If this is not achievable direct from the mains an alternative water storage cistern would be required. The flow rate requirements can be up to 80 litres per minute or more if two heads are activated. This means using a sprinkler head to spread water droplets over a particular area. Traditional systems use water to dampen and ultimately extinguish a fire. What do these difference systems look like? Sprinkler installations (BS EN 16925 & BS 9251) WRAS has published a handy ‘ Pipe identification information note’ ( click to view) which covers what this might look like and can be found in the publications section of the WRAS website.Įxample of pipe marking fire protection system supplied from the public supply Usually this is usually achieved by labelling the system to British Standard BS 1710 (2014). This is to help avoid inadvertent miss connections to it.
The fire system must be readily identifiable from other water systems in the building. However, you will need the permission of the local water company before installing it. Where there is insufficient water pressure or flow this can be overcome by installing storage cistern and pump, or in some cases a booster pump on the incoming mains supply may be permitted. This not only simplifies the design, but reduces the overall space requirements of the system. Typically, designers will try and utilise the flow and pressure of the public mains supply wherever possible. This means there can be great variability in flow requirements. The water demand will depend on a number of factors from the room layout in the property, system design and the fire system fittings to be used.
BS 8458 ‘Residential and domestic watermist systems - Code of practice for design and installation’ ( visit BSI shop)Ī key requirement to meeting any of these standards is to make sure there is sufficient availability of water.BS EN 16925:2018 - Fixed firefighting systems.BS 9251 – ‘Fire Sprinkler systems for residential and domestic occupancies - Code of practice’.More recently a standard for misting systems has been developed. However, a European standard has recently been published for buildings up to four stories up to 18 m in height, work is ongoing to cover buildings above four stories. Traditionally for domestic and residential fire systems there has been only one standard suitable, BS 9251, which only covers sprinkler systems. The easiest way to demonstrate that work is undertaken in a workman like manner, would be to comply with the appropriate British Standard. British Insurers data shows that during a spell of freezing weather, a claim to repair a burst pipe costs an average of £8,800 – and can often be more.įinally, systems must be installed in a workman like manner. For fire suppression systems these tests include checks that products don’t leak. Thirdly, make sure you select products that have been tested to a suitable quality and standard. Usually a single check valve is sufficient. In these situations, a second backflow protection device is required at the branch to ensure stagnant water cannot be drawn back. For example, if the primary backflow protection is not located at the branch, but further downstream within the fire protection system, then the leg of pipework to the protection device will stagnate over time due to no water being drawn off. In some systems there may be a need for additional backflow protection. These should be confirmed with the local water supplier before going ahead with an installation. The water industry’s published interpretation on fire sprinkler systems ' B18' ( click to view) provides information on factors which may influence the fluid categorisation and backflow protection requirements. Secondly, there should be appropriate backflow protection at the point of supply to the fire suppression system.
Firstly, in most cases, proposed installations must be notified, to the local water company.
There are four main areas of Water Fittings Regulations which must be adhered to. What has this to do with the water fittings regulations? care homes (as defined in the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016).
In Wales it has become compulsory to install an automatic fire suppression system in all new residences, which include houses and flats including those being converted as well as some specific types of buildings offering residential accommodation, such as: There has been a lot of focus on fire protection systems for single households since the Domestic Fire Safety Measure was passed by the Welsh Government and came in to force in 2016. Domestic and Residential Fire Suppression Systems