NFPA 22, Standard for Water Tanks for Private Fire Protection 2018

Help improve building safety and support dependable fire protection water supplies with NFPA 22, Standard for Water Tanks for Private Fire Protection.

NFPA 22 provides comprehensive requirements for the design, construction, installation, and maintenance of private fire protection water tanks and accessory equipment. The standard helps ensure that water-based fire protection systems remain reliable and ready for operation during emergencies.

The 2023 edition introduces extensive revisions intended to improve usability, streamline requirements, and modernize the standard in alignment with current engineering practices and referenced industry standards.

NFPA 22 is an essential resource for designers, engineers, contractors, installers, municipal leaders, insurance representatives, authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), and professionals responsible for fire protection planning and public fire safety.

Highlights

Significant revisions in this clarified and streamlined edition include:

• Removal of redundant sections to improve clarity and usability
• Revised provisions addressing external loads such as wind, snow, and live load requirements, incorporating recognized standards and updated design approaches
• Updated tank sizing requirements to ensure consideration of pump suction pressure during water tank design
• Amended water tank construction requirements aligned with newly referenced standards and recognized industry practices
• Additional valve requirements incorporated to improve maintainability
• New separation distance requirements for fill lines and suction pipes to help prevent fire pump cavitation
• Editorial corrections, including updated unit conversions where applicable
• References updated to the latest applicable codes and standards

Additional Technical Updates

• Chapter 5, Welded-Carbon Steel and Composite Concrete and Carbon Steel Gravity Tanks and Suction Tanks, was updated to retain only fire protection-specific requirements while removing duplicate provisions already covered in AWWA D100
• Chapter 6, Factory-Coated, Bolted Carbon Steel Tanks, was revised similarly by removing duplicate requirements from AWWA D103 and referencing the standard directly
• Chapter 14, Pipe Connections and Fittings, now includes clarified requirements for check valves in discharge piping for suction tanks and revised requirements mandating that tank repairs follow impairment procedures outlined in NFPA 25
• Chapter 16, Tank Heating, introduces new criteria for electric immersion heaters and replaces the previous lowest one-day mean temperature map with updated tank heating calculation methods