Air sealing strategies for sprinklers?
JohnWalker
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
I’ve just been advised the plans for my new house require fire sprinklers. Because I’ve got some sloped vaulted or cathedral ceilings on the top floor the concealed sprinklers have to go in the ceiling (cannot be sidewall type). We have worked out an insulation strategy using XPS to box in the plumbing but I am concerned the holes in the air-tight drywall for each sprinkler head will ruin my air sealing. Do you have any suggestions as to how you have dealt with these before? I could move a few to the sidewalls in the flat ceilinged rooms. I could also use regular sidewall pendents (ugly) in the sloped ceiling areas. If they do end up penetrating the sloped ceiling drywall is there some techniques for mitigating the leakage?
Help!
Thanks
John
Replies
I would think that the sprinkler guys have some sort of a plastic box that can be fitted around the sprinkler head, similar in concept to the surrounds that are used around electrical boxes to air seal. Or perhaps those electrical box surrounds would work.
You'd have to cut holes for the pipes and then foam them or something, of course.
sprinkler box
you'd think so but I haven't found any.
I have given thought to retro-fitting sprinklers in my house and have given thoughts to using a narrow soffit to run piping in much like a trayed ceiling. Might serve you as well by eliminating ceiling pentrations. In a larger room needed a center head or two it could even be made to look like a coffered ceiling. up lighting could be added as well. There are a lot of design possibilities that could actually be interesting upgrades in addition to addressing your concern and even bring the pipe into conditioned space.
Coffered ceiling
I like that idea except it would look weird on a 4:12 sloped ceiling.
You could always go for the exposed beam look.