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Doug Commette Posted: Sep 23, 2008 07:37 PM	International Code Council (ICC) Passes Residential Sprinkler Mandate Could Spray Foam Insulation and Unvented Attic Assemblies be the Answer? On Sunday, September 21st, the International Code Council (ICC) voted to approve a fire sprinkler mandate as part of the 2009 International Residential Code, requiring that sprinklers be included in all one- and two-family homes and townhouses built to the code as of Jan. 1, 2011. Nine hundred fire officials – all eligible voters – reportedly arrived at the ICC’s meeting and hearings in Minneapolis, MN on Saturday in support of the mandate. When the voting took place on Sunday morning, the measure was approved 1,283 to 470. One concern raised by NAHB was the question as to whether home owners are prepared to perform the maintenance required to ensure that the sprinklers remain operational. Builders also cited the potential for pipes installed in attics to freeze in colder climates, saying that the sprinklers can be discharged accidentally, resulting in property damage. And in areas served by wells or where water is scarce, there is potential concern regarding the availability of an adequate water supply. One such benefit for the spray foam insulation industry is the acceptance of unvented attics and the ability of foam insulation to protect against these freezing pipes. Fire protection organizations report that as many as 890 lives could be saved each year if residences were equipped with working smoke alarms. Furthermore, NAHB identified several existing code requirements that have contributed to a significant decline in fire-related deaths and injuries over the past 30 years. Among these, the most effective improvement noted was the introduction of hard-wired interconnected smoke alarms, which the code requires to be installed in every bedroom and on every floor. SprayFoamMagazine.com hears that our state’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA) will most likely adopt the code as written. We are headquartered in New Jersey, USA.
Posted: Sep 25, 2008 07:18 AM	a solution indeed... another question???will exposed foam now be allowed due to the presence of a sprinkler system? you know,,,no tb or ib coating/covering??? praise be!! but it is a bit crappy how the fire folks manipulated/flooded this vote,, the majority of them voted only on this issue and then turned in their ballots,,, elligible votes indeed,,900 of the 1753 votes cast was by eligible fire officials... i wonder if most of the other trade associations and manufacturers are considering fireing their current "compliance/code teams" for being caught with their pants down...they should,,, and on another sidebar...vote...it does work...
Eric Smith Posted: Oct 08, 2008 06:56 PM	Great. Fire protection that could be effectively unnecessary with better choices in building materials. I am sure that the mold abatement industry will benefit significantly from their boom in business in about 5 years.
Bryan Kwater Posted: Jul 21, 2009 12:37 PM	Can foam be left exposed with no thermal barrier if a sprinkler system is installed in a building? Will the code change require a sprinkler system in crawlspaces too?
jimcoler I have over 10 years of experience specifying and installing open and closed cell spray foam. I've sold my business but I'm still selling for the new owners and consulting on large and custom specific jobs. I've expanded my knowledge into t Posted: Jul 31, 2009 11:36 PM	At this point even sprinklered areas need intumescent paint. There are no exceptions for sprinklers at this point! So, what happens when you spray the ceiling of a crawlspace and put a sprinkler down there and it freezes because you made it colder? Goo luck trying to drain that sprinkler head up hill to the connection above grade too!
Michael Fusco Posted: Aug 01, 2009 11:26 AM	What happened to the concept that codes are supposed to be the MINIMUM requirement to build a house? So...lets see....I can build a house with sheathing that has 1/4" spaces between the sheets, insulate that with fiber glass with paper backing.....push that fiberglass in to assure it is a R-38 (push it in....half the R-value, but that's ok).....then add a sprinkler to it. God...what a world......
jimcoler I have over 10 years of experience specifying and installing open and closed cell spray foam. I've sold my business but I'm still selling for the new owners and consulting on large and custom specific jobs. I've expanded my knowledge into t Posted: Aug 02, 2009 12:59 PM	I've got it. All of the manufacturers need to get stamps made up and stamp our foam R-38 as it's installed. Fiberglass does it, so why can't we? I mean what is the R-value of FG? For a basement wrap, they're over R-5/inch! That's R-10 for a 2" thick diaper! How do they get away with it? Well, it's stamped at that and they don't even have an ICC-ESR on this product or 99% of their other products. We truly are one of the most scrutinized building materials in the construction industry and have jumped through their hoops and passed most of them with flying colors. The problem is the deck is stacked - not in our favor! It's starting to come arouind and we just need to keep percevering through this. Their political antics will ultimately be their fate!

