Plan Review Deficiencies for an Assisted-Living Facility
A plan reviewer receives a submittal for a 4-story, 80,000 ft² assisted-living facility. The cover sheet lists NFPA 72 2019 and the 2021 IFC. The device layout shows smoke detectors at 35 ft spacing on a 10 ft smooth ceiling, horn/strobes at 15 ft above finished floor with 75 cd, and a NAC using 18 AWG at 300 ft with 20 devices at 0.08 A each. The battery calculation shows 24 h standby at 0.25 A and 5 min alarm at 1.1 A using two 7 Ah batteries in series, but no 80% derate. The remote power supply is 4 A with a 3.2 A alarm load. The submittal lacks voltage-drop calculations, a record of completion form, and elevation drawings.
1. Identify the plan-review deficiencies in the device layout and power calculations.
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The smoke detector spacing of 35 ft on a 10 ft smooth ceiling exceeds the 30 ft maximum spacing for smooth ceilings; the layout must be reduced to 30 ft or less and checked against walls and beams. The 75 cd appliances at 15 ft may be acceptable only if the coverage calculation supports the room size and corridor spacing; the submittal must show the candela selection basis. The NAC calculation is deficient: 20 × 0.08 A = 1.6 A. With 18 AWG at a 300 ft one-way run, loop resistance is about 600 × 6.385 / 1,000 = 3.83 Ω, so drop is about 6.1 V, leaving about 14.3 V at low battery, below the 16 V minimum. The 7 Ah batteries in series provide only 7 Ah, and the required capacity is (0.25 × 24) + (1.1 × 5/60) = 6.09 Ah; with the 80% derate the requirement is 7.61 Ah, so the batteries fail. The 3.2 A remote power supply load is exactly 80% of 4 A, leaving no margin for additions.
2. What corrections and additional documents should the reviewer require before approval?
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Require a revised layout with smoke detectors at no more than 30 ft spacing and a candela coverage plan for each area. Require a complete battery calculation with the 80% derate and a battery size of at least 7.61 Ah, using the next listed size. Require a voltage-drop calculation for every NAC and remote power supply circuit; the 18 AWG circuit must be increased in size, shortened, or split so the end-of-line voltage stays within the appliance listing at low battery. Require the remote power supply load to be reduced or the supply upsized so it is below 80% with spare capacity. Add the record of completion, elevation drawings, device schedules, and sequence of operations. The reviewer should issue a written deficiency notice and require a complete resubmittal rather than approving by exception.
3. How should the reviewer handle the missing record of completion and elevation drawings?
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The record of completion is required documentation, not an optional attachment. Without it, the reviewer cannot confirm the system category, supervising station connection, device inventory, or owner training responsibilities. Elevation drawings are needed to verify mounting heights, appliance locations, and access for testing. The reviewer should mark the submittal incomplete and list these items as mandatory corrections. The applicant can submit a draft record of completion with the permit set and finalize it at acceptance testing, but the form and all required signatures must be accounted for. Approval should be withheld until the documents are provided, because missing documentation often correlates with incomplete installation and testing.