A fire safety system, in particular fire extinguishing, must be equipped even at the stage of building a sauna. Compliance with the rules will help prevent a fire, and competent installation of the dry pipe will minimize losses in an unforeseen situation. Content:
- Causes of fire
- Fire requirements
- Safe Behavior Rules
- Varieties of fire extinguishing systems
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Installation of a dry pipe in a bath
- Preparation for arrangement
- Dry pipe installation
The operation of saunas involves heating the room up to +120 degrees at relatively low air humidity. Fire safety in such structures should be given special attention. Some points should be thought about even at the construction stage, for example, about the formation of reliable and correct ventilation, installation of fire extinguishing systems.
Causes of fire in saunas and baths
It is easier to prevent a fire than to extinguish, and it occurs in baths and saunas for reasons such as:
- Wood pyrolysis … When heated, the wood gives off an odor. If the temperature rises to + 200-400 degrees, then the release of combustible gas begins. With a lack of oxygen, this process slows down, but an explosion can occur when the door is suddenly opened.
- Incorrect location of the heater … When choosing a place to install a stove or fireplace, you need to maintain a safe distance from wooden elements. The surfaces around the heat source must be sheathed with non-combustible materials.
- Incorrect installation of electrical equipment … Socket mechanisms and switches must be selected moisture and heat resistant. They are installed in auxiliary rooms. As for cable and wiring products, they are bought with heat-resistant insulation and placed in a special corrugated pipe.
To prevent a fire, do not neglect protective compounds (fire retardants). Surfaces should be treated with them at least once every two years.
Fire requirements for the arrangement of saunas and baths
There are regulated rules and regulations for fire safety in baths, observing which you will protect yourself and the structure as much as possible.
These include the following requirements:
- The supporting structures must have a fire hazard coefficient C0 and C1. It is recommended to use non-combustible materials (mineral insulation) with fire resistance index EI-45 and EI-60 as insulators. In this case, you need to protect all heating surfaces.
- The chimney must be fenced off at the intersection with the ceiling and roof with a vertical partition. If it is made of brick, then it must be whitewashed for prompt detection of splits and cracks, as they can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Inspection holes must be made in the chimney for periodic cleaning. In this case, the connection of several ovens to one outlet is prohibited.
- According to fire safety standards, the steam room must have a volume of more than 8 m3, and the whole sauna is more than 24 m3… The ceiling height should be 1, 9 meters.
- Sauna sauna heaters must have a maximum power of 15 kW. In this case, the electric heater must necessarily correspond to the volume of the room. The surfaces around the oven must be covered with galvanized metal sheets. And on the floor at the place of its installation, a refractory base is made. For this, the asbestos sheet is upholstered with iron.
- The distance in the section from the bathhouse to the residential building should be 10-15 meters, depending on the fire resistance of the structure. If a residential building and a bathhouse are built of bricks, then the distance between them can be reduced to 6 meters according to fire regulations.
- The thickness of the dividing firewall should be more than 12 cm. If the oven heats up above one hundred degrees, then the thickness of the interlayer should be increased to 25 cm and a felt gasket should be made.
Taking comprehensive precautions will prevent fires.
Safe behavior in the sauna
For maximum protection, fire safety standards must be observed not only during design and construction, but also when using the bath.
It is prohibited in the sauna:
- Leave the electric heater on unattended.
- Install handicraft heating elements.
- Operate the electric furnace without a thermostat.
- Use household electric heaters in the steam room.
- Close the bottom gap between the floor and the door.
- Dry clothes on or near the heater.
These rules must be strictly followed to minimize risks.
Varieties of fire extinguishing systems in the bath
Depending on the type of actuation, fire extinguishing systems in a bath or sauna are:
- Manual … The pipes are equipped with a rotary vent that opens manually in the event of a fire. The disadvantage of this method is the failure of protection if no one is around.
- Automatic … Equipped with a special device that reacts to rising temperatures. When a certain degree is reached, water is automatically supplied. The disadvantages include the likelihood of erroneous triggering. At this time, people can relax in the sauna.
There is a lot of debate about the operational properties of these species. Each method has its supporters and opponents. However, experts recommend choosing the manual mode of operation.
Dry pipe installation technology in the bath
The deluge dry pipe fire extinguishing system in the sauna is presented in the form of perforated pipes placed along the perimeter of the room under the ceiling. They are connected with an external valve to the water supply system. When water is supplied in the event of a fire, it is sprayed through the holes in the pipes.
Preparation for arranging a dry pipe for a bath
To make a dry pipe with your own hands, you first need to correctly calculate its work intensity for a particular room. The calculation is carried out according to the principle: 0.06 l / s - per 1 m2 every surface. It is important to consider not only the walls, but also the ceiling.
The resulting value is divided by 1000 to calculate the flow rate in m3/ sec. Dividing the second time by the cross-sectional area of the pipe in square meters, you can calculate the speed of movement of the water. According to the norms, it should be in the range of 2-3 m / s. For fire extinguishing of the bath, pipes of 20-25 mm are enough. The optimum material is copper. Such products do not rust, do not bend, do not burn. However, due to the high cost, metal-plastic pipes are most often preferred.
Instructions for installing a dry pipe in a bath
It is easy to independently equip a dry-pipe fire extinguishing system for a bath, since it does not include expensive automation or boosting pumping devices.
Pipes are fixed at the construction stage, the work is carried out in the following order:
- We drill holes in the pipe with a diameter of 3-5 mm at an angle of 20-30 degrees in increments of 15-20 cm. In addition, perforated pipes can also be purchased for production.
- We attach the pipes under the ceiling through the attic in a heat insulator and connect to the water supply.
- We install the starting valve in the auxiliary room. We mark the emergency device and block it from accidental activation.
- We fix it in the pipe near the valve of the liquid flow switch to automatically turn off the light. If there is an electric heater in the sauna, it will prevent breakdown and electric shock.
According to the norms of fire extinguishing in a sauna, buildings must be equipped with fire extinguishers. Any system may not work, and in this way at least it will be possible to localize the fire. It is better to place several fire extinguishers in the dressing room and the rest room. However, keep in mind that you cannot heat them above +50 degrees. If desired, they can be repainted in a color that matches your interior.
Watch a video about the installation of a fire extinguishing system in a bath:
To rest in the bath was not only comfortable, but also safe, you need to competently approach the arrangement of fire extinguishing systems and observe all safety rules. You can equip a dry pipe with your own hands if you know the technology of its installation and fire safety standards.
