Fire Sprinkler Coverage Area

Sprinkler head location and coverage.

Fire sprinkler coverage area.

This map contains four different types of data. Sprinklers can cover up to 225 square feet in light hazard environments. Whether you ll have fire sprinklers installed or not may depend on the relevant regulations in the state you live in. A single fire sprinkler can cover an impressively large area with modern fire codes allowing a single head to protect more than 200 square feet in some environments.

Sprinkler heads must be unobstructed to provide maximum flow to the areas that need it. In these cases extended coverage sprinkler heads can be installed to increase the spacing between heads. Because fire sprinklers are heat activated sprinkler heads must be located high up on or near the ceiling. Standard for the installation of sprinkler systems the industry benchmark for design and installation of automatic fire sprinkler systems nfpa 13 addresses sprinkler system design approaches system installation and component options to prevent fire deaths and property loss.

In short fire sprinklers are expected to deliver more water while covering a smaller and smaller area as hazards increase. But there s more to sprinkler placement than square footage. In short to determine the minimum flow from a sprinkler in multiplying the area by the required density is the actual area of the room used 13 0 x 13 0 169 sqft or is it computed the same as the maximum area of coverage for a sprinkler by doubling the furthest distance from adjacent walls 7 0 x 2 x 7 0 x 2 196 sqft. In some circumstances standard distribution sprinkler heads will not provide enough coverage.

The data is provided by calfire. There are two main criteria for determining the location of sprinkler heads. Placing sprinklers too close to walls to each other or to obstacles can make a fire much more likely to spread. And the most important aspect of fire sprinkler installation is making sure your sprinkler heads are located in the proper places to provide the best coverage.

Up to 130 square feet in ordinary hazard environments. Extended coverage sprinklers have a water distribution radius of a little over 10 feet so they can be spaced approximately 20 feet apart. Fire origins mark the fire fighter s best guess of where the fire started.