NEW FIRE-SAFETY PAINT CODE

Local Law 58/09 mandates that all exposed standpipes and sprinkler piping must be painted red (with some exceptions we'll get into). It also mandates that

• "dedicated" standpipe valve handles be painted red
• dedicated sprinkler valve handles green, and
• combination standpipe valve handles yellow,

all followed by certification from an authorized inspector. There's no grandfathering, and no provision for getting an extension.

Not a Lead-Pipe Cinch

The first thing you need to know is that "standpipe" in this context does not mean that familiar type of two-headed plumbing fixture you see commonly along New York sidewalks, called Siamese connections and which used to pump water into a building during a fire. While these do fall into the broad category known as "standpipes," and are sometimes called "street standpipes," what the new law is referring to are internal standpipes — rigid vertical piping inside a building, to which fire hoses can be connected. Essentially, internal standpipes are like indoor fire hydrants.

A dedicated internal standpipe or sprinkler is one that gets water from its own ("dedicated") water main coming in from outside the building. A non-dedicated standpipe or sprinkler uses water from your regular domestic water system, and is limited to 30 sprinkler heads maximum throughout the building. A combination standpipe, as the name indicates, gets its water from a combination of those two sources.

"It's a little confusing even to professionals in the beginning," says Bob Bellini, president of the Master Plumbers Council trade group, a member of the New York City Plumbing Licensing Board, and the president of the plumbing, heating and HVAC company Varsity Home Service, based in Flushing, Queens.

What's changing are the colors required for the inside piping and valve handles. (Click on mage below to enlarge.) "The color code requirements for the painting of valve handles on [internal] firefighting systems will follow the Siamese color coding" already in effect, Bellini says.

Color Wheel of Confusion

So, OK. Red, green, yellow. What's the big deal?

Plenty. For one thing, says Bellini, "The trick here is identifying what type of system you have" — dedicated standpipe, dedicated sprinkler or combination. "You need to survey the system for the proper identification and for the purpose of the valve handles. That's the most important function of the professional," such as a licensed master plumber, who does the survey. "The second most important is after the pipes are painted, and certifying that they’re painted right."

And not all sections within the system have to be painted. Painting a valve handle a particular color when it doesn't need to be, for instance, can create confusion in an emergency as to just what that valve handle is for.
"You don't have to paint the whole system," Bellini says, "but just the applicable portions. There are a lot of exclusions," such as the sprinkler head, which cannot be painted; the main water line from the street, called the feed main; and branch lines. "Not all valve handles have to be pained," Bellini notes. "Hose valve handles don't. And pressure control valve handles," among others.

So, you have a professional come in and survey your fire-suppression piping and valve handles. Then you can just have your super or handypersons do the actual painting, right? Aside from any union considerations and job descriptions, that might not be the best idea.

Next page: The worst-case scenario>>