SprinkCalc Tutorials

SprinkCalc Tutorials
July 24, 2002
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Table of Contents
TUTORIAL #1: CALCULATING A SIMPLE TREE WITH THE TREE/GRID COMMAND........ 5

THE TUTORIAL SYSTEM ............................................................................................................................ 5
STARTING SPRINKCALC ............................................................................................................................ 7
STARTING A NEW FILE .............................................................................................................................. 8
SAVING THE FILE ...................................................................................................................................... 9
SETTING THE DEFAULTS ......................................................................................................................... 10
Setting the Piping Materials Defaults................................................................................................. 10
Setting the Fittings, Nodes and Pumps Defaults................................................................................. 11
Setting the Fluid and the Model.......................................................................................................... 11
SETTING THE PIPING MATERIALS DEFAULTS ......................................................................................... 12
USING THE TREE/GRID GENERATOR....................................................................................................... 13
Spacing ............................................................................................................................................... 14
Layout ................................................................................................................................................. 15
Materials............................................................................................................................................. 18
Using the Auto RA Button.............................................................................................................. 18
Manually Adjusting the Remote Area ............................................................................................ 19
Insert ................................................................................................................................................... 21
VIEWING THE SYSTEM ............................................................................................................................ 22
Using the Set View Buttons................................................................................................................. 22
Viewing your system in 3D ................................................................................................................. 23
Using the Zoom All Button.................................................................................................................. 23
Using the Undo Zoom Button ............................................................................................................. 23
Using the Font Scale Buttons.............................................................................................................. 23
ADJUSTING THE DRAWING FOR THE UNDERGROUND ............................................................................. 24
Locating the Supply Node ................................................................................................................... 24
Setting the View Settings................................................................................................................ 24
Viewing the Node Numbers ........................................................................................................... 25
Searching the Nodes View.............................................................................................................. 26
Right Picking Nodes ....................................................................................................................... 27
Moving the Water Supply from the Base of the Riser to the Hydrant ................................................. 28
Using the Select/Unselect Nodes Button ........................................................................................ 28
Changing the Node Properties ........................................................................................................ 29
Setting up a New Node at the Base of the Riser.................................................................................. 31
Connecting Nodes for the System Riser .............................................................................................. 34
Installing the Underground Pipe ........................................................................................................ 37
Setting up an Alarm Valve .................................................................................................................. 39
ADDING VALVES TO THE SYSTEM RISER ................................................................................................ 41
CHECKING THE BRANCH LINE DIAMETERS ............................................................................................ 43
CALCULATING THE SYSTEM ................................................................................................................... 47
The Flow Diagram.............................................................................................................................. 48
The Summary Sheet............................................................................................................................. 49
The Analysis........................................................................................................................................ 50
SETTING UP VIEWS ................................................................................................................................. 51
TUTORIAL #2: CALCULATING A GRID WITH THE TREE/GRID COMMAND ...................... 55
THE TUTORIAL SYSTEM .......................................................................................................................... 55
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SETTING THE DEFAULTS ......................................................................................................................... 58
Setting the Piping Materials Defaults................................................................................................. 58
Setting the Fittings, Nodes and Pumps Defaults................................................................................. 59
Setting the Fluid and the Model.......................................................................................................... 59
USING THE TREE/GRID GENERATOR....................................................................................................... 60
Spacing ............................................................................................................................................... 61
Layout ................................................................................................................................................. 62
Materials............................................................................................................................................. 64
Using the Auto RA Button.............................................................................................................. 65
Manually Adjusting the Remote Area ............................................................................................ 65
Insert ................................................................................................................................................... 67
VIEWING THE SYSTEM IN 3D .................................................................................................................. 68
ADJUSTING THE DRAWING FOR THE UNDERGROUND ............................................................................. 69
OVERRIDING PIPE LENGTHS ................................................................................................................... 73
ADJUSTING THE SYSTEM RISER .............................................................................................................. 76
SPLITTING THE BRANCH LINES TO ADD STARTER PIECES ..................................................................... 77
ADJUSTING THE OUTRIGGER SIZES......................................................................................................... 82
CALCULATING THE SYSTEM ................................................................................................................... 83
Running a Supply Calculation ............................................................................................................ 89
TUTORIAL #3: USING MANUAL ENTRY ......................................................................................... 92
ADDING A HOSE VALVE ......................................................................................................................... 93
CHECKING THE FLOW DIRECTION .......................................................................................................... 94
LAYING OUT THE SYSTEM ...................................................................................................................... 95
TUTORIAL #4: BUILDING A SYSTEM WITH NODE COMMANDS .......................................... 105
TUTORIAL #5: ADDING A PUMP TO YOUR SYSTEM ................................................................ 128

ADDITIONAL PUMP @ SOURCE............................................................................................................. 128
PUMP AS PIPE TYPE............................................................................................................................... 128
USING THE ADDITIONAL PUMP @ SOURCE .......................................................................................... 132
INSTALLING PUMPS AS PIPE TYPES....................................................................................................... 133
TUTORIAL #6: ADDING IN-RACK SPRINKLERS TO YOUR SYSTEM.................................... 138
TUTORIAL #7: USING DARCY-WEISBACH TO CALCULATE.................................................. 147

EXAMPLE .............................................................................................................................................. 148
Setting up the Fluid........................................................................................................................... 149
Building the System........................................................................................................................... 150
TUTORIAL #8: PEAKING GRIDS ..................................................................................................... 154
TUTORIAL #9: USING CONNECT NODES ..................................................................................... 155
TUTORIAL #10: INSTALLING ARMOVERS AND RETURN BENDS......................................... 158
TUTORIAL #11: USING PATHING ................................................................................................... 161
TUTORIAL #12: USING SIMPLIFY................................................................................................... 167
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Tutorial #1: Calculating a Simple Tree with the Tree/Grid
Command
This tutorial will guide you through the more common functions of SprinkCalc. You will be
generating a tree system that will include all of the components that are required to perform
hydraulic calculations.
The Tutorial System

The system is a simple tree with grooved, Schedule 10, black steel mains and welded outlets.
The riser nipples and branch lines are threaded Schedule 40 black steel pipe with cast iron
fittings. The underground is 6" Ductile Iron. The figures that follow show details of the system.
The figure below is the system riser.
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The figure below shows the plan view of the system.
This system is designed for an Extra Hazard Occupancy with a Design Area of 2500 ft2.
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The figure below is a three dimensional view of the system.
Starting SprinkCalc
Start SprinkCalc by navigating to the Windows START menu located on the bottom taskbar.
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If the shortcut has already been created, you can also double-click on the
Desktop icon.
When SprinkCalc opens, the main screen will appear as shown below.
Starting a New File

To start a new file, select New from the File pull down menu.
Another way to start a new file is to press the New

button or use the hot key combination Alt+N.
The screen will be blank, as shown in the diagram above. You are now ready to begin entering
your data.
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Saving the File
Before building your system, it is important to save your file to disk.
To save your file, select Save from the File pull down menu.
In addition to using the File pull down menu, you may also use the
Save button or the hot key combination Ctrl+S.
When selected, the Save dialog box will appear.
Navigate to a folder where you would like to save the file. The example above shows Projects
as the selected folder. Enter turorial1 in the File Name cell and press the Save button.
The path: C:\Program Files\Tycofp\SprinkCalc\Projects\tutorial1.clc appears at the top of

the SprinkCalc window as shown below.
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Setting the Defaults
Begin by setting the Defaults for your new system.
When SprinkCalc generates a system, values specified as defaults will

automatically be applied to the components.
To set the default values for your system, select Defaults from the
Tools pull down menu.
Setting the Piping Materials Defaults

Pick the Piping Materials tab with your mouse.
SprinkCalc will use these default pipe

sizes and types when building a system
with the Tree/Grid Generator.
Set up the values as shown here. The

Material, Size/Schedule and Type may
be changed by picking on the
appropriate cell and selecting a value
from the drop down list.
You have the option of sizing your

branch line pipes with a Schedule or not.
For this example you will use the
Schedule. To do this, check the Apply
Schedule box and make sure that the
OrdinStl schedule is selected.
To view the values in the Schedule, pick the OrdinStl button to the right of the Apply Schedule
box.
The OrdinStl dialog box shows a pipe

schedule for an Ordinary Hazard with
steel pipe. The data in the Schedule
dialog box indicates that for two or less
sprinklers, 1 pipe will be used. For
three sprinklers, 1 pipe will be used.
For four to five sprinklers, 1 pipe
will be used, and so on up to two
hundred and seventy five sprinklers.
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This is one of the Schedules that ships with the software. You may modify this one or create
new schedules as you wish from within the program. For now, you will use the existing
Schedule for this tutorial. Close the Schedule dialog box and return to the Defaults dialog box.
Setting the Fittings, Nodes and Pumps Defaults

Select the Fittings, Nodes and Pumps
tab with your mouse.
The Tree/Grid Generator will automatically

insert Tees and Elbows for pipes which
intersect.
From the drop down lists, select nTee and

n90ell. This will give you NFPA13
equivalent lengths for these fittings.
Since this job is for an Extra Hazard

Occupancy with a density of 0.30 GPM/
ft2, you will require a sprinkler K-factor of
8.0.
The Hose value will be 0 GPM. This is the default flow for any inside hoses that are added to
the system. Since there are no inside hoses for this system, the entry here is not relevant. The
Pump Limit value restricts a calculation if the pump flow exceeds the entered factor multiplied
by the rated flow.
Setting the Fluid and the Model

Select the Fluid and Model tab. Choose
Hazen-Williams as the Hydraulic Model
for this project with the radio button.
With Hazen-Williams selected, the Fluid

properties area remains grayed out.
If you were to select Darcy-Weisbach as

the model, the Fluid properties area would
become active. Here you would specify
the Density and Viscosity of the fluid.
For now, select Hazen-Williams. Make

sure that the Switch node numbers in
flow direction box is checked as well.
Press Close to finish.
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You control the pipe roughness factors and internal diameters
through the Piping Materials dialog box. Open this box by selecting
Piping Materials from the Tools pull down menu.
Here you can specify the internal diameters and C-Factors for various pipe types. The Absolute
Roughness value is used for Darcy-Weisbach calculations. Check to ensure that your C-Factors
and internal diameters are correct. When finished, close the dialog box.
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Using the Tree/Grid Generator
The Tree/Grid Generator is used to simplify the process of building
a system.
To access the Generator, select Tree/Grid from the Edit pull down
menu.
Another way to start the command is to use the

