Base Fire Sprinklers are specialists in Fire Sprinkler System Design for residential buildings.
Fire Sprinkler System Design is the process of planning and creating a system that will effectively detect and control fires in buildings. The design includes various components, such as pipes, sprinkler heads, valves, water supply, and control systems, which work together to provide fire protection.
A well-designed residential sprinkler setup has a 99% success rate, and is the most efficient way to prevent loss of life. Base Fire Sprinklers have expertise in residential Fire Sprinkler System Design for buildings of all sizes, giving optimal coverage in the event of a fire.
Our meticulous approach gives you a comprehensive, compliant sprinkler system optimised for safety, providing peace of mind whether the property is your own home, or a residential development such as a care home, student accommodation, block of flats or new-build housing estate.
We hold the necessary regulatory accreditations to work on any kind of residential property, so that you can be assured that our sprinkler systems are legally compliant. However, we also go beyond this, embracing new technologies and techniques to optimise coverage and safety to the highest standards.
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To discuss the fire suppression system requirements of your project talk to one of the friendly Fire Sprinkler Consultants at Base Fire today.
How do sprinklers help?
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:
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Putting out fires before they can take hold
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Dampening areas so fire cannot spread
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Reducing the availability of fuel for the fire
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Preventing or delaying the 'flashover' point
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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.
Which buildings benefit from high quality fire sprinkler design?
Having a fire sprinkler system designed for your property is, statistically, one of the most significant steps you can take to ensure safety against fires. However, the system must be designed by experts to guarantee the highest level of protection.
Base Fire Sprinklers have accreditations for all residential property types of all sizes. This allows us to create compliant sprinkler system designs for:
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Private student accommodation
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Other residential buildings
In each case, our fire sprinkler design team will work with you to understand exactly what you need from your sprinkler system, using our expertise and the tools mentioned above to give you a design that meets all regulatory expectations, while saving you time and money.
What type of Fire Sprinkler Design can we do?
At Base Fire Sprinklers, we use our decades of experience in the fire protection industry to bring you tailored solutions to reduce risks effectively. We have helped individuals and businesses to improve their buildings’ safety with all types of fire system design projects. The most common types of systems we have work with include:
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Wet Pipe Fire Sprinkler Design
These are the most common type of system in residential buildings. The pipes are always filled with water, meaning the sprinklers can discharge immediately when an automatic fire detection system is triggered, Wet pipe sprinklers are tried and tested, but can be problematic in areas where water could freeze and damage the pipes.
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Dry Pipe Fire Sprinkler Design
In a dry system, the pipes are not filled with water, but with nitrogen or air. When a fire is detected, a valve reduces the pressure of the gas and lets water flow through the system and out of the sprinkler heads. This eliminates the risk of freezing liquid in the pipes, but somewhat slows down the response time compared to a wet system.
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Our Approach to Fire Sprinkler System Design.
Base Fire Sprinklers believe in precision and our qualified designers use cutting-edge industry software packages to ensure every design delivers the exact specifications required to optimise resident safety.
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AutoCAD
AutoCAD has been a leading name in computer-aided design (CAD) since its launch in 1982. The application's hydraulic library allows us to create precise blueprints for the installation of your residential fire sprinkler systems, detailing the position of valves and pumps, the direction of flow and other important elements of the overall design.
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FHC Canute
FHC hydraulic calculation software from Canute is a reliable and fast way to design complex fire sprinkler systems for large premises, including grid, loop and tree pipework networks, as well as any combination of water spray and mist fire suppression systems.
By using these and other applications, we are able to calculate the optimal position for sprinkler heads to give the best coverage throughout your buildings - leaving fires with nowhere to take hold and maximising safety and success rates.
What is the Sprinkler System Design process?
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Water Tank Capacity Calculator
Our Online Water Tank Size Calculator provides a free estimate of tank size requirements for a residential fire sprinkler system. This easy-to-use online tool will help you determine the right sizing for your water tank needs.
What legislation regulates fire sprinkler design?
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.
What happens after the sprinkler system design?
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.
Why choose us?
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At Base Fire Sprinklers, we take pride in our commitment to providing exceptional service to our clients. We have recently completed successful projects in a variety of towns and cities across the UK including Stockport, Manchester, Warrington, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield.
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Our team's expertise and dedication to safety have earned us a reputation as a reliable and trustworthy partner for all of your fire sprinkler needs. From design and installation to servicing and repairs, we use only the highest quality materials and equipment to ensure that your system is operating at peak performance.
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Additionally, our maintenance programs offer peace of mind, knowing that your system is being regularly checked and maintained. We are here to provide you with a fire sprinkler solution that meets your needs.
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Contact us today to learn more about our services or visit our design, installation, servicing & repair pages to see how we can assist you with each step of the process.
