Section 27-932
§ 27-932 When required. (a) Wet standpipe systems shall be installed:
(1) In all buildings or portions thereof exceeding six stories or
seventy-five feet in height, except that open parking structures shall
not require installation of a wet standpipe system unless they exceed
ten parking levels or seventy-five feet in height.
(2) In all portions of buildings two or more stories in height that
have a floor area of ten thousand square feet or more on any floor.
(b) Where standpipes are required by the height and area limitations
of subdivision (a) of this section, a non-automatic or automatic dry
standpipe system may be installed in lieu of the wet standpipe in all
buildings classified in occupancy group G not over six stories or
seventy-five feet in height. A dry standpipe system shall be installed
in all open parking structures which exceed three parking levels and
contain not more than ten parking levels.
(c) A standpipe system shall be installed in all buildings exceeding
three stories in height that have an area exceeding seven thousand five
hundred square feet on any floor and where a standpipe system is not
otherwise required by the provisions of this subchapter. A nonautomatic
or automatic dry system may be used in lieu of the wet standpipe.
(d) The following buildings shall be exempt from the provisions of
subdivisions (a), (b) and (c) of this section:
(1) Buildings classified in occupancy groups F, G, H, and J that do
not exceed two stories or thirty feet in height and an area of twenty
thousand square feet on any floor and are provided with hand or portable
fire extinguishers as required by the fire department.
(2) Buildings classified in occupancy groups E, F, G, H, and J that
require a wet standpipe as provided in paragraph two of subdivision (a)
and subdivision (c) of this section but not exceeding six stories or
seventy-five feet in height and that are equipped throughout with an
automatic wet or dry sprinkler system connected to a central supervisory
station, and such system complies with the provision of this subchapter.
Section 27-933
§ 27-933 Yard hydrant systems required. Outdoor amusement and
exhibition places, oil storage plants, lumber yards, trailer camps,
industrial parks, and similar occupancies shall have yard hydrants
installed so that the entire area may be reached by two hundred fifty
feet of hose from a yard hydrant or a street hydrant. Single hydrant
connection shall be at least in six inch I.P.S. Such hydrants shall be
directly connected with city water main or private water main, or
supplied from gravity tanks or pressure tanks, as provided in this
subchapter.
(a) Where the area of such enclosure is more than forty thousand
square feet and where the available city water service is less than that
specified in paragraph one of subdivision (b) of section 27-945 of this
article, the yard hydrant system shall be supplied as follows:
(1) A gravity tank of at least fifty thousand gallon capacity shall be
provided and elevated so that the bottom of the tank is at least
seventy-five feet above the highest grade elevation and at least
twenty-five feet above the highest building in the area supplied by this
tank.
(2) In lieu of paragraph one of this subdivision, there shall be
provided a manual fire pump with a capacity of at least one thousand
gpm, and a suction tank of at least fifty thousand gallon capacity. The
suction tank shall be supplied through a six inch connection to the city
water main controlled by an automatic ball float valve in the suction
tank. A bypass shall be provided so that the pump may be fed directly
from the city water main.
(3) The pump shall be located in a pump house at the street main side
of the area or enclosure.
(4) Suction from a river or well may be permitted by the commissioner
if the required quantity of reasonably clean fresh water may be obtained
thereby, subject to the approvals of such other authorities as may have
jurisdiction over the primary source of supply.
(b) The maximum distance between hydrants shall be two hundred fifty
feet. At each yard hydrant, two hundred fifty feet of rubber lined hose,
with a smooth bore one and one-eighth inch approved play-pipe, shall be
placed in a hose house painted red, and the words "Fire Hose" in six
inch white letters shall be painted on the door.
(c) The approval of the fire department shall be obtained for location
of any monitor nozzles that may be required in addition to yard
hydrants. Not more than one monitor nozzle with remote control will be
required for each forty thousand square feet of area or fraction thereof
unless, in the fire department's opinion, an unusual hazard exists.
(d) Standpipes and sprinkler systems may be connected to a yard
hydrant system in accordance with the requirements of this subchapter.
(e) Yard hydrant systems connected to city water mains shall be
provided with post indicator valves located in an accessible position.
