They are designed to provide a pre-piped water system for building occupants or the fire department. Standpipe systems are designed to provide fire protection water for hose lines in strategically placed locations inside a building or structure.

In addition, standpipes are required in high-rise buildings and some stage areas in assembly occupancies. Some occupancies also mandate the presence of standpipes, such as detention and correctional occupancies, airport terminals and piers, at certain thresholds.

IFC 3604.2 requires a standpipe to meet the requirements of NFPA 303 Fire Protection Standard for Marina and Boat Yards and requires all areas to be reachable within 150-feet of a standpipe hose connection. 8. Rooftop gardens and landscaped roofs – Section 905.3.

The three main considerations when determining the required standpipe system installation are maximum and minimum pressure requirements, flow requirements, and type of system to be used.

Class I standpipes are for trained firefighter use. They have a 2 ½-inch outlet and are capable of flowing a minimum of 250 gallons per minute (gpm) from each individual outlet. Each riser should be capable of flowing 500 gpm.

Class II standpipes serve a 1.5-inch fire hose connection and are typically found in cabinets. These are intended for trained occupant use and are spaced according to the hose length. The hose length and connection spacing is intended for all spaces of the building.

A dry standpipe is a network of in-place piping allowing connection of a water supply (usually a fire department mobile apparatus known as a pumper) to a dedicated inlet at street level, with hose outlet valves on each floor.

Wet standpipe A “wet” standpipe is filled with water and is pressurized at all times. In contrast to dry standpipes, which can be used only by firefighters, wet standpipes can be used by building occupants. Wet standpipes generally already come with hoses so that building occupants may fight fires quickly.

Metered standpipe hire Under certain circumstances a metered standpipe can be hired to draw potable (drinking) water from the town water supply. Use of metered standpipes is limited and availability is reserved for situations where other options are not available.

Need to Install a Standpipe? Here’s how:

1. Choose a seamless PVC or steel pipe with the appropriate threaded NPT fitting to mount the ultrasonic sensor.
2. Cut the end of the standpipe at a 45° angle.
3. Place the pipe as vertical as possible with an unobstructed path to the target.
4. Mounting the pipe is the toughest part.

The minimum pressure while flowing the required standpipe flow (500 GPM from the hydraulically most remote standpipe and 250 GPM from each additional standpipe, up to a maximum of 1000 GPM for a fully sprinklered building) shall be 100 psi at any valve outlet while flowing 250 GPM through each valve.

Standpipe Systems. Costs are roughly $5,000 per floor per standpipe required.

Stand Pipe Pressure Or Pressure Loss (Friction Pressure) Calculations

1. PP = PDS + PB + PA.
2. PP : pump pressure, psi.
3. PDS : drill string friction pressure, psi.
4. PB : drilling bit pressure drop, psi.
5. PA : annulus pressure, psi.

These systems are used in conjunction with sprinklers or hoses and basically consist of a water pipe riser running vertically through the building, although sometimes a building is provided with only piping for the standpipe system. Standpipe systems can be wet or dry.

A standpipe is the vertical piping that connects fire sprinkler systems and hose stations between multiple floors. It is common to see standpipes in stairwells of high-rise buildings. A rooftop standpipe test verifies the water supply, pump and piping at the topmost part of the system.

Automatic wet standpipe systems have pressurized water in their pipes at all times. When a hose outlet is opened, water immediately flows from them, hence the word “automatic.” The practical impact is that these systems do not require firefighters to supply water and pressure to the system to make them work.