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How To Replace Old Residential Fire Sprinkler Heads With Different or Missing K
How To Replace Old Residential Fire Sprinkler Heads With Different or Missing K
How To Replace Old Residential Fire Sprinkler Heads With Different or Missing K
Among the crucial specs that must closely match is the sprinkler’s K-
Factor, a technical term that describes the size of the orifice and how
much water comes out (how fast) at a given pressure and flow.
4. If you don’t know the K-Factor for an old sprinkler, similar but
more detailed calculations are necessary. They include assessing how
far sprinklers are from each other and the walls, the system’s pipe
material and size, the available water pressure, and other factors. Again,
the results can inform choosing a sprinkler that provides different but
sufficient protection.
6. If the AHJ declines to use their discretion or the numbers just don’t
work out, a significant recalculation and retrofit of the sprinkler
system are needed. This effort, which may involve replacing pipes,
sprinklers, and other steps, isn’t the most likely outcome. After all,
residential sprinkler systems and the NFPA 13D and 13R installation
standards are designed to be affordable and forgiving. But it’s possible!
With that summary complete, let’s get into more detail on why K-factor
is essential and the calculations that inform the design requirements for
sprinklers.
N
o information — including no K-factor — is engraved on this old
sprinkler’s deflector, making it harder to identify the sprinkler and find a
replacement.
The NFPA 13D, 13R, and 13 rules for
replacing old residential fire sprinkler
heads
While automatic fire sprinkler systems have been around since the late
19th Century, their residential cousins are much younger.
Modern editions of NFPA 13D, 13R, and 13 attempt to account for these
old sprinklers and their inconsistencies with the following guidance (the
below references are in the 2022 editions):