Post indicator valves shall be locked open and be painted red.
(f) Fire extinguishing equipment, in addition to that prescribed by
this section, shall be provided in accordance with requirements of
chapter four of this title for oil storage plants, oil refineries, and
other plants deemed by the fire commissioner to present unusual fire
hazards, and also in rooms or spaces housing electrical equipment when
such fire extinguishing equipment is deemed necessary.
Section 27-934
§ 27-934 Standpipe systems in structures being erected or demolished.
(a) During construction or demolition of any structure for which a
standpipe system is required, provision shall be made for the use of
such standpipe by the fire department in accordance with the provisions
of section 27-1014 of article one of subchapter nineteen and this
subchapter.
(b) Temporary risers shall be at least four inches in diameter for
structures less than four hundred fifty feet high and at least six
inches in diameter for structures four hundred fifty feet high or more.
There shall be as many risers as will be, or were, required for the
permanent system. Each such riser shall be connected to a cross
connection that is supplied through siamese hose connections at the
street level, and shall be equipped on each floor with a two and
one-half inch hose outlet valve. The installations shall be made so that
each riser, cross-connection, and branch line can be plugged or capped
when work is not being done on the system. The location of the siamese
hose connection shall be placarded, kept free from obstruction, and
identified by a red light.
Section 27-935
§ 27-935 Number of standpipe risers required. The number of standpipe
risers shall be such that every point of every floor can be reached by a
twenty foot stream from a nozzle attached to not more than one hundred
twenty-five feet of hose connected to a riser outlet valve.
Section 27-936
§ 27-936 Location of standpipe risers. (a) Standpipe risers and two
and one-half inch angle hose valves shall be located within stairway
enclosures. For additional requirements see section 27-343 of article
five of subchapter five and subdivision (j) of section 27-375 of article
five of subchapter six of this chapter. When stairway enclosures are not
available within the distance limitations of section 27-935 of this
article, the standpipe risers and two and one-half inch angle hose
valves shall be located as near to the enclosure as practicable, subject
to the approval of the commissioner. A metal sign with one inch
lettering indicating the location of the outlet shall be provided in the
stair enclosure on each floor where the riser is not located in the
enclosure.
(b) No standpipe riser shall be placed in any shaft containing a gas
or fuel pipeline.
Section 27-937
§ 27-937 Omission of standpipe service. (a) Standpipe outlets may be
omitted in portions of first floors or basements that are completely
separated from the entrance hall or enclosed stairways leading to the
upper floors, provided portable fire extinguishers are installed,
subject to the approval of the commissioner.
(b) Standpipe protection shall be omitted from transformer vaults,
high-tension switchboard rooms, and other locations where the use of
hose streams would be hazardous. Any space or room that houses equipment
of such nature that the use of water would be ineffective in fighting
the fire, or would be hazardous, shall have a conspicuous metal sign on
each door opening on such space or room stating the nature of the use
and the warning: "Use No Water".
Section 27-938
§ 27-938 Size of standpipe risers. The size of standpipe risers shall
be in accordance with Table 17-1.
Table 17-1 Size of Standpipe Risers
========================================================================
Minimum Riser
Size Required
Height(1) (I.P.S.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
150 ft. or less........................ 4 in.
Greater than 150 ft.................... 6 in.
========================================================================
Note:
(1) The height shall be that of the individual riser to the highest
hose outlet (not including manifold outlets) from the level of the
entrance floor at street level at which the riser begins.
Section 27-939
§ 27-939 Devices used in system. No device, valve, pipe, or fitting
may be used in a standpipe system unless such device, valve, pipe or
fitting has been accepted or approved in accordance with the provisions
of section 27-135 of article eight of subchapter one of this chapter.
Section 27-940
§ 27-940 Siamese connections required. Siamese connections shall be
provided as follows:
(a) One siamese connection shall be provided for each three hundred
feet of exterior building wall or fraction thereof facing upon each
street or public space.
(b) Where buildings face upon two parallel streets or public spaces
without an intersecting street or public space, one siamese shall be
provided for each three hundred feet of exterior building wall or
fraction thereof facing upon each such parallel street or public space.
