Back in November 2015, Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant at the Welsh Government made the announcement that all new and converted housing from 2016 onwards will include a sprinkler system.
“Analysis has shown that installing sprinklers in new homes reduces avoidable death or injury arising from fires. The installation of fire protection systems will go a long way towards minimising the risk of fire devastation. They are proven to help save lives.”
Together with the announcement, the Welsh Government released their Domestic Sprinklers Policy, which included details on design, water supply, single dwellings and multiple-occupancy premises.
Domestic Sprinklers Policy - Wales
Now, all installers, and more importantly specifiers, must be aware of this new legislation and ensure they comply when working on projects in Wales. While the full legislation can be viewed on the FAQ document from the Welsh Government, we've outlined the key points below:
Fire sprinkler design
All fire protection systems must be designed and installed in accordance with BS 9251:2014 (Fire Sprinkler Systems for Domestic and Residential Occupancies ‐ Code of Practice) or BS 8458:2015 (Fixed Fire Protection Systems – Residential and Domestic Water Mist Systems – Code of Practice for
Design and Installation).
Water supply pressure and flow
Water supply networks are subject to fluctuating operational pressures and a minimum operational pressure of 1.5 Bar in accordance with regulatory Level of Service requirements which should be a consideration in the design of the fire protection system.
Single dwellings
A 32mm metered connection will be provided for each dwelling requiring a combined domestic
water/fire protection system.
Multiple-occupancy premises
Numerous options are available for fire protection systems within premises of this nature dependent
upon the proposed structural layout design of the premises – i.e. single unit or communal systems.
Meeting the requirements
As Wales will become an important and growing market for fire protection systems, it is important to recognise what can be done to provide clients with multiple options to meet these legislations while providing a quality output too.
Despite steel fire sprinkler systems being the traditional choice, there could be huge benefits for those specifiers that switch to CPVC systems.
Introducing BlazeMaster® CPVC
BlazeMaster CPVC fire protection systems have been proven to be cost-effective and easy to install, particularly for retrofit projects, giving you greater flexibility to pass onto your clients. A 40-bed care home that requires a retrofit, for example, would require over 1,300 hours to install steel (screwed), where as CPVC would take only 640 hours - more than a 50% reduction in time.
Of course, a lower installation time means a lower cost of install. This, combined with the security of meeting codes requirements (BS 9251:2014 and BS 8458:2015) can assure you of installing a safe and relaible sysem while also helping you and your company grow and be more successful. It is this reliability and compliance to UK approvals that make CPVC a favourable alternative to steel.
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