How Does A Fire Sprinkler System Works?

A fire sprinkler system is one of the most effective firefighting devices that is widely used both in residential and business zones. Although it’s often thought that fire sprinklers are triggered by small amount of smoke, that’s not the case in reality. These systems are actually activated by intense heat and one sprinkler head gets activated at a time. These are advanced firefighting devices that are designed in a way so that these can deal with fire using the minimum possible water. This helps save the users from any kind of costly water damage as well as fire damage.

What are the different types of fire sprinkler systems?

A fire sprinkler system is considered as an effective fire fighting system and there are two different types of sprinklers. Wet sprinkler systems are mostly used in commercial buildings. These are composed of sturdy pipes that are made of steel. The water in these pipes are kept under pressure and it gets instantly released when the sprinkler head gets triggered. These systems are quite reliable and simple to use and these have low maintenance system.

Another type of fire sprinkler system is dry sprinkler system. These types of sprinklers are filled with compressed air, instead of water. Once the head of the sprinkler opens, a valve gets opened and the compressed air gets released through the sprinkler head. Once the entire air is released, the pressure within the pipe gets changed and this allows the pipes to get filled with water. As it takes around a minute for the pipes to get filled with water, the dry sprinklers release a considerable amount of water that is highly pressurized. Although there are less chances of floods due to a leak in these systems, dry sprinklers are quite complicated and costly to maintain. These systems are usually used in unheated warehouses.

How does a fire sprinkler system work?

It’s of great importance to know the functioning process of a fire sprinkler system in order to make it run smoothly.

·         When a fire occurs, the air around it gets heated and redirected towards the ceiling. The heat gets spread across the ceiling and meets the sprinkler heads. This triggers the sprinkler to turn on.

·         In order to get turned on, the head of a fire sprinkler must be able to detect a specific temperature. Usually, this temperature is around fifty seven to seventy four Celsius.

·         Sprinkler heads are equipped with glass cylinders that are filled with a glycerine liquid. When heated to the correct temperature, the glycerine liquid gets expanded.

·         After that the glass breaks when the sprinkler head is activated.

·         The head of the fire sprinkler is attached to a huge network of pipes that are placed either in the ceiling or behind the walls. After the sprinkler head is activated, the valve that remains connected to the pipes, opens up and releases the water in a downward direction.

·         Finally, the water spray extinguishes the fire and prevents it from getting spread in other parts of the building.

This is How A Fire Sprinkler System Works.

(Article Source: https://nationalfirearmour.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/fire-sprinkler-system-what-do-you-need-to-know-about-it/ )