More about NZS 4517
Without doubt, installing sprinkler systems in houses will help reduce fire deaths in our community.
NZS 4517:2002 Fire Sprinkler Systems for Houses was published to encourage the installation of such systems and to reduce sprinkler installation costs (and updated in 2010). NZS 4517 does not apply to multi-storey apartments, halls, marae or churches. The reduction in cost does come with a reduction in reliability compared to commercial-type sprinkler systems designed according to NZS 4541:2003 Automatic Fire Sprinkler Systems and NZS4515:2003 Fire Sprinkler Systems for Residential Occupancies. NZS 4517 fire sprinkler systems cannot be expected to provide the same levels of performance and reliability as systems installed in commercial buildings, in terms of both life safety and property protection. This is because they do not have:
- third party design and installation approval required by the other fire sprinkler standards
- regular testing and maintenance, as required by a compliance schedule.
The perception that fire sprinkler systems designed and installed to NZS 4517 are simple systems for family homes is only partially true. In fact, in comparison to commercial sprinklers, the Standard is based on innovative technology that uses sprinkler heads that activate more quickly, have a different spray pattern, but also have a finer line between successfully extinguishing a fire and becoming overpowered by its effects.
Some sprinkler system certifiers, who certify commercial and industrial sprinkler installations, have claimed that the quality of some of the installation of NZS 4517 fire sprinkler systems is poor and the hydraulic design inaccurate. These concerns can easily be addressed if the people involved in the design, installation and inspection of NZS 4517 fire sprinkler systems are made aware of them.