Tree/Grid button.
When selected, the Tree/Grid dialog box will appear.
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Spacing
The Spacing window is the first to appear.
The Spacing window is used to enter criteria about the Design Area, Spacing of the branch
lines and the Water supply.
In the Design Area, enter a value of 2500 as the Proposed size and a Square Multiplier of
1.2. The Square Multiplier will control the shape of your design area rectangle.
In the Spacing Area, enter a 6 for the total Number of Branch Lines. Also, enter 6 for the total
Number of Sprinklers per branch line. The Total Number of Sprinklers is automatically
calculated as 36. The Distance Between Branch Lines will be 10 ft and the Distance
between Sprinklers on the branch lines will be 10 ft. The Coverage per Sprinkler is
automatically calculated as 100 ft2.
Enter the Water Supply information in the bottom area. The Static Pressure will be 90 psi and
the Residual Pressure will be 85 psi at a Flow of 2000 gpm.
When completed, press the Next button.
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Layout
The Layout window will appear after pressing Next.
The Layout window is used to enter information about the Mains and Elevations for your
system. The drawing below shows the mains in the plan view. First, you will specify the location
of the cross main. The Near Main is located 2 heads and 7 feet over from the left end of the
branch lines.
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In the Near Main area, pick the Heads Left cell with your mouse and enter a value of 2. Move
to the Offset cell and enter a 7 as shown in the diagram below.
As you enter values, the diagram on the right side of the dialog box will change. This diagram
allows you to visualize what your system will look like when distances and elevations are
specified.
There will be no Far Main entries since this is not a grid.
Specify the Feed Main location as 6 branch lines

out with an offset of 3 feet. This will locate the
start of the Feed Main at the top of the system.
Enter a Feed Main Length of - 20 feet. This will
place the other end of the feed main 20 feet to the
left. If this value were positive, the feed main
would extend to the right.
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Enter the Elevations as shown.
You may have to use the Zoom All button in the Graphics View to see the whole system.
When you have finished entering the values, press the Show 3D button.
The image in the window will change

appearance and a number of new buttons will
appear at the top.
You may use the 3D Button to view your

system in 3 dimensions. Use the Show 2D
button to return to the 2D View.
The appearance of your system should be

similar to the diagram on the right.
When completed, press the

Next button.
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Materials
The Materials window has several areas for entering information including the K-factor, Piping
Material, and the default Fittings. You can also generate a 3D preview of the system. The
various cells should be filled by the Defaults that you set earlier. Ensure that the dialog box is
set up as shown below. Although you have selected a Pipe Schedule for your branch line sizes,
you are free to override the Schedule here or after the system is created.
When the Piping and Fittings areas have been completed, you can generate the remote area.
Using the Auto RA Button
SprinkCalc will generate a remote area automatically when you pick the Auto RA button at the
bottom of the window. You can also generate a remote area manually by picking the nodes with
your mouse.
Pick the Auto RA button located
directly below the drawing
window.
The drawing will be redrawn with a dashed line as

shown to the left. This dashed line indicates the area
covered by the sprinklers included in the remote area.
The dialog box also shows the number of sprinklers in

the remote area as well as the actual remote area
size in ft2.
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Manually Adjusting the Remote Area
When a remote area has been drawn, you can adjust it by selecting or deselecting nodes.
Using the Select/Unselect Node Button
Use the Select/Unselect Node button to manually specify your

remote area.
When selected, a hand symbol will appear.
Hover the hand over the node you wish to deselect and pick it as
shown to the right.
When a node is selected, the remote area box will change shape as
shown in the diagram to the left. The values for Heads and Actual
Remote Area size will also change as you select heads.
You can also draw a window around a series of nodes to deselect or select more than one.
Select and deselect nodes in the drawing until

it appears the same as the diagram on the left.
This is the original remote area that SprinkCalc

determined automatically.
Using the Build RA Button
When the outline of the remote area has been established, press the
Build RA button at the bottom of the dialog box.
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The Tree/Grid dialog box should now appear the same as the diagram below.
Using the Select RA Button
If the remote area is not the same as shown, use the Select RA button to
return to the full system where the remote area may be established again.
When the remote area is set up, press the Next button.
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Insert
The Insert window contains a Shift area, Rotate area, Flip area, Attach area and a graphic for
generating a 3D preview. When finished using the window you can add the system to the main
screen.
The Shift area is for entering X, Y and Z (elevation) values which will move the entire system in
the specified direction and distance.
The Rotate area is used to enter values that will re-orientate the new system.
The Flip area is used to mirror the system relative to one of the three axis or the origin point.
The Attach area is used to identify a node in an existing system where this new system will be
attached.
In this tutorial, you will not be adding a system to an existing system, so leave the Attach and
other areas blank.
When the system appears as shown in the diagram above, press the Insert button.
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A graphic of the new system will be inserted into the Graphics View. The system information will
be placed in the Pipes and Nodes Views.
Viewing the System

The Graphics View has several buttons located along the top. These buttons are used to edit
features or to modify the appearance of the View.
The Buttons allow you to rotate the image around the X, Y, and Z-axes. This gives you the
opportunity to view the system from a variety of perspectives.
Using the Set View Buttons

To view the system in plan view, select the Top View button. To view the
system in elevation along the Y axis, select the Front View button. To view
the system in elevation along the X axis, select the Side View button.
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Viewing your system in 3D
There are four Graphics View buttons which can be used to manipulate your system into
different 3D perspectives.
The 3D View button is used to move your system along the X, Y and Z
axis simultaneously. Pick this button and move your mouse to the
Graphics View. Press your left mouse button and move the mouse
around to get the desired perspective.
The Rotate X, Rotate Y and Rotate Z buttons behave in a similar manner except that the object
will be moved, around the respective axis only. Practice with these buttons to get various
perspectives of your system. You will find it helpful to observe the orientation of the XYZ icon
when using the 3D buttons.
Using the Zoom All Button

When using the 3D buttons, your system may move beyond the limits of your
Graphics View. You can use the Zoom All button to bring your whole system
back into view.
Using the Undo Zoom Button

The Undo Zoom button is used to step back through previous view perspectives
that you established.
Using the Font Scale Buttons

Use the Font Scale Up and Font Scale Down buttons to increase or decrease
the size of text and numeric information in the Graphic View.
You will find out later in the Tutorial how to show information such as node
numbering and pipe flow direction in the Graphic View.
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Adjusting the Drawing for the Underground
Rotate your system until it has a perspective
similar to what is shown here.
You can use the XYZ Icon in the upper left

corner to assist you with your orientation.
Now that the system has been drawn and

rotated, you can begin to modify it.
Although SprinkCalc does an excellent job at generating systems automatically, in most cases
you will have to alter some aspect of it to match your job. For example, the system in this tutorial
must be edited to accommodate the underground pipe.
To add this information several changes will have to be made. The water supply must be moved
and several components added, including a node at the base of the riser, pipes, fittings and
valves.
Locating the Supply Node

Before editing the system, it is important to identify the components. For example, you must
know where the water supply is before making changes to it. There are several ways in which
you can identify nodes and pipes. These include using the Node: Numbers button, searching
the Nodes View, or right picking on each node.
Setting the View Settings
To view the node numbers, you first have to make sure that the
node numbers are set to appear in the Graphics View. From the
View pull down menu, select Settings.
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The Graphic Settings dialog box will appear.
Use this dialog box

to specify which
parameter you
would like to see in
the Graphics View.
At this time, you

would like to view
the node and pipe
numbering.
From the drop down lists, select Numbering for the Pipe and Node Parameters. Press OK.
Viewing the Node Numbers
Select Node: Numbering from the View pull down menu.
You can also hover over a node in the Graphic View and right pick to
open the dialog box shown below.
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When selected, the number associated with each node will appear in the Graphic View as
shown below.
The water supply is indicated by a node number of src1 as shown above. To make the Node
Numbers disappear, select Node: Numbering from the View pull down menu again.
Searching the Nodes View
Another way to search for the water supply node is to use search cells at the top of Nodes View.
If the search cells are not visible, press the closed Eye button at the top left corner of
the View.
When the Eye button is set to the Open position, the search cells are visible.
With your mouse, pick the Type cell and

enter Supply with the keyboard.
SprinkCalc will search the Nodes View for

nodes with the word Supply in the Type
column as shown in the diagram here.
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There is only one node that matches the criteria entered in the search cell. Here you can view
the columns for information relating to the Supply node. When finished, pick the Type cell and
delete the criteria. All nodes in the View will return. You can also close the Eye button and all
items will return.
Right Picking Nodes
By default, when a system is generated using the Tree/Grid generator, SprinkCalc will assign a
Node # of src1 to the water supply. This Node number is set up by using Node Types from the
Tools pull down menu.
First, select the water supply node in the

Graphic View with the Select/Unselect
Nodes button.
The node will appear larger when

selected.
Next, to open the properties dialog box

for a selected node, hover the mouse
over a node in the Graphics View and
right pick.
When selected, a pop up menu will

appear as shown above. Select
Properties.
You may also press F2 or use the Properties button to open the box.
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The Properties dialog box will appear with the data displayed for the selected node.
When you are working on your system you may find

it convenient to leave the Properties dialog box open
all of the time. In this way, the properties of any node
or pipe that you select will be immediately displayed
in the dialog box.
Moving the Water Supply from the Base of the Riser to the Hydrant
When SprinkCalc generated the system, it placed the water supply at the bottom of the system
riser. Since the water supply test was taken at a hydrant, the node must be moved to that
location. A 150 ft Ductile Iron pipe must be inserted from the water supply to the bottom of the
riser.
To move the supply node, you must first select it.
Using the Select/Unselect Nodes Button
To select the node, press the Select/Unselect Nodes button at the

top of the Graphic View.
When selected, the pointer tool will change to a hand.
Select the src1 node, by hovering your mouse over it and picking it.
The color and size of the node will change when selected. The selected node
will also darken in the Nodes View.
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Changing the Node Properties
Make sure that the Properties dialog box is open. It

will appear as shown to the right.
Note, nodes and pipes will only appear in the

Graphic View when they have X and Y coordinates.
You may enter nodes and pipes for a system without
these coordinates and the system will still calculate
correctly.
For this tutorial however, you will enter X and Y

coordinates so that all pipes and nodes will appear in
the Graphics View.
To help with orientation, systems built with the

Tree/Grid command will have Cross Mains running
along the Y-axis and Branch Lines running along
the X-axis.
Returning to the dialog box, note the coordinates for

the selected node, -3 for X and 53 for Y.
When this node is moved, it will have to be replaced

later as the base of the riser.
To move the water supply an additional 150 feet, you will need to add 150 to the value
appearing in the Y, ft cell. You can do this by entering an absolute coordinate (i.e. 53 + 150 =
203). You may also enter a relative coordinate with the @ symbol. For example you could enter
@150 in the Y cell to arrive at an absolute coordinate of 203.
Pick the Y Coordinate cell with your mouse.
When selected, the column will become active.
Enter 203 in the cell and press the enter key.
The src1 row in the Nodes View will change to match the coordinates specified in the Nodes
properties dialog box. The Graphics View will also change to show the new location of the
Supply node.
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To refresh the Graphics View and see the changes, select the Zoom All
button. Your screen should appear similar to the diagram below.
Pick the Select/Unselect Pipes

button at the top of the Graphic
View.
When selected, the pointer will change to a hand

symbol.
Select the underground pipe in the Graphics View as shown

to the left.
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Delete the pipe with the Delete Pipes command.
The dialog box shown below will appear. Press OK.
Setting up a New Node at the Base of the Riser

Press the Select/Unselect Nodes button and select the node at
the top of the riser.
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The information for this node will appear in the Properties dialog box.
Node 12 has an Elevation of 16 as shown in the

diagram here.
Leave the Properties dialog box open.
To add a new node at the base of the riser, select Add nodes > Add Nodes (Multiple) from the
Edit pull down menu.
You can also use the Add Nodes (Multiple) button

to execute the command.
When selected, the Add Nodes dialog box will

appear.
A new node will be automatically

entered in the dialog box.
The number entered in the #

column is the next one available.
For example, in the diagram to the

right, 13 has been assigned to the
new node. The last number
appearing the list of Nodes is 12.
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Recall that the selected node at the top of the riser has an X coordinate of -3, a Y coordinate of
53 and an elevation of 16 feet. This is displayed in the Properties dialog box. The new node at
the base of the riser will have the same X and Y coordinates with an elevation of 0.
Complete the dialog box as it

appears here.
Press the OK button to create the

new node.
The new node will

appear below the
node at the top of
the riser.
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Connecting Nodes for the System Riser
Next, you will connect the nodes at the top and bottom of the riser.
Press the Connect Nodes button and the Material dialog box will
appear.
Set up the dialog box as shown here. The riser will be

