I've recently been looking at getting overhead storage racks for my garage which has several standard pendant sprinklers. The racks I am looking at are 4' x 8' and have rigid brackets, vertical posts, horizontal beams and crosshatched wire base. I asked the local installer what the distance requirements are so I can measure and calculate how many racks I would be able to install.
I received a response stating that all I need is 5" horizontal clearance from each rack to each sprinkler. Is this correct? The reason I ask is that esta resposta regarding light fixture distance from fire sprinklers has a distinctly different answer.
The answer from JayL contains the following:
The residential code says pendant sprinklers must be at least 3 ft from obstructions such as ceiling fans and lights (as measured from their centers)
Does the above apply to storage racks as well? Are they getting by with a technicality where it's within code as long as you don't put anything on the racks, but as soon as you put a storage bin up there it becomes an obstruction and out of code?
Edit: For clarity's sake, the brackets for these racks are mounted to the roof ceiling joists and the vertical posts hang down from the brackets.