Have you ever wondered how the vital life safety systems that surround us everyday were designed?
Fire Sprinkler Systems require skilled professionals to meticulously craft a sprinkler system to its environment and provide the highest level of life safety. Here is a peek into how these professionals conduct this work every day.
To commence the design process, Fire Sprinkler System Designers must obtain digital architectural and mechanical drawings of the prospective building. Through communication with the client and examination of obtained building plans, a designer gathers information that is vital for the formulation of a sprinkler system layout. Numerous environmental factors, such as the building’s hazard classification, the quantity of combustible contents within, and the manner in which contents are being stored, must then be considered. Following the requirements of NFPA 13, the Ontario Building Code, and other codes and standards, the designer composes a fire sprinkler system layout using specialized programs including AutoCAD and HydraCAD.
Once a system layout has been strategically formulated, fire hydrants adjacent to the new building must have a Water Flow Test performed on them to examine if sufficient water pressure and flow rate will be supplied to the system. A designer determines if this water supply will satisfy the system demand by testing if water being delivered to the most remote area of the building has adequate pressure and flow. This will ensure that sprinkler heads in any location of the building, no matter the distance from the source, will receive sufficient water pressure and flow to function optimally.
Once the final sprinkler system layout has been constructed and all checks are made, the design must receive approval from the city plan examiner before the construction can begin. Working in collaboration with architects and subcontractors, fire sprinkler system designers formulate the most cost effective solution for the client, while upholding the highest standards of sprinkler system design.