Does our 2 family 4 story need to keep the sprinkler system?

We just bought a 4 story (cellar, basement, and 4 upper floors) brownstone that is a legal 2 family. We intend to keep it a 2 family. It came with a massive sprinkler system that goes into every bathroom and bedroom from back when it was a boarding house several owners ago. Are we required to keep it fully sprinklered, as in every single room has a sprinkler, or can we cut it back to just the stairwell? Or get rid of it entirely? The stairwell is open from the basement (aka garden level) to the top floor, and has a firewall and door closing the cellar off from the rest of the house. If we need to keep the entire system we may try to put in a new system that would go up several plumbing/heating chases in different parts of the house, but my understanding is that hiding a sprinkler system is very difficult. We have the old plaster walls and very little hiding space. Anyone with experience putting in a new sprinkler? Thanks!

remsensleep

in Fire 10 years and 8 months ago

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boredatwork | 10 years and 8 months ago

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I dont have direct experience with removing a sprinkler, per se, but my house is partially sprinklered and was when we bought in 1993\. Several years ago, the City cited me for a leaking water service that supplies the sprinkler system. Given that the code at the time did not require that I have a sprinkler, I tried to save $ by not replacing the service and capping the line. I was not able to do so and ended up spending $15K to replace the service. What I learned in the process was that the FDNY needed to sign off on the removal of the sprinkler water service and they would not do so. They will not approve of anything that reduces the ability to fight a fire. And the code has become significantly more stringent in the past few years, required sprinklers in many more homes. Good luck.

hbranty | 10 years and 8 months ago

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If you end up removing system with permits etc., will you share your experience here? We are interested in doing the same. Thanks!

resident2 | 10 years and 8 months ago

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As a five story (garden, parlor + 3 more above) you cannot get rid of the whole sprinkler system, but you probably can remove some of the arms into non cooking rooms. The whole stair way and hallway will need to remain with a sprinkler. Consult an architect that specializes in “Old Code”.

arch007 | 10 years and 8 months ago

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Yes

enew555 | 10 years and 8 months ago

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I don’t pull out the sprinkler until your do your homework. Check for permits, check for exemptions, etc…. The fire sprinkler is there for a reason. If you just pull it out and there is a fire your homeowner policy will NOT cover any damages. I just renovated a 3 family brownstone with no fire escape the DOB required I put sprinklers in the entire building. The cost 45K ouch…… Good Luck.

remsensleep | 10 years and 8 months ago

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Is anyone out there familiar with the exemptions? Could we make a case for removal? Thanks

jockdeboeraia | 10 years and 8 months ago

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There is a new fire code out and exemptions, it would need to be reviewed. If it can be removed, you would need to file a permit for the work.