4 , Schedule 10 with the Type as Pipe.
Press OK.
SprinkCALC will prompt with: Please Select First Node:
Pick the node at the top of the riser.
A square box will

appear around the
node indicating that
it is selected.
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SprinkCALC will then
prompt with: First
Node is: n12 Please
Select Second Node:
Pick the node at the

base of the riser.
The pipe will be

inserted as shown.
Press the Esc key to

exit the command.
35
If you select this new
pipe in the Graphic
View, its information
will be displayed in
the Properties dialog
box.
The new pipe has a number of p1. The starting

node is n12 (the top of the riser) and the end
node is n13 (the bottom of the riser).
The pipe is 4", Schedule 10 and is 16' -0" long.
Save your project to disk before continuing.
36
Installing the Underground Pipe
You can add pipes to your system with the Connect Nodes command, as you just did with the
System Riser, or use the Add Pipes Multiple command. You will use the Add Pipes Multiple
command to insert your underground pipe.
Press the Add Pipes (Multiple) button at the top of the screen.
The Add Pipe dialog box will appear.
The Pipe# p2 is the next available pipe number. Select scr1 and n13 as the nodes to be
connected. The Material will be DI 350 and the Size will be 6. From the Fitting drop down list
select Mult.. to add more than one fitting.
The Add Fittings dialog box will appear as shown to the left.
Navigate your mouse to the Amount

column and the n90ell fitting row.
Select 2 from the list and it will be

entered in the cell.
Now you have added two 90 elbows to

the pipe.
37
Move your mouse to the Amount column and the nTee fitting
row.
Select 1 from the pull down list and it will be added to the cell.
The Add Fittings dialog box will appear as

shown to the right. A list of the fittings will
appear in the Selected area. The Eq.
Length value or total length of all fittings
added to the pipe appears at the bottom of
the box. The value appearing in the
diagram to the left is 58 ft. When you have
finished using the Add Fittings dialog box,
press Close.
You will return to the Add Pipe dialog box with the fittings
added. Press OK to insert the new pipe.
The pipe will be inserted as shown.
38
Setting up an Alarm Valve
You will need to create an Alarm Valve to add to the system riser.
To set up an Alarm Valve, select Fittings and Valves from the Tools
pull down menu.
The Fittings and Valves dialog box will appear.
The Fittings and Valves dialog box has two tabs at the top: NFPA13 and Custom.
The NFPA13 window contains several fittings that ship with SprinkCalc. You cannot edit any of
the fittings appearing in this window. Equivalent lengths are listed to the right of the fitting
names. This table is referenced for n type fittings and adjusted if necessary for the C-Factor
and non-schedule 40 pipe diameters.
If you wish to add, delete, rename or edit fittings you must select the Custom tab.
Pick the Custom Tab with your mouse.
39
When selected, the Custom window will appear as shown here.
The Custom window contains various sizes along the top of the window and 3 buttons along the
bottom. To add a new fitting, select the Add button with your mouse.
When selected, the Add Fitting dialog box will appear as

shown to the right.
Enter the name Alarm in the New Fitting cell.
Press OK.
The new valve Alarm

will be added to the
Fittings and Valves
dialog box.
40
Scroll through the columns until you find the 4 column header and pick it. Enter an equivalent
length of 28 as shown below.
When completed, pick the Close button with your mouse.
The new valve Alarm will be added to the database and become available when choosing
fittings for 4" pipes.
Adding Valves to the System Riser

Now, you will add the alarm valve that you just created and a gate valve to the system riser.
Select the system riser in the Graphics View as shown to the

right.
41
Make sure that the Properties dialog box is open.
The Pipe number should appear in the white cell

at the top of the dialog box. If it does not, pick
Selected from the drop down list and the
selected pipe will appear in the dialog box.
Navigate your mouse to the Fittings cell and pick

it with your mouse. When selected, a pull down
list will appear. Scroll to the top of the list and
select Mult... as shown in the diagram. You are
going to add multiple fittings.
The Add Fittings dialog box will appear.
Scroll through the list of fittings until you find Alarm.

Pick the Amount column with your mouse.
Select 1 from the drop down list and it will be added to

the dialog box.
The diagram to the right shows the Alarm valve added

to the dialog box with an Eq. Length of 28.
42
Next, you need to add a Gate valve. Navigate your mouse to the nGate valve and add a value
of 1.
The Add Fittings dialog box will appear as shown to the

left.
Press Close and the fittings will be added to the system

riser and appear in the Properties dialog box as shown
below.
Recall that the equivalent length in the Add Fittings dialog

box was 30 feet for the alarm and gate valves. Why then is
the equivalent length shown as 39.5 feet in the Properties
dialog box? This is because the SprinkCalc program
adjusts equivalent lengths for C-Factors and actual internal
diameters as required by NFPA.
Checking the Branch Line Diameters

If you look at the plan drawing, as shown below, the branch lines located above the Main are
1 1/2" diameter, and others are 1 1/4" and 1. When the system was generated, the Pipe
Schedule was used for the branch lines. You now have to check to see if these sizes are the
same as those on the drawing.
43
First, you would like to see how SprinkCalc has sized the pipe. There are several ways in which
you can do this. You can check the pipe sizes in the Pipes View or select the pipes in the
Graphics View and then check the size in the Properties dialog box. You can also check the
sizes in the Graphics View when the pipe sizes are turned on.
To do this, select Settings from the View pull down menu.
From the Graphics Settings dialog box, change the Pipes

Parameter to Diameter. Press OK.
Hover your mouse over a pipe in the Graphics

View and right click.
Select Pipe: Diameter.
44
The pipe diameters will now appear in the Graphics View.
The pipe diameters will be displayed as actual internal diameters. From this you can see that
the second pipe segment from the end of each branch line on both sides of the main must be
changed to 1 from 1. All other pipe sizes match the plan.
First, you have to make sure that no pipes are selected otherwise you may mistakenly adjust
the size of the wrong pipe. All pipes will become unselected when you pick any pipe in the Pipes
View.
Hold the Ctrl key down while picking the pipe you just selected and the pipe will become
unselected.
Now you can be sure that no pipes are selected in your system.
45
Next, you will select the branch line pipes that need to be changed.
Pick the Select/Unselect Pipes button.
Pick all 8 pipes with the Hand as shown below.
You'll have to hold the Ctrl key down while picking to select multiple pipes.
Make sure that the Properties dialog box is open.
Choose Selected from the pull down list at the top of

the dialog box..
By picking Selected as an option, any changes made

will be applied to only the selected pipes.
The dialog box will show that 8 pipes have been

selected beside Amount.
Move to the Value column beside Size. Scroll

through the list until you find 1.25 as shown. Pick it
and the pipe sizes will change.
46
Calculating the System
Now, you are ready to calculate your system. To start a Demand
calculation, select Demand from the Calcs pull down menu.
The following dialog box will appear:
Ensure that Hazen-

Williams is
selected as the
Hydraulic Model.
Enter a Minimum
Density of 0.30 and
a Sprinkler
Coverage of 100
GPM / ft2.
Press the Select

All button and then
press the Apply
button. In this way,
all of your
operating sprinklers
must meet the
minimum
requirement.
Press the Run button to perform a calculation.
The Results dialog box will appear indicating that the calculation is complete. Press the Close
button to exit the box.
Each node and pipe in the system will now have

calculation data associated with it. Try picking a few
nodes and pipes and observe the calculation data in
the Properties dialog box.
Note, the Demand dialog box gives you the

opportunity to apply unique coverages, densities,
flows and pressures for each sprinkler in your remote
area.
47
The Flow Diagram
To see a flow diagram of your system, select Flow Direction
from the View pull down menu.
The basic flow diagram will show the direction of flow in your
Graphics View.
You can enhance the information on your flow diagram by

adjusting the parameters in the View Settings.
For example, you may wish to include total pressures at each

of your system nodes. To do this, select Settings from the
View pull down menu. In the Graphics Settings dialog box,
select Total Pressure as a node parameter. Then, from the
View pull down menu, select Node: Total Pressure.
48
The Summary Sheet
To view the Summary Sheet, select Summary from the View
pull down menu.
The summary sheet is used to enter cover sheet information for

your printouts. None of this information is used directly by the
calculation program.
49
The Analysis
To view the water supply curve with your system calculation,
select Analysis from the View pull down menu.
The Analysis dialog box will show system demand and water
supply curves as well as other useful data on your calculation.
When selected, the Analysis dialog box will appear.
Enter a value of 500 GPM for the outside hose allowance in the Hose Flow cell. From the
Show curve area you can select the criteria that you would like to show on the graph. System
Demand, and Supply, Out Hose were selected in the example above. You can also press the
Heads button to view the discharge details for all of your sprinklers.
Close the box when you are finished.
50
Setting Up Views
With SprinkCalc you can set up your Nodes and Pipes Views to show the criteria that you want.
The printed reports will show the same information that appears in the screen Views. You will
now set up your own custom Views and print your reports.
From the View pull down menu, select Options.
The Options dialog box will appear.
51
Press the Nodes tab at the top of the dialog box and then select the Default tab at the bottom.
You will create a custom Nodes View first and then a Pipes View. By selecting the Default
View, you will be using it as a template for your new View. Press the New button as shown
above.
The Node Layout dialog box will open. Enter Calcs as your
new style and press OK.
Your new Calcs View will appear in the row of tabs at the
bottom of the dialog box.
Make sure that Calcs is current and press the Edit button.
The Node Layout dialog box will appear. Set the Lines Per
Row value to 1. This will list all of your node criteria in one
row only.
The Options dialog box will return. Eliminate all headings except Node#, Type, Elev, K-Fact.,
Discharge, Hose and Ttl. Pres.
Remove headings by picking them with your

mouse and dragging them towards the top of the
dialog box.
52
You should be left with what is shown below.
To add headers to your View, double click on the item from the list on the right side of the dialog
box. You may also drag the headers with your mouse to change the order. Your new Nodes
View is now complete.
Select the Pipes tab. You are now going to create a custom Pipes View.
Start with the Defaults tab for a template and create a new View with the name Calcs. Set the
Rows to 1 and setup the headers as shown above.
Press the Close button when you are finished.
Now, when you return to the SprinkCalc screen,

your new Views will be available.
53
Select Calcs from both the Nodes and Pipes drop down lists. Your setup will now appear in the
Nodes and Pipes Views.
The information shown in your printed reports will correspond with the current View style. For
example, if you were to print a Node report with the new Calcs style, the Node Number, Type,
Elevation, K-Factor and Total Pressure would be shown. You would also sort the data in the
order that you want before printing. SprinkCalc has several sorting options. The easiest of these
is to pick the headers in the Pipe or Node views and the data will be sorted in ascending or
descending order.
To refine your order you can

drag and drop rows to the
positions that you would like.
Remember that what you see
is what you get for printing.
This is also true for the Graphics View when printing a Flow Diagram. Set up the Graphics View
with the perspective that you want and turn on any node or pipe information that you would like
from the options set up though the View > Settings dialog box.
Now, you can go to the File pull down menu and select Print. A dialog box will appear where
you can specify which results you would like to send to the printer. For this example use Calcs
for the Nodes and Pipes Views and US as the units.
54
Tutorial #2: Calculating a Grid with the Tree/Grid Command
The Tutorial System
The system is a simple grid with grooved, Schedule 10, black steel mains. The main outlets are
welded pipe-o-lets. The riser nipples and outriggers are threaded Schedule 40 black steel pipe
with cast iron fittings. The grid branch lines are Schedule 10 black steel with welded outlets for
sprinklers and grooved ends for couplings. All Sprinklers are on 12" sprigs. The underground is
6" Ductile Iron. The figures, which follow, show details of the system. The figure below is the
system riser.
The figure on the next page shows a plan view of the system. The grid lines are all 1 1/4"
Schedule 10 between the mains. The starter pieces are 1 1/4" Schedule 40 and are 1' -0" long.
The outriggers are 1" Schedule 40. Spacing between sprinklers on the branch lines is 11' -6".
Spacing between the branch lines is 10' -0". The near main and feeder main are 2 1/2"
Schedule 10. The far main is 2" Schedule 10. The riser nipples are 1 1/2" Schedule 40. The
branch line elevation is 19' -0". The mains elevation is 16' -0". The sprinklers are on 1' -0"
Schedule 40 sprigs.
55
56
The system is designed for an Ordinary Occupancy with a design area of 1500 ft2. The figure
below is a three dimensional view of the system.
Start a new SprinkCalc file

and save it as tutorial2.clc
in the Projects folder.
Set your Nodes and Pipes

Views back to Default if
necessary.
57
Setting the Defaults
Begin by setting the Defaults for your new system.
When SprinkCalc generates a system, values specified as defaults

will automatically be applied to components of the system.
Select Defaults from the Tools pull down menu.

