When there is an obstruction against a wall, how should sprinklers be positioned?

• A. Sprinklers should be placed near the center of the room regardless of obstructions.
• B. Sprinklers should be positioned based on obstructions against the wall.
• C. Sprinklers should be placed only on ceilings.
• D. Obstructions do not affect sprinkler placement.

Answer: (B)

Sprinkler placement must account for any obstruction near a wall, because objects that press against the wall can shade or block the water spray. When there’s an obstruction, you position the sprinklers based on that obstruction so the discharge pattern still reaches the space beside or behind it and along the wall. This helps ensure complete coverage rather than sending water only into the open center of the room.

Centering sprinklers without considering the wall obstruction can leave areas near the wall unprotected, and netting that obstruction out of consideration is not accurate for level of protection. While ceiling placement is common, obstructions near walls change how the water travels and some configurations may require adjusting locations or using side-wall types to maintain coverage. So the correct approach is to position sprinklers with the obstruction in mind.