Automatic Sprinkler Systems
51 articles in this category
Flue Spaces in Racks - NFPA 13 vs. FM Global Data Sheet 8-9
Flue spaces are necessary for rack storage arrangements to allow heat from a fire to quickly vent vertically. This is critical in order to help ensure the ceiling-level sprinklers will operate as...
Sprinkler Heads Technology & Terminology
In times gone by, sprinkler heads came in basic flavors, with a few relatively limited options and permutations available: 1/2 inch orifice, 17/32 inch orifice, low, medium, or high...
NFPA 25 - Highlights
Many jurisdictions have adopted NFPA 25, Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, to help ensure that sprinkler systems are properly inspected and maintained. Many...
Antifreeze and Dry Pendent Sprinkler Protection
If the temperature can or will be below 40┬░F, the sprinkler piping or heads need to be protected against freezing. There are several methods of automatic sprinkler protection that should be...
Variable-Speed Fire Pumps
Booster pumps are often needed to boost the pressure of the city water supply to make it adequate for sprinkler system designs. However, an unintended result could be obtaining pressures that are too...
SPRINKLER PROTECTION IN NON-STORAGE OCCUPANCIES
FM Global Data Sheet 3-26, Fire Protection Water Demand for Nonstorage Sprinklered Properties, is used to determine sprinkler system designs and hose demands for non-storage occupancies, which are...
Automatic Sprinklers, Heat/Smoke Vents and Draft Curtains
Our previous articles in October 2004 and August 2006 touched on the subject of the need for heat and smoke vents in fully sprinklered facilities. We wrote about engineering and fire testing...
Automatic Sprinklers and High-Volume Low Speed Fans - What to Do?
HVLS fans were originally used in Australia in the dairy industry to help keep humidity low for the cattle. When the original design was introduced in Australia, it was mandatory for the HVLS fans to...
Automatic Sprinklers In Buildings
One of the most effective fire protection elements in buildings is automatic sprinklers. When sprinklers cover an area of fire origin, they operate in 95% of all reported structure fires that are...
Sprinklers are Installed in Colleges for 20 year old Students. Why not for 6-year-old children in Kindergarten?
Several years ago a college student set fire to a dormitory at Seton Hall University located in Newark, NJ. The fire tragically killed several students. Automatic sprinkler protection was not...
Changes to the 2010 edition of NFPA 13, Standard of the Installation of Sprinkler Systems
NFPA 13 is the most important standard for the design of automatic sprinkler systems. Fire protection engineers use this detailed standard to determine the design of an automatic sprinkler system....
Suppression Mode Sprinklers (Updated)
Our technical articles, ESFR Sprinkler Summary and Managing Your ESFR Sprinkler System, detailed the history of Early Suppression, Fast-Response (ESFR) sprinklers, provided some installation details...