Looking at the Plan for the grid, note various pipes types and sizes. The grid lines are 1"
Schedule 10 with 1" Schedule 40 starter pieces. The outriggers are 1" Schedule 40.
Pick the Piping Materials tab with your

mouse.
SprinkCalc will use these default pipe

sizes and types when building a system
with the Tree/Grid Generator.
Set up the values as shown here. The

Material, Size and Type can be changed
by picking on the appropriate cell and
selecting a value from the drop down list.
For this project the grid lines are all the

same size. Set the default to Schedule 10
and 1-. Pipe schedules are not
available for gridded systems.
58
Setting the Fittings, Nodes and Pumps Defaults
Pick the Fittings, Nodes and Pumps tab
with your mouse.
The Tree/Grid Generator will automatically

insert Tees and Elbows for pipes which
intersect.
From the drop down lists, select nTee and

n90ell. This will give you NFPA13
equivalent lengths for these fittings.
Since this job is for an Ordinary Hazard

Occupancy with a density of 0.15 GPM/
ft2, you will require a sprinkler K-factor of
5.6.
The Required Flow for inside hoses can

be any value since there are no inside
hoses in this system.
You will not be using a pump so leave the Pump Limit at 1.5.
Setting the Fluid and the Model

Next, select the Fluid and Model tab.
Select Hazen-Williams as the Hydraulic

model for this project with the radio button.
With Hazen-Williams selected, the Fluid

properties area remains grayed out.
Ensure that the Switch node numbers in

flow direction check box is selected.
59
Using the Tree/Grid Generator
The Tree/Grid Generator is used to automatically generate
systems by entering design criteria.
To access the Tree/Grid Generator, select Tree/Grid from the Edit

pull down menu.
Another way to start the command is to use the

Tree/Grid button.
When selected, the Tree/Grid dialog box will appear.
60
Spacing
The Spacing window is the first to appear.
The Spacing window is used to enter criteria about the Design Area, Spacing of the branch
lines and the Water supply.
In the Design Area, enter a value of 1500 as the Proposed size and a Square Multiplier of
1.2.
In the Spacing Area, enter a 6 for the total Number of Branch Lines. Also, enter 8 for the total
Number of Sprinklers per branch line. The Total Number of Sprinklers is automatically
calculated as 48. The Distance Between Branch Lines will be 10 ft and the Distance
between Sprinklers on the branch lines will be 11.5 ft. The Coverage per Sprinkler is
automatically calculated as 115 ft2.
Enter the Water Supply information in the bottom area. The Static Pressure will be 50 psi and
the residual pressure will be 45 psi at a flow of 1000 gpm.
When completed, press the Next button to open the Layout window.
61
Layout
The drawing below shows the mains in the plan view. First, you will specify the location of the
cross main. The Near Main is located 1 head and 9.5 feet over from the left end of the branch
line.
In the Near Main area, pick the Heads Left cell with your mouse and enter a value of 1. Move
to the Offset cell and enter a 9.5 as shown in the diagram below.
As you enter values, the diagram on the right side of the dialog box will change. This diagram
allows you to visualize your system when distances and elevations are specified.
62
There will be a Far Main since this is a grid. Check the Heads Right box, enter a 1 in the cell
and enter an Offset of 9.5 feet.
Specify the Feed Main location as 6 branch lines out with an offset of 3 feet. This will locate the
start of the Feed Main at the top of the system as shown below. Enter a Feed Main Length of
-20 feet. This will place the other end of the feed main 20 feet to the left. If this value were
positive, the feed main would extend to the right.
Enter the Elevations as shown. Since the sprinklers are on 1' -0" springs, there will be a one
foot elevation difference between the sprinklers and the branch lines.
You may have to use the Zoom All button in the Graphics View to see the whole system.
When you have finished entering the values, you can press the Show 3D
button to view your system in three dimensions. For information on how to
do this, see Tutorial #1.
63
Materials
The Materials window has several areas for entering information; K-factor, Piping, and
Fittings. You can also generate a remote area for the system. The various cells can be
changed to the Defaults that you set earlier by pressing the Defaults button. Ensure that the
dialog box is set up as shown below.
Note, since you have specified a far main, the pipe schedules are not available. The pipe
schedules are only available for tree systems.
When these areas have been completed, you can generate the remote area.
64
Using the Auto RA Button
SprinkCalc will generate a remote area automatically when you pick the Auto RA button at the
bottom of the window. You can also generate a remote area manually by picking the nodes with
your mouse. Pick the Auto RA button located directly below the drawing window.
When selected, the drawing will be redrawn

with a dashed line as shown to the left.
This dashed line indicates the area covered

by the sprinklers included in the remote area.
Manually Adjusting the Remote Area
When a remote area has been drawn, you can adjust it by selecting or deselecting nodes. For
this tutorial you will be selecting more nodes than are necessary so that you can manually find
the most remote area by performing a series of calculations.
Using the Select/Unselect Node Button
Use the Select/Unselect Node button to manually specify your

remote area.
A hand symbol will appear indicating

the button has been selected.
Hover the hand over the node you wish to

select and pick it.
Select the additional nodes as shown to

the right.
65
Using the Build RA Button
When the outline of the remote area has been established, press the
Build RA button at the bottom of the dialog box.
The Tree/Grid dialog box should appear the same as the diagram below.
Using the Select RA Button
If the remote area is not the same as shown, use the Select RA button to
return to the full system where the remote area may be established again.
When the remote area is set up, press the Next tab.
66
Insert
The Insert window contains Shift ,Rotate ,Flip and Attach areas and a window for generating
a 3D preview. When finished using the window you can add the system to the main screen. The
Attach area is used to enter information about attaching remote areas to existing systems. The
Shift ,Rotate , and Flip areas are used to enter values that will re-orientate the new system.
In this tutorial, you will not be adding a system to an existing system, so leave all areas blank.
When the system in the window appears as shown in the diagram above, press the Insert
button.
67
A Graphic of the new system will be inserted into the Graphics View. System information will be
placed in the Pipes and Nodes Views as shown below.
Viewing the System in 3D

The Graphics View has several buttons located along the top. These buttons are used to edit
features or to modify the appearance of the View.
Use the buttons to view your system in 3 dimensions. For information on using these buttons,
see Tutorial #1.
68
Manipulate your system until it appears as shown below.
Now, you will begin modifying your system.
Adjusting the Drawing for the Underground

In this tutorial you will use a more efficient method for installing the underground than was
shown in tutorial #1. The method shown in tutorial #1 was designed to introduce you to several
SprinkCalc commands.
Start by opening the Properties dialog box.
Next, use the Select Nodes command to select the

Water Supply node at the base of the riser.
69
The Properties dialog box will show the
attributes of the scr1 node.
Change the Node Type from Supply to Node.
Also, change the Node Number to BASE. Note

the coordinates of the BASE node. You will use
this information to insert the new Water Supply
node.
Start the Add Nodes (Multiple) command and enter the values as
shown.
Change the Node Type to Supply,

the node number will automatically
default to scr1.
The Elevation and X Coordinate

values will be the same as BASE.
The Y Coordinate will be the value
at BASE (53 ft) plus 150 feet for the
underground for a total of 203.
Press OK to finish.
70
Use the Zoom All button in the Graphics View to expose the new Water Supply node.
Ensure that the Properties Dialog box is open and select the Water Supply node in the Graphics
View.
Set the Static Pressure to 50 PSI, the Residual

Pressure to 45 PSI and the Residual Flow to
1000 GPM as shown.
Start the Add Pipes (Multiple) command. You

are now going to insert the underground pipe and
fittings.
71
Set the Pipe Type to Undg.
The Starting Node will be src1 and the ending node will be BASE. The material will be DI350
with a size of 6 inches. From the Fitting drop down list select Multi.. and select two n90ells and
one nTee. The length will be 150 feet. Press OK to finish. With the Add Pipes (Multiple)
command you can add pipe and fittings in one step.
Select the new pipe and check its attributes

with the Properties Dialog box.
72
Overriding Pipe Lengths
With SprinkCalc you can override the calculated distance between nodes. You may want to use
this feature if you have a long pipe in your system which takes up too much of the Graphics
View. You may also use this feature for pipes that do not follow a direct line between two points
such as with plastic pipe that has been bent to avoid obstructions.
In your grid system the underground pipe takes up a large portion of the Graphics View. You will
now change this to a shorter appearing pipe which still has the 150 length attribute.
Open the Properties dialog box and use the Select Nodes button to select the Supply Node.
The attributes of the Water Supply node will appear in the Properties dialog box.
73
Change the Y Coordinate value to 73.
This will move the Water Supply node 130 feet closer to the riser. Now, pick the underground
pipe with the Select Pipes button and view the Properties dialog box.
74
The calculated length of this pipe between nodes is now 20 feet. SprinkCalc will use this
distance for calculations unless you override it.
At the bottom of the Properties dialog box, set the

Geometric Length value to NO. This will allow you to
set the pipe length to whatever value you would like.
Type in a value of 150 for the Length.
Now, SprinkCalc will use 150 feet as the length of this

pipe when performing hydraulic calculations.
75
Adjusting the System Riser
You must now adjust the system riser. Pick the riser in the Graphics View and note the
attributes in the Properties dialog box.
Change the Node Type to Pipe. The size will be 4 inches and the schedule will be 10. From the
Fittings drop down menu add a nGate valve and the Alarm valve that you created in Tutorial
#1.
76
Splitting the Branch Lines to Add Starter Pieces
Schedule 40 starter pieces are found on both ends of all 6 branch lines. In order to add the
starter pieces, the branch lines must be split. The starter pieces connect to the branch lines 12"
from the riser nipples. The diagram below shows how these pieces are arranged.
To enter the starter pieces, a new node must be inserted at the point where the Schedule 10
and Schedule 40 pipe meet. After a new node has been inserted, the branch line will be split
and new pipe sizes and schedules can be specified.
All grid branches will have to have a node inserted 12" towards the inside of the grid.
Press the Top View button with your mouse.
Zoom in on the lower left corner of your system as shown.
Select the pipe as shown here.
Start the Split Pipes command from the Edit pull down menu.
77
The Split Pipes dialog box will appear:
Set the Length to 1.

