Automatic Sprinkler Systems
51 articles in this category
Corrosion in Sprinkler Systems
Components of a Sprinkler: What Causes Corrosion? Wet and dry sprinkler systems consist of metal pipe, water and trapped or compressed air. Any environment that places oxygen, metal and untreated...
Automatic Sprinkler Protection for Refrigerated Warehouses
When considering fire protection for situations where temperatures are below freezing, automatic fire sprinklers provide the best fire protection advantages; but sprinkler systems use water, and...
Protecting Electrical Rooms Containing Grouped Power Cables.
During inspections of electrical rooms, property loss prevention engineers should determine how much of a presence there is of "grouped power cables." There are no clear definitions or criteria as to...
Managing Your ESFR Sprinkler System
Early Suppression Fast-Response (ESFR) sprinklers are now commonly referred to as Suppression Mode Sprinklers. This is due to the fact that they are designed to actually extinguish a fire rather than...
NFPA 25 vs. VdS CEA Guidelines for Sprinkler Systems
The standard commonly used in the United States for sprinkler system testing and maintenance is NFPA 25, "Standard for the Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection...
Engineering and Fire Testing Research versus Building Codes Requirements for Smoke and Heat Venting in Fully Sprinklered Warehouses
The fire protection engineering industry views smoke and heat venting in warehouse type occupancies as a waste of money and a hindrance to the performance of an automatic sprinkler system. Why do...
Maintaining Dry-Pipe Sprinkler Systems
The owner of the large glass plant couldn't remember the last time he tested the building's dry-pipe sprinkler system. The facility had been sitting idle for at least a year, and he had three other...
Pre-planning the Installation of a Fire Sprinkler System
One of changes in the 2002 Edition of NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems that often goes unnoticed or enforced is the requirement of a building owner or their authorized...
A Financial Incentive for Building Owners to Install an Automatic Sprinkler System
There are thousands of buildings in the United States that were built involving building codes that did not require automatic sprinkler protection. Most of them now have grandfather status and are...
A Closer Look at Suppression-Mode Upright Sprinklers
Our August 2003 article briefly described the different types of suppression-mode sprinklers. We'll now explain the reasons leading to the development of suppression -mode upright heads. When...
Another Look at Seismic Protection for Sprinklers
Determining the need for seismic protection for a sprinkler system and designing the protection used to be a straightforward task. The designer would look on an Earthquake Zone Map in NFPA 13 to see...
Sprinkler System Design Data
There was a time when hydraulic design of automatic sprinkler systems was unusual. The process was cumbersome and time consuming even for the simplest of pipe arrangements. Access to computers...