Back to Basics
"Back to Basics." It may be cliché, but with respect to property conservation, it could be the difference between a fire being controlled or one that completely destroys a building. When a fire...
ESFR vs. Conventional Sprinklers
ESFR (Early Suppression Fast Response) sprinkler systems are designed to achieve fire suppression for a specific type of storage occupancy before the fire becomes fully developed. ESFR heads vary...
Sprinkler Protection In High Rise Buildings
One of the largest fires in the history of New York City occurred on Superbowl Sunday, January 31, 1993. Fire broke out in a corporate high-rise office building located at 280 Park Avenue in...
Pressure Reducing Valves
In fire protection service, pressure reducing valves (PRV's) can be found on standpipes and automatic sprinkler systems in high-rise buildings, in pump houses, on public and private gravity water...
Ice Plugs
What Is An Ice Plug? When, Where, And Why Do They Form? Ice plugs can be a grave problem since they have the ability to seriously impair sprinkler system piping. Contrary to popular belief, ice...
1 in 16,000,000 Sprinklers Do What?
Automatic sprinkler protection is considered the single most effective tool in preventing loss and damage from fire. However some people still worry about the possibility of unexpected water...
Viking Introduces Industry's First Upright ESFR
The Viking Corporation, global manufacturer of fire protection systems, has introduced the industry's first 14K Early Suppression Fast Response (ESFR) Upright Sprinkler, company officials...
Earthquake Protection for Sprinkler Systems
It is important to remember that the building causes the strains on sprinkler piping during earthquakes. If sprinkler piping could be isolated from the building, earthquake strains could only enter...
Why Should You Test Your Fire Alarms?
The simple answer is "to make sure the alarms will work." How does anyone know whether the fire alarms will work when the emergency comes? They don’t, but with frequent testing of the alarms, there...
Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC)
In 1996 the NFPA began receiving inquiries about MIC. What is MIC? It is a corrosion problem characterized by pinhole leaks in metallic piping systems often after only a few years of service. MIC is...
Possible Sprinkler "O-Ring" Problems
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is currently investigating field reports that certain Central Sprinkler Co. Model GB automatic sprinklers may leak or even worse, not operate during a fire because...
Central Sprinkler's New K-25 ESFR Sprinkler
The Central Sprinkler Co. of Lansdale, PA has designed a new ESFR sprinkler head with pressure requirements of up to 60% less than its ESFR predecessors. The new Ultra K-25 ESFR sprinkler head has...