The starter piece is
1'- 0" long and is
Schedule 40.
Set the second pipe

piece to be Schedule
10. This is the first
branch line piece.
Note that the Fittings

radio button is selected
for the Schedule 40
piece. This will keep the
fitting with this pipe
which is the tee at the top of the riser nipple.
Press OK and the new node will be inserted.
The new node is

shown here.
Do the same now

for the starter pieces
on both sides of the
main.
78
Be careful when splitting
the pipes on the far
main.
In this case, the first

pipe piece will be
Schedule 10 and the
second will be
Schedule 40.
The Fittings will also be

with the Schedule 40
pipe.
Also, make sure that you insert starter pieces in the lines which have no sprinklers as shown
below.
Start with the near main starter pieces.
79
Here is an example of the Split Pipes dialog box settings for inserting the starter piece node on
the near main side.
Note, the total length of the grid line is 61.5 feet. The length to the new node is 1 foot and the
schedule for this piece is 40. This leaves 60.5 feet remaining to the far main riser nipple. Note
also that the pipe has two tees because it is picking up the far main riser nipple tee as well.
When splitting pipes with fittings you must option to place all of the associated fittings with one
of the split pipes. In this example there are two tees with the new starter piece. You will correct
this in a moment. Continue to split the near main lines for starter pieces until all three are split.
Next, split the far main branch lines which have no sprinklers. Here is an example for splitting
the pipe for the starter piece on the far main side.
The length of the existing pipe is 60.5. The new node will be inserted 59.5 feet from the starter
piece node on the near main side. This leaves 1 foot of pipe to the far main riser nipple. This
piece is schedule 40 and has no fittings allocated from the split.
80
Check your new pipes by selecting them in the Graphics View and checking the pipe criteria in
the Properties dialog box.
Correct each starter piece on both sides of the grid so that each has one has one nTee. This is
most easily accomplished by selecting all of the starter pieces at once in the Graphics View and
specifying the fitting in the Properties dialog box.
81
Adjusting the Outrigger Sizes
Now that the branch lines have the starter pieces added, adjustments must be made to the
outriggers. The threaded outriggers are 1" and require Schedule 40 pipe rather than Schedule
10.
Select the three outriggers

as shown here.
Use the Select Pipes

button and pick the pipes
with the Ctrl key pressed.
This will allow you to select
multiple pipes.
In the Properties dialog box

pick Selected from the drop
down list.
Change the Size to 1" and the Schedule to 40.
This completes the pipe, fitting, and valve

information for your system.
Save your project to disk.
82
Calculating the System
Recall that when you used the Tree/Grid Generator you selected more flowing nodes than are
required for the remote area. You did this so that you could determine the most remote area in
the system.
Any node in the system with Head as the Type is an operating sprinkler. When you run a
calculation, the flow from any Head Node will be included.
For the calculation procedure you will be changing the node types thus activating different
sprinklers within different remote areas. Calculations will be made on different remote areas to
determine which is the most remote.
First, change all of the Head type nodes to Node type nodes. A node with the type Node is non-
flowing.
In the Properties dialog box, select Head from the pull down list. All of the Head nodes in the
system will be selected.
21 heads should be selected as indicated in the

Amount cell.
Change the Type from Head to Node.
83
Adjust your drawing so it appears similar to the diagram below. With the Node Select button
and the Ctrl key depressed, select the 14 nodes as shown:
You have to use an isometric view here because the nodes are at the top of sprigs. If you
attempt to pick the nodes from the plan view, you may pick the nodes that are on the branch
lines.
This is the remote area that SprinkCALC originally determined with the Tree/Grid Generator.
In the Properties dialog box, choose Selected from

the drop down list. A total Amount of 14 should be
selected.
Change the type from Node to Head. Also, make

sure that the K-Factor is 5.6.
Now, these nodes are flowing heads and you can

perform a calculation.
84
Run a Demand calculation and record the results for the system demand.
The coverage is
115 ft2 and the
density is 0.15. The
minimum pressure
(Water) will be
calculated as 9.489
PSI.
Press the Select

All button and then
the Apply button to
apply the density
and coverage
minimum to all
heads.
Press Run to perform a calculation and record your

results.
85
Select the three nodes to the left as shown and change the type to Node.
Select the three nodes to the right as shown and change the type to Head in the Properties
dialog box. Also set the K-Factor to 5.6.
86
Now, you can perform another calculation and compare it to the first.
Start a demand
calc again and
enter the density of
.15 and the
coverage of 115.
Press the Select

All button and the
Apply button.
This will apply the

density and
coverage minimum
to your three new
selected heads.
Press Run.
The previous calculation resulted in a system

required flow of 255 GPM and a required pressure of
38 PSI. The Safety Margin was 11.7 PSI. When
compared to this calculation, the previous remote
area is more demanding.
Using this technique you can easily determine the

most remote area.
Return to the first remote area by changing your node types. Perform another Demand
calculation. Now, you can view your calculation results with the Analysis dialog box and produce
a printout as required.
87
From the View pull down menu select Analysis. The Analysis dialog box will appear:
Enter 250 GPM for the outside hose allowance in the Hose Flow cell. This will make any of the
hose dependant curves available for viewing. Select Supply, Out Hose and System Demand
from the Show curve area. The System Demand curve slopes up from about 9 PSI at zero
flow to the minimum demand point at 255 GPM @ 38 PSI. The Supply, Out Hose is the supply
curve modified for the outside hose allowance. This curve appears along the top of the graph.
You can select any curve that appears in the Show curve list and it will appear in the graph.
88
Running a Supply Calculation
The previous Demand calculation is based on the minimum pressure and flow required to
support your sprinkler system. You will also want to know how your system performs with the
specified water supply. This is a Supply calculation.
If you start a Supply calculation before a Demand calculation is performed,

the Supply dialog box will appear without any pressure entered in the
Pressure at Source cell.
Enter any pressure that you would

like and press Run to perform a
calculation.
After the calculation has been

performed, you can analyze your
system by viewing the Analysis
dialog box, viewing the results in the
Nodes or Pipes Views, viewing the
results of selected items in the
Properties dialog box, or by
performing a printout.
Use this method if you wish to

analyze your system at various
pressures.
To run a Supply calculation based on your specified water supply, first run a
Demand or Supply calculation and then view the Analysis dialog box.
89
The Analysis dialog box will show you the results of your Demand calculation,
Now, to run a Supply calculation, press the Advanced button at the bottom of the dialog box.
The Advanced Options dialog box will show pressures and flows depending on whether you
specified a Safety Pressure in the Analysis dialog box. The example above shows a system
where a Safety Pressure has not been specified in the Analysis dialog box, hence, no values
are available in the lower area. The displayed pressure and flow are determined by SprinkCalc
by extending the demand curve to the point where it intersects with the supply curve. To run a
Supply calculation, press the Supply button.
90
The Supply dialog box will appear with the pressure entered from the Advanced Options dialog
box.
Press Run to perform a calculation.
The Results dialog box will appear with the

calculated results.
For this example the Safety Pressure should be close to zero. Press the Close button and the
Analysis dialog box will reappear showing the result. Your system requirement will be displayed
at the top left.
To view the supply point select Supply Flow@ Fixed Pressure from the available curves. You
can now view any pipe or node in the system to gather more specific information. For some jobs
it may be necessary to calculate a few Supply calculations through the Advanced button until a
safety pressure approaching zero is reached.
91
Tutorial #3: Using Manual Entry
If you prefer a more traditional input method and you dont want a graphical representation of
your system, use the Manual Entry dialog box. You wont lose any of the precision or
functionality of the SprinkCalc calculation engine by using this method. This tutorial will show
you how to calculate the standpipe system shown below with the Manual Entry dialog box.
92
Adding a Hose Valve
Before entering your system, you have to make sure that hose valves exist in your equivalent
lengths database.
From the Tools pull down menu, select Fittings and Valves.
The Fittings and Valves dialog box will open. Select the Custom tab.
Press the Add button to add your hose valve.
The Add dialog box will open.
Enter the name Angle as shown and press OK. Note, a

fitting name cannot contain spaces.
93
The angle valve will now appear in the list.
For a 1 valve enter

an equivalent length of
20 feet.
For a 2 valve enter

an equivalent length of
31 feet.
Now, these valves will

be available when you
add fittings to your
system.
Checking the Flow Direction

For this exercise you dont want SprinkCalc to change the nodes for
the flow direction. In this way you will be able to toggle back and forth
between the main screen and the Manual entry box without having the
order of the nodes changed.
From the Tools menu, select Defaults. The Defaults dialog box will
open.
Pick the Fluid and Model tab and make

sure that Switch node numbers in flow
direction is NOT selected.
94
Laying Out the System
Open the Manual Entry dialog box from the Edit pull down menu.
You can also use the Manual Entry button to start

the command.
The Manual Entry dialog box will open:
Begin by entering your water supply information in the cells at the top.
The supply node name will be TEST. The static pressure is 50 PSI. The residual pressure is 45
PSI at 1650 GPM. The elevation of the supply node is 0.
95
Start by entering information from the most remote standpipe.
Q 250
K= = = 25
First, calculate the K-Factor for the hose connection H1. p 100
Since this is a Class I system, you require 250 GPM @ 100 PSI at the most remote hose
connection. You may enter your information with the flow ( 1 to H1) or against the flow
( H1 to1) and SprinkCalc will reverse the order for you automatically. For this example you will
enter the nodes and pipes against the flow. Enter the hose connection H1, K-factor and the rest
of the row as shown below. Enter the data with the keyboard or select items from the drop down
lists. When you press the Enter key you will shift to the next column.
In the Fittings column select Mult.. and enter an angle valve and a tee. After entering 80 as the
elevation, press the down arrow key to start the next row or press the Enter key. There you will
define the standpipe from node 1 to node 2.
96
There will be no K-Factor in this row. Delete any unnecessary items with the delete key. The
elevation of node 1 will be 80 feet. Fill in the other information as shown.
Press the Enter key to start the next row. Here you will enter the standpipe information from
node 2 to node 3. There will be an additional 250 GPM hose at this node.
Notice that 250 was entered under the K-Factor column. This is for the 250 GPM hose flow on
the second floor. If you enter a number in this column it will be interpreted by the program as a
K-factor. If you enter a number preceded by a negative sign, it will be interpreted as a hose flow.
Enter the rest of the values as shown.
97
Continue adding values for the remaining nodes on the standpipe. These nodes are on each
floor and will be used to determine if and where pressure reducing valves are required.
The next entry is for node 9 to node10. Dont forget the 90 elbow at node 9. Enter the values as
shown.
98
The next entry is for the pipe leading from node10 to the pump. Enter the values as shown
below. Enter an additional hose flow at node 10. This is for the other standpipe.
The final entry will be from the pump to the source.
99
As you enter data in the Manual Entry dialog box, the default pipe type is a Pipe. Here, you
must change this pipe to a Pump.
To do this, pick the button to the left of the PUMP node
Select Pump from the pop up

menu.
The Pump dialog box will appear.
The flow direction will be from the End Node

which is the supply. The water is flowing from
the supply to the pump.
Enter the Rated Flow, Rated Pressure and

Churn Pressure for the pump.
Press OK to finish.
A P will appear in the button to indicate that a pump exists in

this row of information.
Press the Exit button at the top right corner of the screen to exit the dialog box and enter the
SprinkCalc screen.
100
Save your file and then perform a Demand calculation.
Enter a minimum
flow of 250 GPM in
the cell as shown,
press the Select
All button and then
the Apply button.
The minimum
pressure of 100
PSI will be
calculated
automatically.
Press the Run

button to perform
the calculation.
The Results dialog box will appear. Press the close

button.
101
Open the Analysis dialog box and select the Supply and System Demand curves.
Since the pipe type was entered as a pump, the pump has become part of the system and will
be reflected in the system demand curve. As a result 750 GPM @ 46.9 PSI is required from the
city supply.
You can view the Node and Pipe information on the screen for a further analysis of the system.
Use the Calcs Views that you created in Tutorial #1.
If you perform a printout, the

data shown in the Views will
be printed.
You may freely toggle back

and forth from the SprinkCalc
screen and the Manual Entry
dialog box without losing any
information. You may wish to
do this for editing data.
102
From the previous results it is apparent that a smaller pump may be used with a higher rated
pressure.
Select the
pump row in
the Pipes View
and open the
Properties
dialog box.
You are going

to change the
pump
parameters.
Change the pump parameters to 750 GPM rated

flow at a rated pressure of 115 PSI. Churn pressure
is 138 PSI.
When you perform another Demand calculation the

safety margin will be a more acceptable 9 PSI.
View the Analysis dialog box and the demand point

will be farther from the supply curve.
Note, you may also enter the Manual entry dialog

box to change the pump parameters if you prefer.
Pick on the pump row to open the Pump dialog box
as you did in the original setup.
103
The previous method of calculating standpipe systems is acceptable, however, you may
achieve a more precise calculation by balancing the system. To do this you would provide K-
Factors for all hose connections.
Return to the Manual Entry screen. All of your previous data will still be there.
Modify the screen as it is shown above. You can use the Delete and Insert buttons at the top left
to remove or add rows as needed.
After doing a Demand calc your system will be balanced with node H1 flowing at the minimum
flow and pressure. The other hose connections, H2 and H3 will show the actual flows and
pressures when the system is operating with H1 at the minimum.
You can modify your pump criteria as you did before to get an acceptable safety margin.
104
Tutorial #4: Building a System With Node Commands
In addition to using the Tree/Grid Generator and the Manual Entry dialog box, you may also
build systems manually with SprinkCalcs node commands. To do this, you will use the Add
Nodes (Array), Add Nodes (Multiple), and Connect Nodes commands extensively.
For this tutorial you will be building a system with sloped branch lines.
Start a new project and SaveAs.. to your project folder. Open the Properties dialog box and
position it in a convenient location on your screen.
Press the Add Nodes (Array) button to start the command.
The Add Nodes dialog box will appear:
Set the number of nodes to 7. The Node Type

will be Node.
Check the Add Pipes box.
For the Starting Node area, set the Elevation

to 10 and leave the X and Y values at 0. This
will set your first sprinkler at 0,0 for the X and Y
coordinates with an elevation of 10 feet.
For the Step area, set the Elevation to 1 and

the X value to 12. Leave the Y value at 0. The
new nodes will be spaced at 12 feet apart on the
X axis. Each new node will be elevated 1 foot
from the previous node.
Since the Add Pipes box is checked, you must

specify the pipes which will connect the nodes.
Set the Type to Brline. The Material will be
Sch40. The Size will be 1".
Press OK to create the line.
105
Press the Front View button to have a look at your new branch line.
Notice that your branch line slopes upward from left to right. Node 1 is to the left. Looking at the
Node and Pipe Views, you can see that the pipes and nodes have been created for you.
Switch back to the Top

