Elevator Sprinkler Requirements: Shaft, Pit and Machine Room

Elevator shafts and machine rooms are among the most debated spaces in sprinkler design. On one side, NFPA 13 says "sprinklers everywhere"; on the other, elevator manufacturers say "water hitting the control panel will destroy the system." The solution lies in combining two standards: NFPA 13 defines the sprinkler requirement; ASME A17.1 defines shunt trip and automatic recall mechanisms. This article explains the correct approach from both NFPA and electrical engineering perspectives.

Why Sprinklers in Elevators?

Elevator shafts are chimneys that carry smoke to the building's upper floors. Elevator cables alone, oil accumulation at the shaft bottom, and electronic components in the machine room create fire risk. A shaft + machine room without sprinklers = the building's vertical smoke path.

What Does NFPA 13 Say?

NFPA 13-2025 covers elevator sprinklers in 9.2.14 (where they are not required) and 9.3.6 (where they are required), in three separate locations:

1. Pit

The lowest point of the elevator shaft. Not required: NFPA 13-2025 does not require sprinklers in elevator pits (9.2.14.2). The old pit-sprinkler rule of earlier editions is gone; keeping the pit free of oil and combustible debris is a maintenance matter.

2. Hoistway (Along the Shaft)

Not required (in most cases). Most of the hoistway omissions were added in the 2025 edition (Origin and Development, p. 13-4). In the 2025 edition, top-of-hoistway sprinklers are not required when the hoistway is dedicated to elevator equipment, separated by assemblies with the fire rating required by the building code, free of unrelated storage and the elevator is not hydraulic (9.2.14.3); for hydraulic elevators (9.2.14.4.2); where the suspension means is noncombustible or passes the UL 2556 vertical burn test (9.2.14.5); or where the hoistway is noncombustible/limited-combustible and the car meets ASME A17.1 (9.2.14.6). Otherwise, with combustible suspension means, sprinklers go at the top of the hoistway (9.3.6.1).

3. Machine Room

Conditional: Sprinklers are required where the machine room contains combustible hydraulic fluid (9.3.6.2). For non-hydraulic elevators they may be omitted when the room is dedicated to elevator equipment, fire-separated and free of unrelated storage (9.2.14.3), and also where noncombustible hydraulic fluid is used (9.2.14.4.1). Where provided, use standard-response spray sprinklers (9.3.6.3). ASME A17.1 requires elevator power to be cut when these sprinklers activate.

Shunt Trip: Critical Integration

If power isn't cut the moment a sprinkler activates and water reaches the machine room, the risk becomes electrocution rather than fire. Solution:

• Shunt trip breaker: Heat detector next to the sprinkler. Before water flows, the detector senses, and the main electrical panel opens automatically (shunt trip).
• Automatic recall: When an elevator lobby, hoistway or machine room smoke detector activates (NFPA 72-2022, 21.3.3.1), the elevator automatically descends to a designated floor (usually the entry level), doors open, and it's taken out of service. ASME A17.1 Phase I Recall.
• Phase II (Firefighter Control): Arriving firefighters reactivate the elevator with an access key for search / rescue use.

Status in Turkey

BYKHY Articles 62-63 and TS EN 81-72 regulate elevator fire safety in Turkey. On the sprinkler side, BYKHY Article 96(3) states that sprinklers may be omitted from the elevator shaft, as from fire-separated escape stair enclosures. Critical points:

• BYKHY Article 63(2) requires at least one elevator to be arranged as an emergency (firefighter) elevator in buildings with a structure height above 51.50 m; Article 62(2) requires the shaft and machine room to be at least 60-minute fire resistant and non-combustible, and Article 62(5)(a) requires elevators in high-rise and public buildings to return automatically to the exit floor on a fire alarm
• TS EN 81-72 defines firefighter elevator specs (60-min fire rating, pilot control, generator-fed)
• Machine room sprinklers and shunt trip are frequently skipped in Turkey — because elevator companies don't want them

Four Common Mistakes

1. No sprinkler in machine room: "Elevator company said no" leads to no sprinkler at all. Where the room does not meet the 9.2.14.3 conditions or contains combustible hydraulic fluid (9.3.6.2), this is an NFPA 13 violation.
2. Machine room sprinkler without shunt trip: Reverse problem — sprinkler activation leaves electrical system submerged.
3. No Phase I Recall testing: NFPA 72-2022 only requires annual testing of the interface device (relay) that triggers recall (Table 14.4.3.2, item 24); testing of the Phase I and Phase II functions themselves is outside the scope of NFPA 72 (A.14.4.3.2). Rarely performed in Turkey.
4. Forgetting the hydraulic elevator machine room: Hydraulic systems have oil reservoirs presenting additional fire risk. NFPA 13-2025 therefore requires sprinklers in machine rooms with combustible hydraulic fluid (9.3.6.2); it does not require them in pits (9.2.14.2).

Firefighter Elevator Special Rules

Under BYKHY Article 63(2), Turkey requires at least one elevator to be an emergency ("firefighter") elevator in buildings with a structure height above 51.50 m. BYKHY requires a car area of at least 1.8 m², travel from ground to top floor within 1 minute and an emergency generator that starts automatically and keeps it running for 60 minutes (Article 63(4)), wiring with at least 60-minute fire resistance (Article 63(5)), a 6-10 m² fire safety lobby in front of it on every floor (Article 63(3)), and a separate machine room with a pressurised shaft (Article 63(6)). Features:

• Housed in a shaft with at least 60-minute fire rating
• Pilot control key operated by fire department
• Generator-fed (operates even if main power fails)
• Fire-resistant, smoke-tight landing doors (BYKHY Article 62(7))
• Two-way radio / intercom in the cabin

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Conclusion

Elevator sprinklers sit at the intersection of sprinkler + electrical + elevator mechanics. Three disciplines must work together: (1) NFPA 13 defines where sprinklers are required, (2) ASME A17.1 requires shunt trip and recall to protect elevator logic, (3) building management must regularly perform Phase I testing. In projects where this trio is incomplete, the problem isn't noticed until the day of the fire.