(c) Where a building faces upon two intersecting streets or public
spaces and the total length of the exterior building walls facing upon
such streets or public spaces does not exceed three hundred feet only
one siamese connection need be installed provided the siamese connection
is located within fifteen feet of the corner and on the longer street.
(d) Where a building faces on three streets or public spaces, one
siamese connection shall be provided for each three hundred feet of
building wall or fraction thereof facing upon such streets or public
spaces, provided that at least one siamese connection is installed on
each of the parallel streets or public spaces, and further provided that
the siamese connections shall be located so that the distance between
them does not exceed three hundred feet.
(e) Where a building faces upon four streets or public spaces, at
least one siamese connection shall be provided on each street front or
public space; however, only one siamese connection need be provided at
the corner of two intersecting streets or public spaces if the siamese
connection is located within fifteen feet of the corner and on the
longer street or public space, and if the distances between siamese
connections, in all cases, does not exceed three hundred feet.
(f) In any case where the exterior building walls of a building facing
a street or public space is obstructed in part by another building, one
siamese connection shall be provided for each clear three hundred feet
of exterior building wall or fraction thereof facing upon such street or
public space.
Section 27-941
§ 27-941 Cross connections. (a) Standpipe systems that include more
than one riser shall have all risers cross-connected at, or below, the
street entrance floor level, except as otherwise provided in this
section.
(b) Standpipe systems in buildings required by the provisions of
section 27-943 of this article to have one or more zones shall be so
designed and installed that the risers supplied from each zone will be
cross-connected below, or in, the story of the lowest hose outlets from
the water source in each zone. Horizontal intermediate check valves
shall be installed in the run of each riser continuing into a higher
zone in such manner as to permit all upper zones of the system to be fed
through one riser from the zone below and to prevent any lower zone of
the system from being supplied from a zone above.
(c) Risers supplied by an upper level cross connection shall be
provided with manual control valves or remote control valves, so
arranged that risers supplied by the upper level cross connections may
independently be shut off from the tank supplies.
(d) Cross connections shall be at least as large as the largest riser
supplied by the cross connection. However, when supplying two, but not
more than four four-inch risers, the cross connection shall not be less
than five inches. The cross connection shall not be less than six inches
for all other riser combinations.
(e) Where there is no cellar, cross connections may be hung from the
ceiling of the lowest story.
(f) Each siamese connection shall be connected to a riser or to a
cross connection connecting other siamese hose connections or risers.
The pipe from the siamese connection to the riser or cross connection
shall be five inch i.p.s., except that a four inch pipe shall be
sufficient when such pipe supplies a single four inch riser system. The
pipe from the siamese connection shall be run as directly as practicable
to the riser or cross connection.
Section 27-942
§ 27-942 Hose stations. (a) Hose outlet valves.
(1) At the riser on each floor served by the riser and on the entrance
floor above the riser control valve, a two and one-half inch hose outlet
valve shall be provided for fire department use. Such hose outlet valve
shall be readily accessible from a stairway landing or from a floor, and
shall be located between five feet and six feet above the landing or
floor.
(2) At the top of the highest riser, there shall be provided above the
main roof level, a three-way manifold equipped with three two and
one-half inch hose valves with hose valve caps. Where the manifold is
located other than within a heated stair enclosure or bulkhead, the
control valve shall be located in a horizontal run of piping below the
roof.
(b) Location. Hose stations shall be located at the standpipe risers
located either within a stair enclosure or adjacent to the entrance to
such enclosure as provided in section 27-936 of this article. When the
hose station is located outside the stair enclosure and the riser is
within the stair enclosure, it shall be known as and referred to as
"Auxiliary Hose Station".
(1) Hose stations shall be located so that every point in the floor
area served by the hose station is within twenty feet of the end of the
hose nozzle with the hose in its extended position. The maximum length
of hose that shall be permitted at any hose station is one hundred
twenty-five feet.
(c) Size, type and quality of hose. Hose shall be provided on hose
racks at each hose station as follows:
(1) Hose shall be one and one-half inch "flax-line" unlined linen hose
or equivalent, factory coupled, in occupancy groups C, E, F, G, H, and
J.
