Posted by
mcammer on
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/Problems-with-Red-Safe-tp6927958p6932554.html
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Yes.
But first a diversion. Worse than the sprinkler systems are the Koldwave air conditioning units that building engineers squeeze into the plenum in the tiny microscope rooms. These are guaranteed to collect condensation that will drip, if not stream, down. I have repeatedly been involved with renovations where we specified cooling unit locations in the plans only to be ignored by the builders.
We are in NYC and we have sprinklers installed directly over everything. (When I was at Einstein, also in NYC, we didn't have sprinklers in the lab; I wonder whether this was a grandfather clause or some other reason.) I bet we could not get an exception in Manhattan. Short of building a tent over the equipment (which may or may not violate the fire code in other ways), we have to trust the plumbing.
A quick Google of the NYC fire code suggests that there is a loophole of renovating to have one hour firestop walls as per "all unsprinklered floor areas shall be segregated by one-hour fire separations into spaces or compartments not to exceed seventy-five hundred square feet." As for relying on the plumbing, the fire code does specify, "Where connected to a standpipe riser, provision shall be made to prevent excessive pressure on the sprinkler heads." Also, there is a provision for high pressure testing when installed. I assume this is to check for flaws in the plumbing and the sprinkler itself. Sprinklers are not supposed to release water unless the temperature gets hot enough to melt the valve.
But having said all of this, I do know of a lab in the Bronx where the sprinklers failed at RT and there was a flood and it shut down the research for a while.
After this hot air, I hope not enough to set off your sprinkler systems, good luck. If it's an in-house institutional or insurance requirement rather than local code, they may be willing to grant an exemption with the installation of other safety monitors, as already specified on the listserv, when they see the price of the equipment.
________________________________________________________
Michael Cammer, Assistant Research Scientist
Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine
Lab: (212) 263-3208 Cell: (914) 309-3270
-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:
[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Naomi Book
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 4:47 AM
Subject: sprinkler systems in microscope room
Our institute has decided to install sprinkler system in the institute for
safety reasons, the engineer that planed the system has put at least one
sprinkler right above every confocal/microscope we have in our unit. Can
anyone tell me please if you have sprinklers in your microscopes room? Is
there a way to avoid this ??
Many thanks,
Naomi Book
Naomi Melamed-Book, Ph.D
Bio-Imaging Unit
The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science
Edmaond Safra Campus (G Ram)
The Hebrew University
Jerusalem 91904, Israel
phone: 972-2-6585453
Fax:972-2-6586448
[hidden email]
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