Total flooding CO2 systems are permitted to be installed in normally occupied enclosures.

Total flooding CO2 systems are permitted to be installed in normally occupied enclosures.

• A. Depends on enclosure size
• B. Only with special permits
• C. False
• D. True

Answer: (C)

Total flooding CO2 systems are designed to quickly fill a space with a high concentration of carbon dioxide to suppress a fire, but that same gas displaces oxygen and can cause asphyxiation for anyone inside the space. Because of this life-safety hazard, codes generally prohibit installing a total flooding CO2 system in spaces that are normally occupied. They are intended for unoccupied or restricted areas where occupants can be evacuated or prevented from entering during discharge, and where extensive warning, interlocks, and control features are in place to protect anyone who might be present. In occupied spaces, other extinguishing approaches, such as clean-agent systems or water-mist, are typically used instead. So the statement that total flooding CO2 systems are permitted in normally occupied enclosures is not correct.

Total flooding CO2 systems are designed to quickly fill a space with a high concentration of carbon dioxide to suppress a fire, but that same gas displaces oxygen and can cause asphyxiation for anyone inside the space. Because of this life-safety hazard, codes generally prohibit installing a total flooding CO2 system in spaces that are normally occupied. They are intended for unoccupied or restricted areas where occupants can be evacuated or prevented from entering during discharge, and where extensive warning, interlocks, and control features are in place to protect anyone who might be present. In occupied spaces, other extinguishing approaches, such as clean-agent systems or water-mist, are typically used instead. So the statement that total flooding CO2 systems are permitted in normally occupied enclosures is not correct.