(2) Hose shall be two and one-half inch cotton, rubber-line, or rubber
hose or equivalent, factory coupled, in occupancy group A.
(3) Hose shall be two and one-half inch "flax-line" unlined linen hose
or equivalent, factory coupled, for occupancy groups other than those in
paragraphs one and two of this subdivision.
(4) Hose for auxiliary hose stations shall be one and one-half inch
"flax-line" unlined hose or equivalent.
(5) Hose lines shall be made up of fifty foot factory coupled hose
except that required hose lengths of less than fifty feet shall be in
one section of the required length. Only one length less than fifty feet
will be permitted where hose length is not of equal fifty foot
increments, and no length shall be less than twenty-five feet.
(6) Hose may be omitted from hose racks in occupancy groups J-1 and
J-2 whenever at least three open nozzles, two one and one-half inch, and
two two and one-half inch spanner wrenches, two two and one-half by one
and one-half inch non-swivel reducing couplings and three hundred
seventy-five feet of one and one-half inch hose are stored and
maintained in a locked cabinet located on the main entrance floor in a
location near the standpipe riser enclosure subject to the approval of
the commissioner, and hose valves are capped with a hose valve cap
fastened to the valve with a chain. The person responsible for the
maintenance of the standpipe system shall maintain on the premises a key
for unlocking the storage cabinet. The key shall be kept in a location
where it is readily available to authorized persons, but not available
to the general public. A sign shall be placed on the storage cabinet
indicating the location of the key. An additional labelled key shall be
kept in a locked receptacle near the storage cabinet openable by a fire
department standard key. Such receptacle shall be marked "For Fire
Department Use Only." A metal sign shall be placed in each stair
enclosure on the main entrance floor stating clearly where the storage
cabinet is located.
(7) Hose may be omitted from hose racks for nonautomatic dry standpipe
systems provided that the hose outlet valves are capped with hose valve
caps which are chained to the valves.
(d) Auxiliary hose stations.
(1) Auxiliary hose stations may be installed in those occupancies
where one and one-half inch hose is permitted as specified in
subdivision (c) of this section.
(2) When auxiliary hose stations are installed, the required two and
one-half inch hose valve at the riser shall be installed and the valve
shall be equipped with a cap fastened to the valve with a chain.
Section 27-943
§ 27-943 Maximum pressures. The standpipe system shall be zoned by the
use of gravity tanks, automatic fire pumps, pressure tanks, and street
pressure so that the maximum pressure at the inlet of any hose valve in
the zone does not exceed one hundred sixty psig.
Section 27-944
§ 27-944 Pressure reducing valves. (a) When the normal hydrostatic
pressure at a two and one-half inch hose outlet valve exceeds fifty-five
psig, each valve shall be equipped with an adjustable type pressure
reducer so that the pressure on the downstream side will not exceed
fifty psig when the discharge is at the rate of two hundred gpm from a
one inch orifice nozzle attached to one hundred feet of two and one-half
inch unlined hose.
(b) At one and one-half inch hose stations, an adjustable type of
pressure reducer shall be provided on each hose outlet valve where the
hydrostatic pressure exceeds eighty-five psig and shall be so adjusted
that the pressure on the downstream side will not exceed eighty psig
when seventy gpm is discharged from a one-half inch orifice nozzle
attached to the length of hose to be provided at the hose station.
(c) The pressure reducing valve shall be permanently marked with the
address of the premises in which it is installed and with the floor
location and the setting for the location at which it is to be used.
Section 27-945
§ 27-945 Water supply for standpipe systems. (a) Primary water supply
for standpipe systems. Every standpipe system except nonautomatic dry
standpipe systems shall have a primary water supply available at all
times at every hose outlet, or made available automatically when the
hose valve at any outlet is opened. Such primary water supply may be
from one or more gravity tanks from a pressure tank or tanks, from a
direct connection to a city water main, from a connection to a private
water main, or from an automatic fire pump.
(b) Method of providing water supply for standpipe systems.
Combinations of two or more of the following methods shall be used; in
using such combinations, the siamese connections shall be considered as
a source of supply.
