Updates to NFPA 14 | TechNotes
This edition of TechNotes is written by Terin Hopkins, NFSA’s Manager of Public Fire Protection and a member of the NFPA Technical Committee on Standpipes.
Updates to NFPA 14 Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems
It is always difficult to truly understand the changes made to any edition of the codes or standards, especially when a complete re-write and re-organization is done to the document. Seeing more than the expected number of sections marked with the symbol “N” indicating that the section is new, makes it hard to decipher what is actually new vs moved or realigned. That is the case with the 2024 edition of NFPA 14 Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems.
This issue of TechNotes will talk about the overall conceptual changes made and several key updates. It is not often that a NFPA standard is completely re-written and re-organized in a single cycle but that is what happened in the 2024 edition of NFPA 14. The re-alignment was done to better correlate chapters with other standards and make it easier for end-users when referencing multiple codes and standards. The re-organization also allowed the chapters to be shuffled to better group like requirements and improve the flow of the document. Hose valve requirements, for example, are now nicely grouped in Chapter 7 System – Components and Hardware, all in one place, in an area the user would expect.
The new flow also moves through a project as it would be designed, starting with water supply, underground, system components, installation, design, plans and calculations and ends with system acceptance testing requirements.
This was all done to make the latest edition more user friendly and provide better guidance on the design and installation of standpipe systems.
Above the Level of Fire Department Pump Capabilities
The biggest change in the standard centers around the concept of design with the standard now clearly delineating between general requirements for standpipes, high-rise requirements, and the newly designated trigger for full redundancy – “above the level of fire department capabilities”. For many editions, the requirement for redundancy was unclear and often led to a performance design interpretation. Now the standard is clear, if a zone is partially or wholly beyond the level of fire department pump capability, it must be fully redundant.
It is also now clear that only the zone(s) above the level are required to be fully redundant and not required to have fire department connections (FDC). The FDC’s are not required to be installed as the system is now fully redundant and the presence of FDCs would provide a false sense that the zone could be supplied from fire service apparatus placing firefighters at risk.
ABCV
Automatic breach containment/control valves (ABCV) were also addressed, and the technical committee took an unusually strong position creating language banning the use of ABCVs. The committee cited a lack of technical data, listings or design information to determine the correct valve shut off flow and stated that incorrectly set valves could have a detrimental effect on firefighters.
Large Diameter Fire Department Connections
Large Diameter Quick Connect Fire Department Connections have been in the standard for several cycles but lacked guidance on design flow capabilities. The 2024 edition now provides guidance of 4 inch inlet flow of 500 gpm and 5 inch of 750 gpm. This may seem to be low flows, but flows were correlated to the largely conservative flow for 2 ½ inch inlets that have been required for decades and the NFPA Research Foundations 2016 Fire Department Connection (FDC) Inlet Flow Assessment findings.
Hose Connection Thread Protection
Hose connection threads are required to be protected, and caps have traditionally been used for this purpose. Caps used on hose connections are not required to be listed for pressure, as they do not affect system performance. In recent years the industry has seen damage caused by the opening of hose valves with unlisted caps used for thread protection. This concern was addressed in the 2024 edition with a new requirement. Hose connections caps not listed for pressure shall be provided with one or more openings such that the total cross section of the openings is at least 1/8 inch in diameter. The intent is to allow building owners to know when the valves are leaking and repairs are needed, and prevent catastrophic failure of the cap.
System Working Pressure
Related article on system working pressure
System working pressure was clarified in this new edition. This clarification was needed after several attempts in earlier editions become confusing to the user. The 2024 edition now states that working pressure is the maximum anticipated static (nonflowing) or residual (flowing) pressure applied to standpipe system components exclusive of surge pressures and inclusive of the system design/demand pressure from the fire department connection. The committee’s justification for this change was to provide clarity that the FDC is not considered part of the surge pressure and that system components shall be rated for all system design pressures. This includes system demand, and the hydraulically calculated pressure required at the FDC to provide that system demand.
Zones
One of the largest task groups of the ten appointed by the technical committee chair was the Zone Task Group which looked at zones and worked tirelessly to add information on multiple zoned standpipe systems. This is a break from past editions that largely looked at systems as a single zone. This task group made recommendations for new definitions and worked exclusively on larger more advanced design prescriptive requirements. Many new definitions including Express Riser, Vertical Staged Fire Pump, Very Tall Building, Multistage Multiport Pump, and Vertical Standpipe System were also added to the standard.
Annex Figures
One of the biggest additions to the 2024 edition are the almost 50 annex figures showing examples of different acceptable designs for “up to” and “above the level” of fire department pump capabilities. This was also largely done by the zone task group in an effort to provide additional prescriptive guidance for zone(s) design and the figures are examples of acceptable configurations. It is not intended to limit the design options but to provide guidance and examples to show the intent of the requirements. These figures also include several examples of looped feed mains and express risers.
Check Valves
The requirement for check valves was removed in looped, top and bottom, standpipe systems. This change was part of the committee task work group looking at multiple looped zones feeding additional zones. The reference to hydraulic advantage would seem to fit with the elimination of friction loss created by the check valves and allowing water to circulate through the most advantageous path in supplying additional zones.
This suggests that it could be used in the overall design requirement when calculating the hydraulically most remote hose outlets, but the standard remains unchanged in Section 10.6.1.1 Flow Rate – the design minimum flow rate is calculated using the hydraulically most remote standpipe and continues through each of the two hydraulically most remote hose connections and does not have a specific allowance for utilizing the loop in this calculation.
While the 2024 edition has the reference to “hydraulic advantage” noted in the committee statement, the intended benefit of a hydraulic advantage is a bit unclear as it relates to design but could lead to some additional clarifying language in the next edition.
Lockable Hose Connection Caps
The ability to lock standpipe hose connection caps continues to be a hotly debated topic in the standard. The Technical Committee originally voted unanimously to ban the locks but reversed its position, stating that there may be rare instances where lockable caps are needed. They took an extra step in the verification needed to lock the caps, by requiring both the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) and the local fire department to approve the locks. This is intended to get both the fire marshal/inspector and operational fire service approval, as it directly affects fire service high-rise operations. The locking mechanism must also be keyed alike if fire department connection (FDC) plugs or caps are also locked.
Occupiable Roofs
Not only does the standard define an occupiable roof as one intended for human occupancy, but it also provides guidance on hose connection locations and travel distance requirements. If the roof is occupied, it must have standpipe hose connections and because the roof is not protected by sprinklers, even in a fully protected building, it must meet the travel distance of 130 feet found in the standard.
Dry Standpipe Supervisory Air
All dry standpipes systems are now required to be monitored with supervisory air. They must have a minimum of 7 psi and a maximum of 20 psi. This requirement has been in NFPA 241 Standard for Safeguarding Construction, Alteration, and Demolition Operations and was carried over from the buildings under construction standard. The basic pressure requirements are slightly different between the standards, but the concept is the same. This is a significant change affecting all new dry standpipe systems.
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Join us on Tuesday, November 19th, 2024, for our next Tech-Tuesday – Updates to 2024 edition of NFPA 14 Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems, where we will discuss some of these new requirements and more of the significant changes made to this edition of the standard and look to the future of the 2027 edition.
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