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I know that there is some sort of special set up to protect server racks
from sprinklers, could this possibly be modified for a scope?

On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 8:55 AM, Cammer, Michael <[log in to unmask]
> wrote:

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>
> Yes.
>
> But first a diversion.  Worse than the sprinkler systems are the Koldwave
> air conditioning units that building engineers squeeze into the plenum in
> the tiny microscope rooms.  These are guaranteed to collect condensation
> that will drip, if not stream, down.  I have repeatedly been involved with
> renovations where we specified cooling unit locations in the plans only to
> be ignored by the builders.
>
> We are in NYC and we have sprinklers installed directly over everything.
>  (When I was at Einstein, also in NYC, we didn't have sprinklers in the lab;
> I wonder whether this was a grandfather clause or some other reason.)  I bet
> we could not get an exception in Manhattan.  Short of building a tent over
> the equipment (which may or may not violate the fire code in other ways), we
> have to trust the plumbing.
>
> A quick Google of the NYC fire code suggests that there is a loophole of
> renovating to have one hour firestop walls as per "all unsprinklered floor
> areas shall be segregated by one-hour fire separations into spaces or
> compartments not to exceed seventy-five hundred square feet."  As for
> relying on the plumbing, the fire code does specify, "Where connected to a
> standpipe riser, provision shall be made to prevent excessive pressure on
> the sprinkler heads."  Also, there is a provision for high pressure testing
> when installed.  I assume this is to check for flaws in the plumbing and the
> sprinkler itself.  Sprinklers are not supposed to release water unless the
> temperature gets hot enough to melt the valve.
>
> But having said all of this, I do know of a lab in the Bronx where the
> sprinklers failed at RT and there was a flood and it shut down the research
> for a while.
>
> After this hot air, I hope not enough to set off your sprinkler systems,
> good luck.  If it's an in-house institutional or insurance requirement
> rather than local code, they may be willing to grant an exemption with the
> installation of other safety monitors, as already specified on the listserv,
> when they see the price of the equipment.
>
> ________________________________________________________
> Michael Cammer, Assistant Research Scientist
> Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine
> Lab: (212) 263-3208  Cell: (914) 309-3270
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Naomi Book
> Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 4:47 AM
> Subject: sprinkler systems in microscope room
>
> Our institute has decided to install sprinkler system in the institute for
> safety reasons, the engineer that planed the system has put at least one
> sprinkler right above every confocal/microscope we have in our unit. Can
> anyone tell me please if you have sprinklers in your microscopes room? Is
> there a way to avoid this ??
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Naomi Book
>
>
> Naomi Melamed-Book, Ph.D
> Bio-Imaging Unit
> The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science
> Edmaond Safra Campus (G Ram)
> The Hebrew University
> Jerusalem 91904, Israel
> phone: 972-2-6585453
> Fax:972-2-6586448
> [log in to unmask]
>
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