(1) Direct connections of standpipes to the city water system provided
one of the following conditions is met:
a. A statement furnished by the bureau of water supply of the
department of environmental protection indicates a pressure in the
street main that is capable of maintaining a static pressure of at least
fifteen psig. at the highest hose outlet between the hours of eight a.
m. and five p. m. on a normal working day when a street level fire
hydrant within two hundred fifty feet of the building is supplied from
the same street main and is discharging at least five hundred gpm
through a two and one-half inch hydrant butt.
b. For buildings forty feet or less in height with an area of not more
than twenty thousand square feet per floor, there is a four inch direct
connection to the street main that is fed two ways or there is a four
inch direct connection to each of two street mains on two street fronts
so installed that shutting off one service will not interfere with the
supply of the other, and there is sufficient pressure in the street main
to maintain a minimum static pressure of twenty-five psig. at the
highest required hose outlet and the department of environmental
protection states that the required street pressure is available.
(2) A private yard main when meeting the conditions of a direct water
connection to the city water system.
(3) Gravity tanks provided:
a. The minimum quantity of water reserved for standpipe service is
thirty-five hundred gallons in each standpipe zone.
b. The bottom of the tank shall be at least twenty-five feet above the
highest hose outlet that such tank supplies, (except the roof manifold)
and those hose outlets in a penthouse enclosing mechanical equipment,
except as otherwise provided in subparagraph e of this paragraph.
c. Each zone of the standpipe system having three risers or more shall
have a total fire reserve capacity of five thousand gallons or more from
one or more gravity tanks for each zone.
d. Where a group of two or more buildings, connected or separated, is
operated under a single control, a single gravity tank having a fire
reserve capacity of at least five thousand gallons may be accepted as
the primary water supply for the several standpipe systems of such
group, provided a dead riser is carried from the bottom of the tank to
an underground header or cross connection system and provided each
building unit has a post indicator type control valve outside or an o.s.
and y. control valve inside the building at a readily accessible
location. The underground cross connection may not cross any public
street without the approval of the city departments having jurisdiction.
e. Useable storage or office space on penthouse floors shall be
provided with a riser outlet valve within the distances stated in
section 27-935 of this article. In lieu of elevating the bottom of the
gravity tank twenty-five feet above these outlets, an automatic fire
pump with local supervisory alarms may be installed. The pump shall be
capable of delivering two hundred fifty gpm. at a pressure of
twenty-five psig. above the normal static pressure at the highest
outlet supplied by the pump. The pump shall take suction from the
gravity tank and be so arranged as to permit the siamese connection and
any required manual fire pump to supply these outlets. No more than
three stories of any penthouse or of penthouse and building stories
combined, may be supplied by this method.
(4) Pressure tanks shall be acceptable as the primary supply to the
system provided all of the following conditions are met:
a. A pressure tank, or tanks, so proportioned and located that a
pressure of at least fifteen psig will be available at the nozzle of the
highest required hose station, exclusive of roof outlets, when all the
water has been discharged from the pressure tank.
b. The storage quantities stated for gravity tanks in subparagraphs a,
c and d of paragraph three of this subdivision are met and an additional
volume equivalent to one-half of the required water storage space is
provided for the required air.
c. An air compressor is provided with suitable automatic control and
of sufficient capacity to build up air pressure of at least seventy-five
psig. in the tank within three hours and to maintain thereafter an air
pressure between seventy and eighty psig. The automatic control shall
also maintain the proper air-to-water ratio in the pressure tank.
d. Pressure tanks shall be supplied with water through a fixed pipe,
independent of the standpipe riser, and at least two inches in size. The
water supply and connection shall be capable of supplying the tank at a
rate of at least sixty-five gpm without reducing the pressure in the
tank. The tank shall have a fixed water level plate on the end opposite
the gauge glass, or other equivalent indicating device.
