Sprinkler System Design

A systematic approach to the design process ensures that your premises are fully protected, while avoiding excess costs and unnecessary hardware. Compliance with current legislation is crucial in every step we take, and we stay updated on regulations that become either a legal requirement or a good standard of practice, such as NFPA 13.

The typical sprinkler system design process is as follows.​

Receiving Building Plans

The initial phase in designing a fire sprinkler system begins with receiving and reviewing the plans of the existing building. This includes a thorough overview of installed utilities, such as electrical wiring, plumbing, and HVAC systems. Understanding the layout and specifications of these utilities is crucial, and allows our Fire Sprinkler Design team to plan the placement of the sprinkler heads and the routing of the pipe network to ensure efficiency and compliance with safety standards, while avoiding interference with existing services.

Sprinkler Head Positioning

Once we have a detailed understanding of the building's layout and utilities, we proceed to plan the position of the sprinkler heads. This step is guided by the BS:9251 British Standard, ensuring that the placement of each sprinkler head is optimised for maximum coverage and effectiveness in the event of a fire. Adhering to these standards is crucial in designing a fire sprinkler system that is not only effective, but also fully compliant with the latest safety regulations.

Pipe Network Design

Designing the pipe network involves planning how water will be supplied to the sprinkler heads, either directly from the mains or from a dedicated water tank. This depends on the building's water supply capabilities and the requirements of the sprinkler system. We work to ensure that, in the event of a fire, there will be an adequate and reliable water supply to all sprinkler heads. This step is essential for the functionality of the system, requiring precise calculations and planning.

Hydraulic Calculations

Our team performs advanced hydraulic calculations using Canute FHC software to ensure that the designed sprinkler system will perform optimally under fire conditions. These calculations will determine the required water pressure and flow rate throughout the system, ensuring that each sprinkler head receives an adequate amount of water with sufficient pressure to effectively suppress a fire. If the system cannot be fed by the mains, Base Fire Sprinklers carries out a precise water tank size calculation for a bespoke supply system.

Pipe Sizing Optimisation

The final step in the design process involves refining the pipe sizes and diameters to optimise water flow throughout the system. This involves a careful balance between ensuring adequate water supply to each sprinkler head and maintaining efficient water usage. Adjusting the pipe sizes and diameters is a critical process that requires expert knowledge and experience to ensure that the system is both effective in fire suppression and efficient in water usage.

Once the initial design is completed, we can use cutting-edge software to simulate water flow during an incident, providing a final virtual check that the planned sprinklers will give the best coverage, safety, and appropriate run time for the building and its occupants

Fire safety regulations and codes in the United Kingdom play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of occupants and minimising the risk of fire-related incidents. Base Fire Sprinklers has extensive knowledge of the regulatory framework specific to fire sprinkler system design in the UK. Our expert design team stays up-to-date with the relevant codes and standards, including those set by the British Standards Institution (BSI), Building Regulations, and the Fire Safety Order.

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British Standards Institution (BSI)

The BSI provides a range of standards related to fire protection systems, including fire sprinkler system design. Our design team is well-versed in standards such as BS 9251 for residential and domestic sprinkler systems, BS 8458, and BS EN 12845 for automatic sprinkler systems in buildings, and BS 5839 regarding fire alarm systems, heat detectors, and smoke detectors. We ensure that our designs align with these standards, guaranteeing compliance with the latest industry best practices.

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Building Regulations

Building Regulations in the UK incorporate fire safety requirements that must be met during the construction, alteration, or extension of buildings. These regulations outline specific fire protection measures, including the installation of fire sprinkler systems in certain types of buildings. Our design team is knowledgeable about the relevant sections of the Building Regulations, such as Approved Document B (Fire Safety), and will design your fire sprinkler system in accordance with these requirements.

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Fire Safety Order

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, commonly referred to as the Fire Safety Order, places responsibilities on individuals in control of non-domestic premises to ensure the safety of people in case of fire. While not specific to sprinkler system design, compliance with the Fire Safety Order is crucial for overall fire safety. Our designs incorporate features that help you meet your obligations under this order, such as appropriate fire detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting, and clearly marked escape routes.

By entrusting your fire sprinkler system design to Base Fire Sprinklers, you can be confident that our designs comply with the applicable regulations in the UK. We understand the importance of regulatory compliance in ensuring the safety of your occupants and the successful implementation of your fire protection measures.

Contact Base Fire Sprinklers today to discuss your fire sprinkler system design needs in the UK, and let our expertise in regulatory compliance provide you with peace of mind.

We can offer expert sprinkler system design as part of a fully joined-up service which includes supply, installation and maintenance. This includes both ad hoc and retained maintenance services - so if you need us, we'll be here.

If you have a new-build residential project coming up, we would urge you to get in touch as soon as possible, so that we can incorporate our sprinkler system designs into your plans as seamlessly and cost-efficiently as possible.

For retrofit sprinkler system enquiries, we can use CAD to produce your designs in a virtual space, to minimise the time and disruption caused during the actual installation. Where necessary, this also allows our team to tweak your design before installation for the best results.

Ensuring your fire sprinkler system is designed in the most efficient way is crucial to its proper function, and to the safety of the building and occupants. This is why having domestic sprinkler system design experts by your side, and using the highest quality system components on the markets, is so important.

Fire sprinklers can fully extinguish flames, but this is not the only way they can help. In some cases, automatic fire sprinklers act as a suppression system, preventing the fire from spreading until all the occupants of the building are safe and the emergency services can respond.

Some of the different ways automatic fire sprinkler systems can help include:

• Putting out fires before they can take hold

• Dampening areas so fire cannot spread

• Reducing the availability of fuel for the fire

• Preventing or delaying the 'flashover' point

• Reducing the amount and spread of smoke

An automatic sprinkler system gives added confidence that with a 99% success rate, the sprinklers will be triggered earlier and without manual intervention, so that the system starts to fight the fire even before residents become aware of it.