on low-rise residential occupancies. The Standard’s intent is to provide a sprinkler system that aids in the control of residential fires and provides improved protection against injury and life loss in multi-family dwellings.

How much area does a sprinkler head cover?

New fire codes allow a single sprinkler head to protect up to 200 square feet, depending on the design of the fire sprinkler, flammability of the building and the materials within it. The NFPA delineates spacing requirements based on the material hazards, plumbing, and piping systems of the specific construction.

What is the minimum distance you can store materials relative to sprinkler heads?

18 inches
Storage shall be maintained 2 feet (610 mm) or more below the ceiling in non-‐sprinklered areas of buildings or a minimum of 18 inches (457 mm) below sprinkler head deflectors in sprinklered areas of buildings.

How are sprinklers spaced?

The distance between the sprinkler heads should not be more than 1 foot greater than the width of the planter. In other words, if the planter is 8 feet wide you would install half circle heads on both sides of the planter, not more than 9 feet apart from each other.

Can sprinkler heads be too close together?

But there’s more to sprinkler placement than square footage. Placing sprinklers too close to walls, to each other, or to obstacles can make a fire much more likely to spread.

Where should sprinkler heads be placed?

Sprinkler heads should always be placed so that the sprays overlap—the distance one head throws should reach the head of the next sprinkler. This is called head-to-head coverage, and sprinklers should be placed equidistantly in each zone to achieve it.

How much space do you need between sprinklers?

The max distance between standard spray sprinklers in light hazard settings is 15 ft. (4.6 m) (with exceptions for light-hazard, combustible concealed spaces). The small room rule allows sprinklers to be placed up to 9 ft.

How far does a pop up sprinkler spray?

The most basic pop-up sprinkler is a stationary head. Typically spraying one dedicated area up to 15 feet away, these heads produce a fine mist at 90-, 180- or 360- degree angles. Some models have fixed nozzle angles, while other types have adjustable heads for more versatility.

How do you adjust the distance on a sprinkler head?