(5) An automatic fire pump shall be acceptable as the primary supply
to the system provided:
a. The building is three hundred feet high or less, or if the building
is higher than three hundred feet, the automatic fire pump is used only
for the lower three hundred feet. The zones above three hundred feet
shall be supplied by either a gravity tank conforming to paragraph three
of subdivision (b) of this section or a pressure tank conforming to
paragraph four of subdivision (b) of this section and in addition shall
be supplied by the manual fire pump required by section 27-946 of this
article.
b. The automatic fire pump supplying the system or section has a
capacity of at least five hundred gpm with a discharge pressure of at
least twenty-five but not exceeding seventy psig (above the normal)
static pressure at the highest hose outlet within the zone supplied by
the pump plus the frictional resistance from the pump to the outlet at a
flow of five hundred gpm.
c. The electrical power to the pump is connected to the street side of
the building service switch.
(c) High and low risers and cross connections in standpipe systems.
When tanks are used for the primary water supply, the standpipe systems
may use separate riser systems serving, respectively, low and high parts
of the building. Separate gravity tanks or pressure tanks may supply
each zone, but in every case the standpipe system shall be so designed
that every hose outlet of the entire system can be supplied through the
required cross connections from every siamese connection and from every
manually operated fire pump located at or below the street level.
(d) Use of standpipe riser for sprinkler system water supply.
Standpipe risers may be used to supply water to sprinklers in buildings
classified in occupancy group E, one hundred feet or more in height, and
in existing office buildings, one hundred feet or more in height, in
accordance with applicable provisions of this subchapter and reference
standards RS17-1 and RS17-2.
Section 27-946
§ 27-946 Fire pumps. (a) Additional water supply. Additional water
supply shall be provided for standpipes in buildings over three hundred
feet high. The primary water supply to the standpipe system shall be
supplemented by one or more manually operated fire pumps as follows:
(1) Standpipe systems in buildings more than three hundred feet high
shall have at least one seven hundred fifty gpm pump or two five hundred
gpm pumps. Pumps shall be capable of delivering their rated capacity at
a pressure of fifty psig above the normal static pressure determined
from the highest hose outlet (except the roof manifold) in the building
plus the frictional resistance through the pipe from the pump to the
outlet.
(2) Where a group of two or more buildings, whether connected or
separated, are operated under a single ownership and one or more
buildings exceed three hundred feet in height, one fire pump shall be
accepted as the supplemental supply for the group. The pump shall be
installed in the building where the maintenance personnel are located,
and a metal sign with one inch lettering shall be installed in each
building at all of the hose outlets on the entrance floor indicating the
location of the fire pump.
(b) Standpipe pump rooms and location.
(1) Fire pumps shall be installed at the entrance floor level or
below, in rooms enclosed by noncombustible construction having a two
hour fire-resistance rating and that are adequately heated, ventilated,
lighted, and drained. The pump room shall have access to the street
level by a direct opening to a street or a court, or by a passageway or
stairway having a fire-resistance rating of at least two hours.
(2) No person shall install other machinery or mechanical equipment in
a fire pump room, unless the building is of construction class IA, IB,
or IC.
(3) No person shall place or install any equipment containing a
refrigerant classified in groups A1, A2, A3, B1, B2 or B3 in subchapter
thirteen of this chapter, or place or install gas piping or gas
consuming devices or any other equipment within any space housing a fire
pump that would create a hazardous condition.
(c) Power supply for standpipe fire pumps. The type of fire pump and
prime mover used in a standpipe system shall be suitable for the
required service in a standpipe system provided for fire department use.
If the prime mover employs any form of power other than an electric
current supplied by a public utility, the use thereof shall be subject
to the approval of the commissioner. Electrical power to the motor shall
be taken from the street side of the house service switch.
(d) Combined use of fire pumps for standpipe and automatic sprinkler
systems. A fire pump that furnishes the required auxiliary water supply
either to a standpipe system or to an automatic sprinkler system shall
be accepted as furnishing the corresponding water supply to the other
system if such pump is in the same premises, provided that in every such
case of combined use, suitable relief and shutoff valves shall be
installed so as to prevent the water pressure on the automatic sprinkler
system resulting from any required operation of the pump for the
standpipe system from becoming greater than one hundred seventy-five
psig.
Section 27-947
§ 27-947 Direct connections of standpipes to the public water system.