View so that you can
begin to add more branch
lines.
106
Press the Add Nodes (Array) button again to start the command.
The Add Nodes dialog box will appear again. Notice that your original
settings are retained from your earlier branch line.
Since the branch lines are running in an X

direction, the cross mains will run in a Y
direction.
Your branch lines will be 10 feet apart. The only

value that you will have to change is the
Starting Node Y value. Set this to 10 and press
OK.
The next branch line will be created.
107
Press the Add Nodes (Array) button again to start the command.
The Add Nodes dialog box will appear again. Once again, your
original settings are retained from your earlier branch line.
The only value that you will have to change is

the Starting Node Y value. Set this to 20 and
press OK
Now, your third branch line will be created. You may have to use the Zoom All button now to
see all of the branch lines.
108
You can continue to add as many branch lines as you would like using this technique with the
Add Nodes (multiple) command. You can keep your branch lines level by entering a value of 0
in the Step Elevation cell.
Next, you will specify a point on the last branch lines where the riser nipples will be connected.
Select the pipe as shown below.
Press the Split Pipes button. The following dialog box will appear:
The New Node Type will be Node.
The Split will be by

Length.
Setup the New Pipes

area as shown.
The Length will be 6.02

which is 1/2 the length
of the original pipe.
This is the distance

along the slope.
109
Press OK and the pipe will be split and the new node inserted as shown.
Select the last node on the line as shown here.
Press the Delete Nodes button at the top of the screen to delete this last
node.
110
The Delete Nodes with pipes dialog box will appear:
Press OK to delete the node and the last pipe.
The graphic image should appear as shown below.
Perform the same operation on the remaining two branch lines.
111
With the 3D Zoom tools, manipulate your graphic so that it appears similar to the view shown
below. Open the Properties dialog box.
You are now going to insert your riser nipples. Select the node as shown below:
The values for this node will appear in the Properties dialog box. To insert a new node you will
need the X, Y and elevation of this existing node.
112
Pick the Add Nodes (Multiple) button to add new nodes. The
nodes which will be added are where the riser nipples will attach to
the cross main.
The riser nipples will be 3 feet long. Note the coordinates of the selected node on the branch
line in the Properties dialog box. The Elevation is 15.5 feet, the X value is 66 feet and the Y
value is 0. The new node will have the same X and Y values. The only difference will be the
elevation which will be 12.5. You get this by subtracting 3 feet from the existing node elevation.
Set up the Add Node Dialog box as shown above.
113
You can add these nodes one at a time or add all three at the same time. For this exercise you
will add all three at once.
Press the ADD button on the Add Node dialog box.
A new node will appear. Set the

elevation and X value to the same
values of the previous node.
The only change will be the Y value.

Since you know that the branch
lines are 10 feet apart, this value
will be 10 greater than the previous
node.
Enter a 10 for the Y value.
Press the Add button again to add

the final node.
In this case, the Y value will be 20.

The other values will remain the
same.
Press OK to finish.
114
The new nodes will appear as shown below in the Graphic View.
Now, you will add the riser nipple pipes. Press the Connect Nodes
button at the top of the screen.
The Material dialog box will appear where you will

specify the criteria for your pipe.
Enter the values as shown to the left.
Press OK.
First pick
the node
on the
branch
line.
Then pick
the new
node at the
cross main.
115
The new pipe will be added as shown below:
Continue with the Connect Nodes command to add the other riser nipple pipes.
116
Now, you will add your cross main pipes. Press the Connect Nodes button again and connect
the nodes at the bottom of the riser nipples.
Set up the Pipe Material dialog box as shown here.
Connect the nodes as shown below:
Insert the second cross main piece as shown below. The command will continue until the Esc
key is pressed.
117
Now, you are going to add the required fittings to the branch lines and adjust a few pipe sizes.
Select the pipes as shown below. Hold down the Ctrl key and use the Select Pipes button.
In the Properties dialog box make sure that Selected is chosen from the drop down list. This will
ensure that any changes you make will occur on your three selected pipes.
Change the pipe diameter to 1 1/2".
Pick on the Fittings cell and select Mult.... to

add the tee at the top of the riser nipple as well
as two 90 street elbows for sloping the pipe.
Using the same procedure, change the second

row of branch line pipes to 1 1/2" diameter
from 1".
Finally, change the third and fourth branch line

pipe diameters to 1 1/4".
The fifth and sixth branch lines will remain at 1"

diameter.
118
From the Properties dialog box, select Rnppl to
select all of the riser nipples you just inserted.
Add a tee to the Fittings cell as shown to the

right. This will add the equivalent length of a
tee to the base of the riser nipples for
calculations.
119
Manipulate your Graphic View so that it is similar to the image shown below:
You are now going to insert your mains. Select the node at the bottom of the third riser nipple to
use as a reference. Its values will appear in the Properties Dialog box.
Pick the Add Nodes (Multiple) button to add new nodes for
your mains.
120
The first node will be at the same
elevation as the selected node.
The X value will be the same and

the new Y value will be 50. This will
place a new node 30 feet in a Y
direction from the selected node.
Press the Add button.
The next node will be for the feed

main. The elevation will be 12.5
again and the Y value will remain at
50. Change the X value to 56 and
this will insert the node so that it
jogs 10 feet in a -X direction.
Change the node label to TASR.
This node will be at the top of the

system riser.
The next node will be at the base of

the riser. Set the label to BASE.
The elevation will be 0 and the X
and Y values will be the same as
TASR.
Press OK to insert these nodes.
121
Press the Connect Nodes button at the top of the screen to connect the nodes that you just
inserted.
In the Material dialog box,

set the pipe criteria as
shown to the left.
Pick the nodes in sequence starting with the node at

the base of the riser nipple. Continue using the
command until the four nodes are selected and the
pipes are inserted.
Your graphic should now appear as shown below:
Add 90 elbows to the first two main pieces.

Add an Alarm valve and a Butterfly valve to the
system riser pipe.
122
Select the Node BASE at the bottom of the
riser.
The Properties dialog box will show the values

for this node which you will be referencing
from.
Pick the Add Nodes (Multiple) button to add

new nodes for your underground pipe.
Label the nodes U1, U2 and src1.

U1 is 6 feet down from the Base of
the riser.
Node U2 is 100 feet from U1 in a Y

direction.
Node src1 is 9 feet up from U2.

This will be the location of the water
supply test. Set the Type of this
node to Supply.
Press OK to insert the nodes.
Connect the nodes with 6" Ductile Iron

Pipe as shown to the left.
123
Your system should now appear as shown below:
The 100 foot long piece of

underground and the short piece up
to the Test node will both require a
90 elbow. Insert these as you did
previously for the mains.
Select the src1 node at the end of your system and

view the Properties dialog box.
Enter the Static and Residual pressures as

shown. Enter a residual flow of 1000 GPM.
If you tried to perform a Calculation now, the program will not permit you to do so. You have not
yet identified which nodes are operating sprinklers.
124
Recall when you inserted the branch lines and nodes with the Add Nodes (Array) command. In
the dialog box you had the option of inserting the nodes as a type "Node" or a "Head". In this
exercise you inserted the nodes as a "Node" type. By using this method, you can later change
the "Nodes" to "Heads" within your remote area. You can also insert the nodes as a type
"Head" if the Heads are within your remote area. Either method is acceptable.
Switch the Pipe Graphic to

the Top View as shown. Use
the Node Select button to
draw a window around the 12
sprinklers as shown .
The Properties dialog box will show that 12

nodes have been selected. Change the node
Type to Head. Also enter a K-factor of 5.6.
125
These nodes are now operating sprinklers. Use the View pull down menu to display the Node
numbers.
From this View you

can see that node 1
or node 2 is
probably the most
remote head in the
system.
Press the Demand button at the top of the screen to start a calculation.
The following dialog box will appear.
Select Hazen-
Williams as the
Hydraulic Model.
Enter a Minimum
Density of .15 and
a Sprinkler
Coverage of 120.
Press the Select

All button and then
the Apply button to
apply the minimum
requirements to all
sprinklers.
The Minimum Pressure(Water) and Minimum Flow cells will be automatically filled.
Press Run to start the calculation.
126
The Results dialog box will appear showing the system demand pressure and flow.
Close this box and open the Analysis dialog box.
Enter 250 as the Outside Hose @ Source value. This will allow you to display Supply, Out
Hose which is the city supply with the hose allowance removed. Also select the System
Demand curve to determine where the system demand point occurs relative to the water
supply.
From here you can adjust pipe sizes to fine tune your system. You may also generate a Supply
calculation by pressing the Advanced button.
By pressing the Heads button, you can view the pressure and discharge information for the
sprinklers.
127
Tutorial #5: Adding a Pump to Your System
There are two types of pumps that you can use with SprinkCalc and you should clearly
understand their differences.
Additional Pump @ Source

You indicate this pumps specifications in the Analysis dialog box. You may only have one of
these pumps in your system.
This pump will have no effect on your system demand. The purpose of this pump is to adjust the
supply curve. In this way you can plot a supply curve which includes a city supply, outside hose
and pump combined which can be referenced with the demand curve. If the upper right point of
the demand curve falls below the supply curve, then you can conclude that the supply can
satisfy the system requirement.
Pump as Pipe Type

