18″18″ of the ceiling near a sprinkler head. The items can obstruct the water flow of the sprinkler if it goes off.

How close can an object be to a sprinkler head?

18 inches





In a nutshell, NFPA 25: Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems says that objects that can block a sprinkler’s spray must be at least 18 inches away from the deflector. (That’s the small metal part at the sprinkler’s forward edge.)

How much clearance is required around sprinkler heads?

The minimum vertical clearance between sprinklers and material below shall be 18 inches (45.7cm).

How close to the ceiling can items be stored?

The purpose of the “18-inch rule” is to prevent storage or any other obstruction from interfering with the spray of water from a sprinkler head during a fire. It is intended to prevent a situation in which the obstruction is within 18-inches of the ceiling and might be between the sprinkler head and the fire.

What is the closest distance that items can be stored from a ceiling without any sprinkler heads?

All storage, regardless of the type, shall be kept at least 24 inches below a ceiling in non-‐sprinklered areas and at least 18 inches below the ceiling in sprinklered areas of the building.

What is the minimum distance between a sprinkler head and any obstruction?





In short the “beam rule” states that there must be at least 1 foot (0.3048 m)of separation between the sprinkler and the obstruction if the deflector is any distance above the bottom of the obstruction.

How much space should there be between the top of stored materials and a sprinkler deflector?

18 in.

6.4 A minimum clearance to storage of less than 18 in. (450 mm) between the top of storage and ceiling sprinkler deflectors shall be permitted where proven by successful large- scale fire tests for the particular hazard.

What is the minimum distance you can store objects from a sprinkler head Australia?

Comply with an absolute minimum of 30 cm distance between your sprinkler heads and your pallets. Why? Because a tighter clearance can obstruct water flow resulting in poor warehouse protection.

What is the minimum clearance needed between the ceiling of an office space and the top of materials stored on filing cabinets where sprinklers are flush with the ceiling?



Question 1: 29 CFR 1910.159(c)(10) in part states, “The minimum vertical clearance between sprinklers and material below shall be 18-inches (45.7 cm).” Does this apply only to materials placed directly below the sprinkler heads?

How far does a light fixture need to be from a sprinkler head?

The sprinklers spray at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. So of your light fixture is 4 inches deep, then you should keep them at least 4 inches away from the sprinkler heads.

What is the maximum distance an upright sprinkler head can be installed from the ceiling deck?

To comply with NFPA 13, sprinklers are required above the obstruction at a distance not less than 1 in. and not more than 12 in. from the ceiling above, assuming unobstructed construction.

How close can a fire sprinkler be to a wall?



5.2. 1 of NFPA 13, which states that the distance from the sprinkler to the wall can be no more than one-half the allowable distance between sprinklers. The max distance between standard spray sprinklers in light hazard settings is 15 ft. (4.6 m) (with exceptions for light-hazard, combustible concealed spaces).

Can sprinkler heads be above drop ceiling?

NFPA-13 states that sprinkler protection is NOT required above hung ceilings if the area above has non-combustibles even with small openings in the ceiling.

What is the maximum height of sprinkler head?

The maximum storage height shall be 25 ft. The maximum ceiling height shall be 40 ft.

What kind of sprinkler is suspended from the ceiling?

A pendent (sometimes spelled “pendant”) fire sprinkler hangs from above-ceiling pipes and distributes water in a domed or conical pattern using a convex deflector.

Are missing ceiling tiles a fire hazard?



Missing ceiling tiles

A missing ceiling tile can easily allow hot products of combustion from a fire to rise through the ceiling opening and collect in the space above the ceiling.

Are drop ceilings fire rated?

Other times, the drop ceiling is considered part of this fire barrier ceiling and MUST have fire barrier rated ceiling tiles. Ceiling tiles that are rated Class A for flame spread but do NOT have a fire barrier rating are treated as an interior finish like a paint.

Are ceiling tiles smoke barrier?

They also provide a barrier to the spread of smoke and fire. Breaking, displacing, or removing ceiling tiles enables hot gases and smoke from a fire to rise and accumulate above detectors and sprinklers.

Why are ceiling tiles important?



They also provide a barrier to the spread of smoke and fire. Breaking, displacing or removing ceiling tiles enables hot gases and smoke to rise and accumulate above detectors and sprinklers. Doing so delays their activation, enabling fires to rapidly grow larger before an alarm and response occur.

Is ceiling tile a good idea?

The greatest benefit of ceiling tiles is that they can be used for most DIY projects. You do not have to buy or hire any specialized equipment, because most ceiling tile purchases come with every accessory that you need to install them successfully.

Is PVC ceiling tile safe?

Polyvinyl chloride is often used in moisture-resistant ceiling tiles. But PVC manufacturing releases many toxic chemicals, including harmful dioxin compounds. Vinyl chloride, used in PVC production, also poses a serious risk to workers.