(a) Control valve. Each service directly supplying a standpipe system or
a fire pump shall be equipped with a control valve located under the
sidewalk in a flush sidewalk box located within two feet of the street
line, or in such other locations as may be approved by the department of
environmental protection. The purpose of each such control valve shall
be clearly indicated by the words "Standpipe Supply Control," cast in
the cover of such flush sidewalk box or, in lieu thereof, a metal sign
with one inch lettering shall be located on the exterior building wall
indicating the use and location of the valve.
(b) Water supply to standpipe fire pumps.
(1) Any required manual or automatic fire pump shall draw from two
independent street water mains in different streets, except that: (i)
any manual or automatic fire pump serving a building classified in
occupancy group J-2 that is fully protected by a system of automatic
sprinklers may draw from a single water main; and (ii) an automatic fire
pump may draw from a single water main if augmented by a suction tank or
tanks, and if the valves at the meter and pump are provided with tamper
switches that are wired to an approved central station of an operating
fire alarm company. Where two services are installed, one service from
the street water main shall be run directly to the pump, and the other
service may be used for domestic water supply. The connection from water
mains to the pumps shall be at least six inch pipe size and shall be
flushed before connection is made to the system. Connections shall be in
accordance with subchapter sixteen of this chapter.
(2) In the event that two separate and distinct water mains are not
available as a supply or the street mains cannot produce the required
supply, there shall be provided a suction tank, or tanks, suitably
located and of sufficient capacity to furnish the fire pump with at
least a one-half hour supply at the rated capacity of such pump. Suction
tanks shall be filled by a six inch connection to the water main,
controlled by an automatic ball float valve in the suction tank. A six
inch bypass shall be provided so that pumps may be fed directly from the
street water main.
(3) When a water service supplies both the domestic service and the
manual fire pump, a remote control valve shall be placed on the domestic
service connection at the point where such connection is taken from the
city supply or service main. Such remote control valve shall be
controlled from a point near the pump control panel. In lieu of a remote
control valve, a manually operated valve may be installed to shut off
the entire domestic water supply to the building, provided such valve is
located in the fire pump room and is properly tagged for identification.
Section 27-948
§ 27-948 Installation of private fire hydrants. (a) When buildings are
not required to be provided with a standpipe system, at least one
entrance to the building shall be located within two hundred fifty feet
of a street hydrant; or, a private hydrant of the same type as the city
hydrant connected to the street water main shall be provided within two
hundred fifty feet of entrance. The private hydrant shall be supplied by
at least an eight inch pipe, and the domestic water supply may be
connected to this private supply provided a shutoff valve is installed
in a curb box in the domestic supply within six feet of the hydrant
shutoff valve.
Section 27-949
§ 27-949 Protection of standpipe system. (a) All parts of the
standpipe systems that may be exposed to frost shall be protected from
freezing by any one of the following methods:
(1) The piping shall be frostproofed with insulation having a thermal
conductance of 0.1 Btu/hr. per square foot of surface per degree F at a
mean temperature of seventy to seventy-five degrees F. Insulation shall
be protected to prevent water infiltration, and when exposed to the
weather the insulation shall be covered with a forty-five pound roofing
felt jacket or equivalent.
(2) Steam or electric tracers may be used in conjunction with the
insulation.
(b) Tanks subject to freezing temperatures shall be protected.
Section 27-950
§ 27-950 Standards for installation. Details for installation,
components, sizing, valves, fittings, protection against freezing, etc.,
for standpipe systems and related equipment shall be in accordance with
reference standard RS 17-1.
Section 27-951
§ 27-951 Inspections and tests. (a) Inspections. Every new system and
every part of an existing system that is altered, extended, renovated,
or repaired, except for ordinary repairs, shall comply with the
applicable requirements of this subchapter.
(b) Notification. Advance notification of tests and inspections
required by this section shall be given to the commissioner.
(c) Representation at test. Tests required by this section shall be
conducted in the presence of the commissioner or his or her authorized
representative, or in lieu thereof, the commissioner may accept a signed
statement of an architect or engineer, whose name is submitted with the
notification in subdivision (b) of this section, declaring that he or
she has witnessed the tests and that the standpipe system meets the
requirements of this code. If a representative of the commissioner does
not appear within two days after receipt of such report by the
commissioner, the report shall be deemed to be accepted by the
commissioner.
