ASHRAE Journal - June 2014 - 56

Technical FeaTure

Codes and Standards
Multiple standards and model codes apply to commercial kitchen fire suppression systems as adopted by
states, counties, cities, and other jurisdictions. Listed
below are the principal standards and model codes that
relate to system requirements in the U.S. Similar codes
and standards apply in Canada and other countries.

Figure 3: Appliance-specific pipe and nozzle design.

NFPA 17A: Standard for Wet Chemical Extinguishing
Systems. Covers design, installation, operation, testing,
and maintenance of pre-engineered wet chemical fire
extinguishing systems.
NFPA 96: Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire
Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations. Comprehensive standard for fire protection in commercial
cooking, adoptable as code in many jurisdictions.
International Mechanical Code (IMC): Includes
requirements for commercial kitchen exhaust duct and
hood system design and performance, fire suppression
systems, and clearance to combustibles.
UL Standard 33: Standard for Heat Responsive Links
for Fire-Protection Service. Covers heat responsive links
used for fire-protection service, categorized by various
design factors

Figure 4: Overlapping pipe and nozzle design.

UL Standard 300: Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishing
Systems for Protection of Commercial Cooking Equipment. Third Edition, May 2005 is current. See descriptive section above.
UL Standard 710: Exhaust Hoods for Commercial Cooking Equipment. Covers construction and performance of
Type I (smoke and grease) hoods, including burn-out tests
to verify that fires are contained in listed hoods

Figure 5: Electronic fire suppression system components in hood end utility
cabinet.

are available. One sensor is placed within each duct
opening, and optional sensors can be placed in other
locations, such as exhaust fan inlets. Manual activation
devices are electrically operated, so cables, cable piping,
and pulley elbows are eliminated.
Another advance is the use of microcomputers to control and monitor all system components and circuits,
including detectors, water valves, power supply, battery backup, and surfactant tank level, for example. If a
fault is detected in the system, an audible alarm sounds,
a related light flashes a fault code, and the system can
send text messages to indicate the specific fault. Remote
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J u n e 2014

UL Standard 762: Power Roof Ventilators for Restaurant Exhaust Appliances. Requirements for various
types of fans for restaurant exhaust appliances, including an Abnormal Flare Up Test
UL Standard 864: Control Units and Accessories for Fire
Alarm Systems. Covers devices for monitoring, control,
and indicating functions of commercial fire alarm systems.
UL Standard 1046: Grease Filters for Exhaust Ducts.
Requirements for grease filter tests, including test to
verify limited fire penetration through hood grease filters
UL Standard 1978: Grease Ducts. Covers factorybuilt grease ducts and grease duct assemblies that are
intended to be installed at reduced clearances, including several fire tests.
Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC): The 2012 version
echoes and references most NFPA 96 requirements
related to fire suppression for commercial cooking.

ASHRAE Journal - June 2014

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