You may also install pumps within your system. For this you can specify a pipe type as a Pump.
These types of pumps WILL effect your system calculations. They will influence your system
demand when running a Demand or Supply calculation. They WILL NOT effect your supply
curves. You may install as many of these types of pumps as you like.
In this tutorial you will use both types of pumps. First, you will use the Additional Pump @
Source.
Open the Tutorial #1 project that you completed before. For this tutorial you will add a pump to
the system. Save the file as Tutorial5.clc. Manipulate your system in the Graphics View until it
appears as shown below.
128
Open the Properties dialog box and select the water supply node.
The first thing you are going to do is to shorten the

underground pipe so that the system fits better in the
Graphics View.
The Supply node properties are shown to the right.
Change the Y Coordinate to 73.
This will leave you with a 20 long underground pipe

and your system will fit better on your screen.
Now, you have to change the properties of the

underground pipe so that SprinkCalc will calculate it
with its original length of 150.
Select the underground pipe and observe its

attributes in the Properties dialog box.
129
Change the Geometric Length setting to NO at the bottom of the dialog box. Set the Length to
150 feet.
Now, when you perform a demand calculation with a

density of .3 GPM/sq. ft. and a coverage of 100sq. ft.
you should get the following result.
This is the same result that you got in Tutorial #1.
Now, you have to adjust the system so that a pump is required. Select the Supply node and
view the attributes in the Properties dialog box.
130
Change the Static Pressure to 45 PSI and the Residual Pressure to 30 PSI. Change the
Residual Flow to 1000 GPM. Clearly this water supply will not support the requirements of the
system.
Run another demand calculation with the same

density and coverage and you should get the
following:
Note, the results are red in color to alert you of a

negative safety factor.
Open the Analysis dialog box.
Enter 500 GPM for the Outside Hose and select Supply, Out Hose and System Demand from
the Show curve area. The Demand point is well above the available supply. You need a pump!
131
Using the Additional Pump @ Source
By adding pump specifications in the Additional Pump @ Source cells, additional curves
become available in the Show Curve area of the dialog box. The example below shows your
previous system. Data has been entered for the pump and Supply, Out Hose, Add Pump has
been selected as a curve to display.
This curve combines the effects of the city supply, outside hose and pump. Other options are
available in the list as well. You may enter new values in the Additional Pump @ Source cells
and see the effect it has on the selected curve. After you enter the new values press the TAB
key and the curve will adjust to suit the new data. By using this method you can determine the
correct pump for any given system.
Using the Additional Pump @ Source will have no effect on your system demand calculation or
the Demand curve. You may only have one of these in your system.
132
Installing Pumps as Pipe Types
Another method for installing pumps in your system is to change a pipe type to Pump. You may
install as many of these pumps as you would like and they may be inserted anywhere in your
system.
As an example, you will install one of these pumps in your Tutorial #5 system. Begin by zeroing
the values for Additional Pump @ Source in the Analysis dialog box.
Notice that when the values are zero, none of the

curves which include pump attributes are available
from the Show Curve area.
Close the Analysis dialog box.
Zoom in on your underground pipe and select it

with the Select Pipes command.
Start the Split Pipes command.
The Split Pipes dialog box will appear.
Split by Length and set

the length to 1.
The New Node Type

will be Node.
Press OK.
133
The new node will
appear 1 foot away from
the Source Node.
Select the next pipe as

shown and start the Split
Pipes Command again.
Set the new pipe length

to 5 feet and the
schedule to 10.
The New Node Type

will be Node.
Press OK.
Select the 5 0 length of pipe in the Graphics View

and open the Properties dialog box.
134
Change the Type to a Pump.
Enter the Rated Flow as 1000 GPM and the Rated

Pressure as 70 PSI. The Churn Pressure will be 90
PSI.
This is the same pump criteria that you entered for the
Additional Pump @ Source.
The flow direction for the pump will be From the

Start Node.
Run a Demand Calculation again with a density

of .30 GPM/ sq. ft. and a coverage of 100 sq. ft.
135
Open the Analysis dialog box to view the results.
Here, the Supply + Outside Hose and the Demand curve have been selected. Now, the pump
has become a part of the system and its effects are reflected in the Demand curve. Note how
the System Required Pressure is down to 0.7 PSI. This is because the pump is supplying most
of the pressure required for the system. In the example above, the Demand curve actually
slopes downward as the flow is increased to an end point which is the system demand. The
Demand curve is generated by connecting the pressure point at zero flow with the pressure
point at system demand. The pressure at zero flow is the static pressure generated by elevation
in the system.
In the example above, the system demand pressure at the Supply Node is less than the static
elevation pressure in the system hence the Demand curve slopes down.
136
You can modify the pump parameters through the Properties dialog box. Close the Analysis
dialog box and select the pump pipe again. Open the Properties dialog box.
Reduce the Rated pressure to 60 PSI and the Churn

pressure to 70 PSI.
Perform another Demand calculation with the same

criteria that you entered before.
Open the Analysis dialog box and review the results.

Since you reduced the rated pressure of the pump,
the Demand point is now closer to the Supply + Hose
curve.
137
Tutorial #6: Adding In-Rack Sprinklers to Your System
Open your Tutorial #1 project and save it as Tutorial #6. Manipulate the Graphics View to what
is shown below:
Open the Properties dialog box.
138
Press the Select/Unselect Nodes button in the Graphics View.
Select all of the nodes

above the base of the
riser as shown here
with a window.
From the Properties drop down list, select

Selected.
The Properties dialog box should show that 37

nodes have been selected.
Type in @11 in the Elevation cell. This will

elevate all of these nodes up an additional 11
feet.
Press Enter with the keyboard. All of your

sprinklers will now have an elevation of 30 feet.
For a real in-rack system, you would now have to

adjust your remote area size, sprinkler densities
and K-factor. Leave these as they are for now
however since this exercise is to show you how
to add in-racks to an existing system.
139
Select the pipe as shown below:
Start the Split Pipes command. The Split Pipes dialog box will appear:
The pipe you are

splitting is a 4", 10'- 0"
cross main.
Enter a split length of 5.

This will place the new
node in the middle of
the pipe.
Change the new node

name to RACK1 in both
rows.
Press OK to create the

new node and split the
pipe.
The new node will now appear in the Graphic View.
140
Start the Tree/Grid command.
Fill in the Spacing window as shown above. There will be 2 branch lines with 8 sprinklers on
each. The branch lines will be 10 feet apart and the sprinklers will be 10 feet apart on the
branch lines.
Enter the Design area values as shown. These really don't matter at this point since you will be
setting the active sprinklers later.
There will be no Water Supply values. There is already a water supply in the system.
Press Next.
141
The Layout window will appear:
In the Near Main area, set the Heads Left to 4 and the Offset to 5. This will place the drop pipe
in the middle of the branch lines.
In the Feed Main area, set the #Br Lines Out to 2 and the Offset to 10. This will place the end of
the drop pipe up 10 feet from the first branch line. The Feed Main Length will be 10.
Leave the Elevation area values at 0.
Press Next.
142
The Materials window will appear:
The Sprinkler K-factor will be 5.6. Set the branch lines to Sch40 and 1 1/4" diameter. The Near
Cross Main and Feeder Main will be 2" Sch40. This will be the size of your drop pipe.
Use the Select/ Unselect Nodes & Pipes button to select all of the sprinklers on the
branch lines. When all of the sprinklers are selected, press the Build Remote Area
button.
Press Next.
143
The Insert window will appear:
In the Graphics View the new in-rack sprinklers will appear below the ceiling sprinkler system.
This is because you gave them an elevation of zero. From the pull down list, select RACK1 as
the attachment node. You set up this node previously. The coordinates of this node will be
automatically entered. Press the Move button to move the end of your rack system to this node.
In the Rotate area, enter 90 in the X cell and press the

rotate button as shown.
This will rotate the rack system about the X Axis

so that it is pointing down.
Press the Insert button to finish.
144
The in-rack system will appear in the Graphic View.
You may use the same procedure

to add as many in-rack systems as
you would like.
To perform in-rack calculations,

set the in-rack nodes to the Type
Head.
Set the node Type to Node for all

sprinklers that you do not want to
be active.
145
Use the Demand dialog box to set the fixed pressure or flow for your in-rack sprinklers. Recall
from Tutorial #1 that you set your ceiling sprinklers to be K-Factor 8.0.
In this tutorial you set your

in-rack sprinklers to be K-
Factor 5.6. This is why two
K-Factors are now
appearing in the Sprinklers
list.
Enter a Density of .3 and a

Coverage of 100, select all
of your K=8 sprinklers with
the Ctrl key depressed and
press the Apply button.
This will set up your ceiling

sprinklers.
Delete the values in the Density and Coverage cells and enter 15 in the Required Pressure (W)
cell.
Select your K=5.6

sprinklers and press the
Apply button. This will set
your in-rack sprinklers with
a minimum pressure of 15
PSI.
Press Run to perform the

calculation.
This example showed you

how to insert an in-rack
system into an existing
ceiling sprinkler system
however the same
technique can be used
whenever you need to
install multiple systems.
Other useful applications include multi-story systems and multiple systems fed from a common
underground loop.
146
Tutorial #7: Using Darcy-Weisbach to Calculate
The Hazen Williams formula is currently the approved formula for predicting pressure drops due
to friction in water based fire protection systems. One of the limitations of the Hazen Williams
formula is that it CANNOT be used for any fluid other than water @ 60 F.
The Darcy-Weisbach method has been used by other engineering disciplines for many years
and often demonstrates a higher degree of precision than Hazen Williams. It may be used for
water as well as any other liquid which exhibits a constant viscosity at a given temperature.
These fluids, which include water, are referred to as Newtonian Fluids and make up the vast
majority of available liquids.
Before using Darcy-Weisbach to calculate you must be aware of the following:
K-Factor
Manufacturers of Sprinklers provide K-Factors for their heads in their specification sheets.
These K-Factors apply to Water Only in a narrow temperature range. These K-Factors are not
to be used for liquids which may have different viscosities and densities than water. If you use
the Darcy-Weisbach model to perform calculations with devices that have K-Factors, you will
have to use a K-Factor multiplier to get valid calculation results.
There is no easy method for mathematically determining a K-Factor multiplier. The only true
method for determining a multiplier is by testing the device with the liquid that you are going to
use. For this you should make arrangements with your supplier.
This multiplier is specified in the Tools > Fluid dialog box.
Pumps
Any pump specifications that you have for water will not be valid for other liquids. Consult your
pump supplier before attempting to use this program with pumps and liquids other than water.
This also applies to water based solutions.
147
Example
Lets assume that you have a system to calculate with a liquid which we will call Fluid X. Fluid X
has a specific gravity of 1.1 and a dynamic viscosity of 3.38 x 10-4 lb-s/ft2. This liquid is heavier
and more viscous than water.
You have contacted your sprinkler supplier who has performed tests on the sprinkler you wish to
use with Fluid X. They have found out that the sprinkler delivers 90% of the flow at prescribed
pressures than it does with water. From this you can calculate a new sprinkler K-Factor and set
the K-Factor multiplier to 1.0, or use the original K-Factor and set the K-Factor multiplier to
0.90.
148
Setting up the Fluid
You will have to set up Fluid X in the database.
From the Tools pull down menu, select Fluid. The Fluid dialog box
will open. Select any fluid in the drop down list until the cells for the
properties appear.
Press the New button and enter Fluid X in the

Rename to cell and. Then pick Fluid X from the
Fluid drop down list.
In the Specific gravity cell enter 1.1 and

then press the Tab key. The Density and
Specific Weight will be calculated
automatically.
In the Dynamic Viscosity cell enter 3.38E-4 and press the Tab key. The Kinematic viscosity
will be calculated automatically. Entering 3.38E-4 is equivalent to 3.38 x 10-4 or .000338.
149
For a K-Factor multiplier enter a value of .90. This is
because the tests showed that this sprinkler will
deliver 90% of flow with Fluid X when compared to
water.
Press the Close button to finish.
Building the System

Start a new SprinkCalc file and save it as tutorial7.clc. Open the Tree/Grid generator to build
your system.
Enter the values as shown above. There are 2 branch lines with 4 sprinklers per branch line.
The sprinklers are 10 feet apart on the branch lines and the branch lines are 10 feet apart.
The Static Fluid Supply pressure is 45 PSI. The Residual Pressure is 40 PSI @ 200 GPM.
Press Next.
150
Set up the Layout screen as shown here.
The cross main is 5 feet to the left of the first sprinklers. The cross main extends 25 feet from
the first branch line. Sprinklers and branch lines are at 20 feet of elevation. The mains are at 17
feet and the Source node is at 3 feet Press Next. Set up the Materials screen as shown below.
151
The sprinkler K-Factor is 5.6 for water. The branch lines and riser nipples are 2 Schedule 40.
The mains are 3 Schedule 10. Build the remote area and press Next.
Press the Insert button.
Start a Demand
calculation.
Select Darcy-Weisbach
as the model and select
Fluid X from the drop
down list.
152
The Density and Viscosity of the fluid will be displayed.
Enter a Minimum
Density of .2 and a
Coverage of 100
ft2. Press the
Select All button
and then the Apply
button.
Press the Run

button.
Your results will appear in a dialog box.
You can now view the Analysis dialog box and perform a Supply calculation if you wish. You
have all of the resources for editing and viewing that you had when running Hazen Williams
calculations.
153
Tutorial #8: Peaking Grids
Here is a quick and easy method for moving your design area for peaking. This method only
works when your design area resides between your mains.
The figure below shows a grid system that has been built with the Tree/Grid generator. The
calculated design area is shown.
Perform a Demand calculation with the calculated area and record the results. Now, you can
easily move the Remote area. Open the Properties dialog box.
Select the Remote area nodes with a window
In the X Coordinate cell enter @12. This will

move the sprinklers 12 feet to the right. Now
you can perform another calculation and
compare it with the first. To move the remote
area back to its original location, enter @-12.
Use this technique to quickly move your

remote area to any location.
154
Tutorial #9: Using Connect Nodes
Connect Nodes is a versatile command which may be used in a number of different ways. This
brief tutorial will show you how the command may be used. Open a new SprinkCalc file and
save it as Tutorial9.clc.
Start the Add Nodes (Multiple) command.
The Add node dialog box will appear.
Set up the dialog box as shown

here.
You are placing five nodes, ten feet

apart.
Press OK to insert the nodes. Turn

ON the node numbering for the
Graphic View.
The nodes should appear as shown

below.
Start the Connect Nodes command.
Set the pipe material to Brline, 1 Schedule 40.

