Topics: 

•   History of Fire Sprinklers
•   Types of Sprinkler Systems
•   Types of Sprinkler Heads 
•   Future of Fire Sprinklers 
•   Facts about Sprinkler Systems

History of Fire Sprinklers:

History of Fire Sprinklers „ Officially developed and used by Henry Parmalee in 1874 to protect his piano factory „ Used clay and wood pipes with holes drilled into them „ A tank on the roof of the structure was drained during a fire and released the water into the pipes „ Winter was a problem, and making sure someone was watching at all times

Timeline:

Fire Sprinkler System Time Line: 1806 – John Carey designs a system of perforated pipes, plungers, and burning strings. 1812 – Colonel William Congreve designs perforated pipes with valves. 1875 – Parmelee invents the first modern sprinkler. It consists of shell and soldered brass cap. 1882 – Grinnell invents an improved sprinkler that can withstand higher pressures and distributes water more evenly. 1896 – N.F.P.A. is officially formed and publishes codes for automatic sprinkler installation.

Types of Sprinkler Systems:

• „ Wet Sprinkler System
• „ Dry Sprinkler System „
• Deluge Sprinkler System „
• Pre-Action Sprinkler System

Parts of a Sprinkler System:

• OS&Y- Outside Stem and Yoke „
• PIV- Post Indicator Valve
• Main Control Valve- Controls water for whole system
• Main Drain- Drains System „
• Inspector Test- Tests system „
• Alarms- Water flow or Air Alarms

Components of a Sprinkler System:

• Underground brings water from the City Mains to your building
• Water is then sent through a backflow
• All Systems usually require an FDC or Fire Department Connection to increase the water pressure during a fire
• Enters either the fire pump where it is pumped to a certain pressure, or is released into the Riser
• Risers “rise” vertically through the floors to feed the Branch Lines
• Branch Lines then extend off the Risers and Mains horizontally to bring water to all the sprinkler heads

Wet Systems:

• Water is in branch lines and at the sprinkler heads at all times „
• Wet Systems cannot be in areas that may freeze „
• Water pressure must be maintained at all times „
• Water Pumps are put in place to keep water pressure at a certain PSI „
• There is no delay in time that water is put on the fire „
• Require the least amount of maintenance

Dry Sprinkler System:

• Require Air Pressure instead of water in the Branch Lines
• The Air Pressure holds down a Clapper Valve, so that water cannot be introduced into the system, unless the air pressure is lost
• Used in areas that may freeze
• An air compressor keeps a constant pressure in the system
• When a Fire releases a sprinkler head, the air is released from the piping, and stops holding down the valve that was holding the water back, and water is released

• Standpipes are used in stairwells to have a water way established for hand lines
• These systems have a high maintenance cost, due to corrosion in the pipe with only air, and a little bit of water
• Might take up to 60 seconds to get water on the fire, depending on how big the system is

Deluge:

• Deluge Valves are used in special areas
• Sprinkler heads are open at all times
• Used in High Hazard areas
• Deluge Valve opens during a smoke or heat detection
•  Deluge systems are needed where high velocity suppression is necessary to prevent fire spread

Pre-Action Systems:

• Same as a Dry System
• Water is held back by an electronically operated valve
• Two things need to happen before water is released
• The detection system must identify that there is a problem with smoke or flame
• Water is then released into the piping
• Secondly the sprinkler heads must be activated and released to put water on the fire.

Types of Sprinkler Heads

•  Pendants
• Uprights
• Sidewalls
• Special Coverage

Fire Sprinkler Colours

•  135-170 degrees = Red
•  175-225 degrees = Green
•  250-300 degrees = Blue
• 325-375 degrees = Purple
• 400-650 degrees = BLACK

Upright Head:

• Sits on top of the piping
• Sprays water up towards the deflector
• Cannot be used as a pendant

Sidewall Head:

• Comes out of a wall to protect hallways or small rooms
• Has a fan shaped deflector
• Used in Hallways or special areas that are not big enough for regular heads

Types of Sprinkler Systems: 

• Residential- Just beginning to become popular
• Piping is made of a special CPVC plastic
• Industrial- Heavy amounts of fire load require many heads. ‹
• Piping is usually made of metal

Future of Fire Sprinklers:

• Home fire sprinklers are just beginning to be made more accessible
• Insurance rate cuts
• Better protection
• Aqua-Flex Heads are easier to install, and cuts back on labor costs More special area heads are being created and tested