(d) Testing equipment required. All equipment, material, and labor
required for testing a system or part thereof shall be furnished by, and
at the expense of, the person responsible for installing the work.
(e) Testing of system. Systems may be tested in sections, or parts, in
accordance with the requirements of this subchapter.
(f) Acceptance. Before the acceptance of such system, each system
shall be subjected to the tests required by this section.
(g) Standpipe system tests.
(1) PRESSURE TESTS.
a. The test shall demonstrate that the system will sustain a
hydrostatic pressure of at least one hundred psig, and at least three
hundred psig at the siamese connection, for a period of at least one
hour at the topmost hose outlet and at the lowest fire pump supply
connection to the system. In buildings not exceeding three stories or
forty feet in height, the test pressures need not be more than fifty
psig. in excess of the normal hydrostatic pressures at the topmost hose
outlet, and this pressure must be maintained for a period of at least
one hour.
b. Pressure tanks shall be tested to demonstrate that they will
sustain a hydrostatic pressure of at least one hundred fifty per cent of
the normal maximum required operating pressure for a period of at least
one hour.
(2) FLOW TEST. The system shall be flow tested to determine that water
is available at the top outlet of each riser, the lowest outlet in each
riser, and through each siamese connection. The system shall be flushed
to remove all foreign matter from the system. Flow shall be through at
least a two and one-half inch hose without nozzle at each one of the
above mentioned locations at separate times.
(3) ALTERATION TESTS. When alterations, additions, or repairs are made
to a standpipe system, the entire system shall be subjected to a
hydrostatic test pressure of at least fifty psig at the highest hose
outlet, and in addition, a flow test shall be made as stated in
paragraph two of this subdivision through the new or altered portion of
the system.
(h) Pump tests.
(1) Fire pumps shall be tested at the factory, and a certified test
curve shall be furnished with each pump.
(2) Pumps shall be tested after installation to ascertain that the
pump is supplying its rated capacity at the highest required hose outlet
or through the roof manifold. The test shall be performed as follows:
a. At least fifty feet of approved two and one-half inch rubber lined
hose equipped with a one and one-eighth inch nozzle shall be connected
to the highest two and one-half inch hose outlet valve. One of these
assemblies shall be connected in parallel for each two hundred fifty gpm
of rated pump capacity.
b. The nozzle or nozzles of the hose assembly shall discharge at, or
above, the highest required hose outlet or through a manifold.
c. Pitot tube gauge readings shall be taken at each nozzle to
determine that the required pump capacity is being discharged.
d. For manually operated fire pumps, the suction and discharge
pressures shall be recorded for each step or pump speed. The pump rpm
electrical current, and voltage readings shall be recorded with the
specific discharge pressure for each supply condition.
e. Automatic fire pumps shall be tested to ascertain that all of the
automatic controls are in good working order.
f. All of the above readings shall be noted on the required standpipe
diagram or a framed chart, which shall be mounted in a visible location
near the pump control panel.
g. When pumps are supplied by two independent services, the test shall
be conducted from each service independent of the other and, in
addition, with both services supplying the pump.
(i) Test equipment for fire pumps.
(1) For every fire pump installation, there shall be provided for test
purposes at least three fifty foot lengths of approved two and one-half
inch rubber lined fire hose. Hose shall be hung in the pump room or
other convenient location.
(2) Three two and one-half inch by one and one-eighth inch nozzles,
three spanner wrenches, and twelve washers shall be stored with the
required hose.
Section 27-952
§ 27-952 Standpipe signal systems. Standpipe signal systems shall be
provided in accordance with section 27-974 of article five of this
subchapter.
Section 27-953
§ 27-953 Elevators for fire department use. Elevators for fire
department use shall be provided as required by section 27-989 of
article one of subchapter eighteen.
To the extent possible under law, Friends of Devin Balkind for Public Advocate has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to New York City Administrative Code. This work is published from: United States.
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