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Haller, Edward on
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/Sprinklers-in-instrument-rooms-tp7582262p7582265.html
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Hi, Rosemary,
I fought (and lost) with the Fire Marshall and building Engineers when they built my lab. I designed the lab from ground up, and was never asked about sprinklers. There are no other buildings on our campus with sprinklers, and I was not informed that sprinklers were going to be installed in my labs when they were being built, nor was I asked where I wanted the heads installed. When I walked in the door to see the labs (I was actually forbidden for a month to walk through the labs during construction) I discovered a sprinkler head directly above the spot where my TEM column would sit! After much wrangling (and griping and belly-aching on the part of engineers and construction crew), I was at least able to insist that the head be moved to a side wall in the room, away from the microscope column, so that if the head ever leaks, it will not drip on the column, and so, if it is ever bumped, we would have a prayer of a chance to cover the thing and protect the microscope. I'd like to build a box to cover the head, but we get inspections from time to time, or, more ideally, hire an outside plumber to cut the line. I have sprinklers in the rest of the lab, and fire extinguishers right outside the door. I don't need a sprinkler head in my TEM room! I also have a head in my SEM room, but it's further away from my scope. I could probably throw a plastic dropcloth on that scope and save it. (As a side note, this same construction crew installed two chilled water spigots UNDER my wall-mounted desk, in the knee space, in my office, and installed the lock to my TEM room on the INSIDE of the door. They weren't the brightest lightbulbs in the boxes!)
Ed
Edward Haller, Lab Manager
University of South Florida
Department of Integrative Biology
Electron Microscopy Core
SCA 110
4202 East Fowler Avenue
Tampa, FL 33620
(813)974-2676
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Office: ISA 1046
http://biology.usf.edu/ib/research/facilities/________________________________________
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Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2014 6:05 AM
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Subject: Sprinklers in instrument rooms
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Hi all, (sorry for cross-posting)
I know this has been discussed before, just wondered if there were any new thoughts. We're moving twice, first into a refurbished basement, second time into a new building. The basement has a sprinkler system in case of fire, unlike our current building which just has alarms (it's a single storey brick building). I imagine the new building will have some sort of sprinkler system too.
What precautions, if any, do people take to protect against the unlikely showering of your confocal or EM?
Are there any relatively simple alternatives? (One alternative is to have fire-doors and walls for each room but that is prohibitive.)
thanks much,
Rosemary
Dr Rosemary White
CSIRO Plant Industry (for 4 more days only)
GPO Box 1600
Canberra, ACT 2601
T 02 6246 5475
F 02 6246 5334
E
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