A flow alarm in our fire sprinkler system (Background Report)

OUR FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEM includes an alarm to alert us in the event of unexpected water release. Normally we would not know that it even existed, let alone that it is always looking out for us. I still don’t know where exactly is located. Its measuring probe is just above the hatch in the ceiling of the fire sprinkler room (downstairs). 

The water flow sensor in our sprinkler system

Presumably the associated alarm is nearby—i.e., not far from the doorbell that is above the door to that same room.

The basic operation of such a flow detector is helpfully described on a vendor’s blog, which explains:

“[Such an alarm] signifies an activated fire sprinkler head or a leak in the system.”

The Fire Department requires that this alarm be inspected and tested every 5 years, as part of a regular overall check of our sprinkler system. Our most recent “Fire Protection Equipment Performance Report” (8/16/21) indeed noted that our water flow alarm device consists of a water-flow switch of the vane/paddle type, and that it produces a local alarm sound (as opposed to activating the building’s fire alarm, or being monitored by a supervising station). 

Our switch is meant to activate its alarm if a water flow of 4–10 gallons/minute continues to occur for 20 to 60 seconds anywhere within the downstream dedicated sprinkler lines. 

Nameplate on the water flow sensor

During the next test, which is slated to be conducted later this year, it would be prudent to find out where the alarm is housed and what it sounds like, so as to record both facts for future reference.

Duct smoke detectors installed in sanctuary HVAC system (Activity Report)

ALTHOUGH I HAD provisionally concluded that duct smoke detectors were not required in our sanctuary, as described HERE, I nonetheless looked for an opportunity to get an authoritative opinion. That opportunity presented itself exactly one week ago, when Tom Nasrollahi, a mechanical (HVAC) engineer, made a site visit as a consultant on our main-floor restroom renovation project.

One of the new duct smoke detectors

Unhesitatingly, Tom replied that these devices were indeed required in our sanctuary, according to code. 

He explained that even though each of the sanctuary’s two systems has its own thermostat and each one by itself has a small enough blower to be exempt, they must together be treated as one overall system because they both participate in conditioning the same space. The system’s cubic feet per minute (CFM) for the total space is what counts.

Happily, a pair of detectors was installed yesterday. They were placed just upstream of the air filter before the blower intake (see photo). 

Thus we have made a capital improvement (betterment) that addresses a life-safety risk, which is of course the highest priority use for our precious funds.

(How did it come about that the installer of our replacement heating system in 2017 did not include these devices at that time? Maybe I don’t want to know.…)

Duct smoke detectors: required in the sanctuary’s HVAC system? (Background Report)

A DUCT SMOKE DETECTOR is an HVAC-system device that can prevent flames and smoke from being spread or fanned by the system. In the event of smoke, the detector sends a signal to shut down the fan. Its presence is required by code in most circumstances. Normally the determination is made by city building department officials when a permit is applied for. 

The HVAC contractor Jessy Perets told me that our sanctuary’s HVAC system lacks duct smoke detectors. He also pointed out that our twin HVAC units were installed in a visibly low-budget manner, apparently without a building permit. Which has led me to wonder whether or not a pair of duct smoke detectors were technically required in our case. 

For a fire safety measure, the fact of requirement (if it indeed exists) would argue for installation after the fact (which would cost $1,275 as quoted by one contractor). Conversely, if our case is an allowable exception, that would argue for leaving things as they are. At its June meeting, the board adopted that approach and asked the B&G Committee to find out whether duct smoke detectors are required by code in our sanctuary. 

I have a provisional answer, which I lay out below the jump.…

Fire safety and restoration efforts

As we begin to prepare for a (series of) rehabilitation projects in the sanctuary building’s basement, it’s worth thinking carefully about fire safety. Surely we wish to ensure that our plans will satisfy City officials. Furthermore, we also want to see that the construction work itself doesn’t start any fires.

Helpfully, a section of our Historic Structure Report (2003) is devoted to these topics. It quotes from two documents by the National Fire Protection Association, titled “Recommended Practice for Fire Protection in Historic Structures” and “Standard for the Protection of Cultural Resources Including…Places of Worship.” Below the jump, this post will share some highlights from that section.…

A new guess as to why a sprinkler head suddenly failed last June

LAST JUNE, a sprinkler head in the kitchen downstairs suddenly broke open, flooding the area with water — even though no significant heat was present in the vicinity, let alone an actual fire — as reported in this post. At the time, I speculated that the head had deteriorated over time, until it just failed catastrophically.

Since then, I and others (especially the insurance company, so I hear) have struggled to explain why that particular sprinkler head would have been the one to burst. Below the jump, I discuss a factor that recently occurred to me, which I don’t think has previously been considered.…

Kitchen vent hood(s) in our future

MISHKON REPORTEDLY OWNS a huge kitchen vent hood that is presently sitting upstairs in the Powerhouse building. Hopefully, we may soon be striving to get rid of it, as part of concluding the sale of that building. 

This is a long shot, but that hood might have some trade-in value (at a restaurant supply outfit) for the hoods that we ourselves need to procure. We need at least one of them — arguably two — as part of reviving our Social Hall as a space that we can productively use and perhaps even rent out.

This post briefly our hood-related needs, as they were outlined in the 2003 Historic Structure Report. 

Location of fire extinguishers in the sanctuary

THERE ARE TWO fire extinguishers in our historic sanctuary. Here are their locations.

View from the bimah,
looking past the curtain
into the passageway on the north side
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

View in the foyer,
facing the right-hand exit door to the portico

Knowing their location is important, for obvious reasons. Below the jump, there is a map of these two places.

A fluke and a flood downstairs

RUBEN TELLS ME that yesterday, he and a plumber were in the process of restoring gas service to the sanctuary building. (Why the gas had been off for a month is a story for another time.) They were in the downstairs kitchen’s closet, bleeding air from the gas line to the water heater. Suddenly, they heard a loud pop and a whoosh. 

Sprinkler shutoff valve
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

This post describes what happened next, and its import.…