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Comments

Doug Commette

Posted: Sep 23, 2008 07:37 PM

International Code Council (ICC) Passes Residential Sprinkler Mandate

Could Spray Foam Insulation and Unvented Attic Assemblies be the Answer?

On Sunday, September 21st, the International Code Council (ICC) voted to approve a fire sprinkler mandate as part of the 2009 International Residential Code, requiring that sprinklers be included in all one- and two-family homes and townhouses built to the code as of Jan. 1, 2011.
Nine hundred fire officials – all eligible voters – reportedly arrived at the ICC’s meeting and hearings in Minneapolis, MN on Saturday in support of the mandate. When the voting took place on Sunday morning, the measure was approved 1,283 to 470.

One concern raised by NAHB was the question as to whether home owners are prepared to perform the maintenance required to ensure that the sprinklers remain operational. Builders also cited the potential for pipes installed in attics to freeze in colder climates, saying that the sprinklers can be discharged accidentally, resulting in property damage. And in areas served by wells or where water is scarce, there is potential concern regarding the availability of an adequate water supply. One such benefit for the spray foam insulation industry is the acceptance of unvented attics and the ability of foam insulation to protect against these freezing pipes.

Fire protection organizations report that as many as 890 lives could be saved each year if residences were equipped with working smoke alarms. Furthermore, NAHB identified several existing code requirements that have contributed to a significant decline in fire-related deaths and injuries over the past 30 years. Among these, the most effective improvement noted was the introduction of hard-wired interconnected smoke alarms, which the code requires to be installed in every bedroom and on every floor.
SprayFoamMagazine.com hears that our state’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA) will most likely adopt the code as written. We are headquartered in New Jersey, USA.

Posted: Sep 25, 2008 07:18 AM

a solution indeed...

another question???will exposed foam now be allowed due to the presence of a sprinkler system? you know,,,no tb or ib coating/covering??? praise be!!

but it is a bit crappy how the fire folks manipulated/flooded this vote,,
the majority of them voted only on this issue and then turned in their ballots,,,
elligible votes indeed,,900 of the 1753 votes cast was by eligible fire officials...
i wonder if most of the other trade associations and manufacturers are considering fireing their current "compliance/code teams" for being caught with their pants down...they should,,,

and on another sidebar...vote...it does work...

Eric Smith

Posted: Oct 08, 2008 06:56 PM

Great. Fire protection that could be effectively unnecessary with better choices in building materials.

I am sure that the mold abatement industry will benefit significantly from their boom in business in about 5 years.

Bryan Kwater

Posted: Jul 21, 2009 12:37 PM

Can foam be left exposed with no thermal barrier if a sprinkler system is installed in a building?

Will the code change require a sprinkler system in crawlspaces too?

jimcoler

I have over 10 years of experience specifying and installing open and closed cell spray foam. I've sold my business but I'm still selling for the new owners and consulting on large and custom specific jobs.

I've expanded my knowledge into t

Posted: Jul 31, 2009 11:36 PM

At this point even sprinklered areas need intumescent paint. There are no exceptions for sprinklers at this point!

So, what happens when you spray the ceiling of a crawlspace and put a sprinkler down there and it freezes because you made it colder? Goo luck trying to drain that sprinkler head up hill to the connection above grade too!

Michael Fusco

Posted: Aug 01, 2009 11:26 AM

What happened to the concept that codes are supposed to be the MINIMUM requirement to build a house?

So...lets see....I can build a house with sheathing that has 1/4" spaces between the sheets, insulate that with fiber glass with paper backing.....push that fiberglass in to assure it is a R-38 (push it in....half the R-value, but that's ok).....then add a sprinkler to it.

God...what a world......

jimcoler

I've expanded my knowledge into t

Posted: Aug 02, 2009 12:59 PM

I've got it. All of the manufacturers need to get stamps made up and stamp our foam R-38 as it's installed. Fiberglass does it, so why can't we?

I mean what is the R-value of FG? For a basement wrap, they're over R-5/inch! That's R-10 for a 2" thick diaper! How do they get away with it? Well, it's stamped at that and they don't even have an ICC-ESR on this product or 99% of their other products.

We truly are one of the most scrutinized building materials in the construction industry and have jumped through their hoops and passed most of them with flying colors. The problem is the deck is stacked - not in our favor! It's starting to come arouind and we just need to keep percevering through this. Their political antics will ultimately be their fate!

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