From the Field
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Fire protection engineering insights, NFPA code updates, and field observations. New article every 3 days.
Fire Pump Sizing for High-Rise Buildings: The NFPA 20 Logic That Gets Missed
Pump selection is not the hard part. Getting the demand calculation right before you select the pump is.
In high-rise residential and mixed-use towers, the fire pump is the single most consequential piece of infrastructure in the fire protection system. Size it wrong and the standpipe cannot meet pressure at the top floor. Miss the churn pressure calculation and you have over-pressurized fittings. Get the power coordination wrong and the pump room fails its acceptance test before occupancy.
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The Silent Failure: Corrosion Inside Dry Pipe and Pre-Action Systems
Most fire sprinkler failures are not design failures. They are maintenance failures — and dry systems are the most vulnerable.
A dry pipe system spends most of its life pressurized with air, not water. That combination — oxygen, residual moisture, and bare steel — creates the conditions for corrosion that nobody sees until a pipe fails, a head clogs, or a five-year internal inspection uncovers tuberculation so severe the system cannot deliver its rated flow.
What NFPA 13:2025 Actually Changes — and What You Need to Do Now
The new edition rewrites the rulebook on dry systems, high ceilings, and sloped roofs. Here is a practitioner-first breakdown.
Every code cycle, most changes are incremental. The 2025 edition of NFPA 13 is not. Three separate task groups overhauled how the standard handles dry pipe systems, high-clearance spaces, and sloped ceiling storage — and if you are designing or reviewing systems in Florida today, some of those changes are already in play.
Different Water Sources for Fire Protection Systems
Not all water supplies are created equal. Choosing the right source depends on availability, pressure, volume, and what the AHJ will actually accept.
One factor unites all water-based fire suppression systems: a need for water. These systems won't work correctly without access to a sufficient water supply. When choosing a water supply, make sure it is dependable, automated when necessary, and has enough volume and pressure to fulfill system demands.