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Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems 101
Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems What You Need to Know
Commercial fire safety is a service industry, involved in many commercial, industrial, and manufacturing sectors. As you might imagine, our industry has developed its own jargon. If your involvement in this industry is limited, titles and acronyms might have little meaning. As a service, Fire Safe will define several major Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems services in enough detail to appreciate them.
Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems
Fire sprinklers use water to extinguish fires; by comparison, fire suppression systems use foam, dry chemicals, or gas to suppress fires. The purpose of both is to extinguish a fire as quickly as possible, saving both lives and property. Perhaps you have grown accustomed to noticing fire sprinkler heads in commercial buildings, such as restaurants, retail spaces, and office buildings. Let’s explore fire sprinklers.
Why use water?
A fire needs three conditions to start and stay lit: oxygen, fuel, and an ignition source. Water is very good at extinguishing the ignition source, cooling fuel, and separating the flame and oxygen at the base of the flame. Water is readily available and is a relatively cheap, renewable source for extinguishing fires.
Water can create significant damage and a big mess, so why is it a popular solution? Water is harmless around people! Fire sprinklers are primarily used in spaces occupied by people, people in large numbers, or people who cannot move quickly—in a hospital or nursing home, for instance. The resulting property damage is an acceptable risk for saving lives. Water can be delivered right to the heart of the fire before a fire department can arrive. In only ten minutes a fire can spread and grow extremely hot; ten minutes is a long time to evacuate people from a dangerous situation.
However, water is not a good solution for every fire. We will cover fire suppression systems next time.
Different types of Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems
Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems are installed in a variety of building applications in four major types.
- Deluge Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems. Deluge systems have a system of pipes to deliver water and all of the sprinkler heads are designed to remain open at all times. Sensors are placed at each sprinkler head to detect heat and/or smoke. When a flame breaks out and triggers a sensor, water is released into the entire system so that water is applied to every head at once—thus the term “deluge.” The Deluge Fire Sprinkler System is installed in spaces where, if an ignition happens, the fire is expected to spread quickly. An airplane hangar or gas station are examples where both fuel and people are present together.
- Dry-Pipe Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems. Dry-pipe systems include a system of pipes to deliver water and all of the sprinkler heads are designed to remain closed until activated. The pipe is empty or filled with compressed air until triggered by the presence of heat and/or smoke. The triggered sprinkler head opens and water pressurizes the entire pipe. Water is delivered quickly to the source of the heat. Further sprinkler heads are only opened when activated by heat or smoke. Sample applications for the Dry-Pipe Sprinkler Systems would be a warehouse or storage facility that experiences temperatures below freezing.
- Wet-Pipe Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems. Wet-Pipe systems include a system of pipes to deliver water and all of the sprinkler heads are designed to remain closed until activated. The pipe is filled with water so that when an individual head senses heat and/or smoke, water is delivered immediately to the source of the flame. Further sprinkler heads are only opened when activated by heat and/or smoke. This is the most common type of sprinkler system; it is the type of system found in most retail or office spaces.
- Pre-Action Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems. Pre-Action systems are Wet-Pipe systems with further safety precautions. It includes a system of pipes to deliver water and all of the sprinkler heads are designed to remain closed until activated. The pipe is filled with water so that when an individual head senses heat and/or smoke, water is delivered immediately to the source of the flame. However, a supplemental fire detection sensor must also detect heat or smoke before the sprinkler head is opened. This design is to limit the damage caused by accidental or malicious sprinkler head activation—as an example, many museums use this type of system.
Have questions about Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems?
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