Press OK.
155
Pick node 1 and then node 2.
The pipe will be inserted as shown above. You can press the Esc key now to exit the command
or you can continue to pick nodes. Try picking node 3, then node 4, and then node 5.
The 1 schedule 40 pipes will be inserted between all of the nodes picked. This is a quick way to
insert pipes that are the same size and schedule. Now, select all of these pipes with the
Select/Unselect Pipes button and delete them. You are now going to try a new method of
entry. Start the Connect Nodes command again and, with the same pipe material, pick nodes 3
and then 4.
If you now pick node 3, it will be the starting point for the next pipe. Pick node 3 and then node
2.
156
You can start at another node by clicking on the last node picked. Pick on node 2 and then pick
node 4 and then node 5.
A new pipe will be inserted between nodes 4 and 5.
You can figure out what position of the command you are in by observing the command at the
bottom of the Graphic View. Select First Node indicates that the program requires a start node
for a pipe. Select Second Node indicates that the program requires an end node for a pipe.
157
Tutorial #10: Installing Armovers and Return Bends
Open Tutorial #1 and save it as Tutorial #10.
With the Select Nodes button, select all of the Heads on the left side of the cross main.
You should end up with 17 selected

heads.
158
Select Add Armovers from the Edit pull down
menu or use the Add Armovers button.
The Armovers dialog box will appear.
Enter 2 in the Sprinkler Horizontal Offset cell and press

OK.
The armovers will be installed as

shown. If you open the
Properties dialog box and select
nodes on the armovers you will
find that the Heads are now at
the end of the armovers and the
nodes where the Heads were
previously are now Node types.
The attributes of the original
Heads are inherited by the
armover Heads.
If you want your armovers to

face the other direction, enter the
Sprinkler Horizontal Offset as a
negative value or use the Flip
button.
159
Next, select the eight sprinklers on the right side of the main.
You are going to install return

bends. Start the Add Armovers
command.
Enter the Sprinkler Horizontal Offset value as 1. This will give you a 1-0 armover in the other
direction. Enter the Sprinkler Vertical Offset value as 1.5 This will place your sprinkler 1-6
below the selected node. If this value is positive, the sprinkler will be placed above the selected
node. Enter an Armover RN/DN value of .33. This will give you a 0-4 riser pipe from the
selected node. Select your pipe specifications from the drop down lists. Press OK.
The return bends will be installed

as shown.
Now, you can go ahead and

calculate in the usual manner.
Note that the armover piping

becomes part of your system
topology and these pipes will
appear in your calculation
printouts. The armovers are NOT
handled as equivalent lengths by
the calculation engine.
160
Tutorial #11: Using Pathing
SprinkCalc has a useful pathing routine for sorting your Nodes and Pipes Views in preparation
for printing reports. This tutorial will introduce you to the Pathing command.
Open the project from Tutorial #1 and save it as Tutorial #11. Perform a Demand calculation
with a density of 0.3 and a coverage of 100 ft2 for all sprinklers. You should get a demand flow
of 931GPM at a pressure of 76 PSI.
When you print your results, the nodes and pipes will appear in the order that they are displayed
in the Nodes and Pipes Views. Tutorial #1 demonstrated simple drag and drop techniques for
changing this order. The Pathing command can also be used to organize your Views so that a
path from your operating sprinklers to your supply can be established easily.
Set up your Graphics View so that Node numbers and Pipe numbers are displayed. Also, make
sure that no pipes are selected in the Graphics or Pipes Views.
Open the Pathing dialog box with the Pathing button.
161
Position the Pathing dialog box so that you can also see the Graphics View.
Enter A in the Path Name cell

and press the Add button.
A 1 will appear in the #

column and Select will
appear in the Pipe column.
162
The 1 is the start of your path and you are being prompted to select the first pipe in your path.
In this example, H1 is the most remote head and pipe b1 will be the first pipe selected.
Your pipe and node numbers

may be different however select
this pipe regardless of what the
pipe number is. Select the pipe
number from the drop down list.
The Pathing command will

automatically select pipes in
order in a direction towards the
supply until a split in the pipes
occurs and a decision has to be
made.
163
Observing the Graphics View note that the Path has stopped at the top of the riser nipple.
Now you have the option of continuing

the path along the branch line to b17 or
down the riser nipple r1.
Select the riser nipple r1 from

the drop down list.
The path will continue down the riser nipple and along the cross main until the second branch
line is met. Here the path stops again because there is a split in the pipes and a decision has to
be made.
Select m2 to continue along the

cross main.
164
Continue to select the cross main pipes when branch lines are encountered.
When the last cross main has

been selected, the path will
automatically proceed to the
supply node because there are
no further splits in the pipe.
By pressing the Close button, the Pathing dialog box will close and leave the Pipes and Nodes
Views unchanged. By pressing the Close and Sort button, the Pipes and Nodes Views will be
sorted based on the order that you just established in the Pathing dialog box. For this example,
press the Close and Sort button.
Note that the Nodes and Pipes Views are now sorted according to the specified path.
165
It is quite probable that the heads and pipes in your path do not follow an incremental order
such as b1, b2, b3, etc. You can change to this now that your path and sorting has been
established.
From the Edit pull down menu select Node Numbers and then
Pipe Numbers. The node and pipe numbers will now be changed
to increment in a logical order as they are sorted in the Pipes and
Nodes Views.
Now, when you print your reports, you will get the pathing that you
just set up.
The Pathing dialog box has additional buttons for Adding, Renaming and Deleting Paths. You
can create several paths if you like.
if you make any changes to your

system such as removing pipes
or changing pipe and node
numbers, a previously created
Path will have the Status of
Invalid as shown here. If this is
the case, erase the path with the
Clear Path button and establish
it again. A valid Path will show
Ok in the Status column.
In the previous example the path

will become invalid because you
renamed the Nodes and Pipes
with the Node Numbers and
Pipe Numbers commands.
Use the End Path button to stop a Path before reaching the supply node. Use the Continue
button to continue a stopped path. The Pathing command can be used to easily sort large and
complex systems.
166
Tutorial #12: Using Simplify
You can use the Simplify command to quickly calculate systems that have multiple remote
areas. Start a new SprinkCalc file and name it simplify.clc.
With the Tree/Grid

generator create a tree
system with 10 branch
lines and 10 sprinklers
per branch line. The
proposed design area
will be 10,000 ft2 and
the square multiplier will
be 1.0. The spacing will
be 10-0 between
branch lines and 10-0
between sprinklers on
branch lines. Enter a
water supply of 60 PSI
static and 50 PSI
@1500 GPM residual.
Use the Layout

information displayed
here.
167
Set up the Materials window as shown here.
The K-Factor will be 5.6.

The branch line sizes
will be determined by
the OrdnStl schedule.
The cross main and
feeder main will be 4.
The riser nipples will be
2.
Use the Auto RA and

Build Ra buttons to
build the remote area.
Note, the 10,000 ft2
remote area
specification was used
so that all of the
sprinklers would be
selected here.
Insert the system into SprinkCalc.
168
You are now going to define the first remote area. Save As.. your file to the filename
simplify1.clc. Select the 12 Heads in the upper left as shown.
Select Simplify from the Edit pull down menu. The Warning
Dialog box will appear.
Note that the flowing heads must be selected as you have just
done. Press OK .
169
Any extra Nodes, Heads and pipes are removed from the system. The only Heads that remain
are the ones you selected before starting the Simplify command.
Now, you can calculate for this remote area. The node and pipe numbering will remain
unchanged after running the Simplify command. If you want, you can re-number them with the
Node Numbers and Pipe Numbers commands.
To calculate the second remote area, open the simply.clc file again, save it to another file name
such as simply2.clc. Select your flowing heads and run the Simplify command again.
170

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SprinkCalc Tutorials

July 24, 2002

1. The document may be used for informational purposes only.

ELECTRONIC END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

bevlyn consulting limited

TUTORIAL #1: CALCULATING A SIMPLE TREE WITH THE TREE/GRID COMMAND........ 5

TUTORIAL #5: ADDING A PUMP TO YOUR SYSTEM ................................................................ 128

TUTORIAL #7: USING DARCY-WEISBACH TO CALCULATE.................................................. 147

TUTORIAL #9: USING CONNECT NODES ..................................................................................... 155

TUTORIAL #10: INSTALLING ARMOVERS AND RETURN BENDS......................................... 158

TUTORIAL #11: USING PATHING ................................................................................................... 161

TUTORIAL #12: USING SIMPLIFY................................................................................................... 167

The Tutorial System

Starting a New File

Another way to start a new file is to press the New

When selected, the Save dialog box will appear.

The path: C:\Program Files\Tycofp\SprinkCalc\Projects\tutorial1.clc appears at the top of

Begin by setting the Defaults for your new system.

When SprinkCalc generates a system, values specified as defaults will

Setting the Piping Materials Defaults

SprinkCalc will use these default pipe

Set up the values as shown here. The

You have the option of sizing your

The OrdinStl dialog box shows a pipe

Setting the Fittings, Nodes and Pumps Defaults

The Tree/Grid Generator will automatically

From the drop down lists, select nTee and

Since this job is for an Extra Hazard

Setting the Fluid and the Model

With Hazen-Williams selected, the Fluid

If you were to select Darcy-Weisbach as

For now, select Hazen-Williams. Make

Another way to start the command is to use the

When selected, the Tree/Grid dialog box will appear.

When completed, press the Next button.

There will be no Far Main entries since this is not a grid.

Specify the Feed Main location as 6 branch lines

The image in the window will change

You may use the 3D Button to view your

The appearance of your system should be

When completed, press the

Using the Auto RA Button

The drawing will be redrawn with a dashed line as

The dialog box also shows the number of sprinklers in

Using the Select/Unselect Node Button

Use the Select/Unselect Node button to manually specify your

When selected, a hand symbol will appear.

Select and deselect nodes in the drawing until

This is the original remote area that SprinkCalc

Using the Build RA Button

Using the Select RA Button

Viewing the System

Using the Set View Buttons

Using the Zoom All Button

Using the Undo Zoom Button

Using the Font Scale Buttons

You can use the XYZ Icon in the upper left

Now that the system has been drawn and

Locating the Supply Node

Setting the View Settings

Use this dialog box

At this time, you

Viewing the Node Numbers

Select Node: Numbering from the View pull down menu.