Up to Code: Professionals Choose BlazeMaster® Pipe to Meet IRC Standards

In early 2013, the California Building Standards Commission re-adopted the International Residential Code (IRC) with the residential sprinkler requirement. The code requires the installation of an automatic residential fire sprinkler system in one- and two-family homes, not just multi-unit and commercial buildings.

While the code continues to pose real challenges for fire sprinkler professionals, BlazeMaster® Fire Sprinkler Systems have helped professionals meet these challenges and have become the preferred choice of piping systems over PE-X

Among the challenges that accompany the re-adoption of the IRC are the cost of adding sprinkler systems to new construction and working within short construction cycles to install the systems. The need to adhere to varying local codes and ordinances, many of which are imposed by water departments, adds to the complexity of IRC compliance.

Since the initial adoption of the IRC in California, BlazeMaster Fire Sprinkler Systems have helped fire sprinkler professionals and contractors meet these challenges. According to a recent cost study comparing CPVC piping and PE-X piping, CPVC provides the most cost-effective option currently available for stand-alone or multipurpose configurations. The study found that CPVC systems like BlazeMaster piping had a lower material cost and a lower cost overall.

Beyond cost, BlazeMaster pipe is a product that fire protection professionals know well and consider easy to work with. BlazeMaster pipe also provides superior hydraulic capabilities. PE-X cannot compare with equal nominally sized BlazeMaster piping in terms of water flow.

It is reassuring that the IRC code with the residential sprinkler requirements was re-adopted for 2013. This is an outcome that suggests the residential sprinkler requirement is not a temporary standard. It also provides support for continuing to include residential fire sprinkler requirements in future versions of the IRC.

While re-adoption of the IRC undeniably affects piping professionals and contractors in California, it is also significant for professionals working in the rest of the country. California is a massive, high-profile market that readily serves as a model for other states as they move toward the adoption of the IRC with residential sprinkler requirements.

BlazeMaster Fire Sprinkler Systems continue to help California contractors and piping professionals meet the challenges posed by the IRC more efficiently than PE-X— in terms of material cost and hydraulic performance. BlazeMaster will be the best choice for fire safety professionals across the U.S. as their states follow California’s lead in adopting the IRC with residential sprinkler requirements.