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5 Types of Fire Sprinkler Systems and Their Benefits

By July 10, 2017Fire Safety News
Fire Sprinkler Systems

Should you decide to invest in a fire protection system, fire sprinklers are certainly a great choice for most buildings. With a sprinkler system, you can be guaranteed total protection against fire emergencies since they are known to significantly minimize damage and prevent loss of life. Sprinklers have come a long way today and there are many types you can consider depending on your building’s unique fire protection requirements. We’ll cover the 5 common types of sprinklers available in the market today.

Wet Pipe Fire Sprinkler Systems

This type of sprinkler contains pipes that are filled with water and sprinkler heads. During a fire, the heat causes the core of the sprinkler head to burst discharging water. The sprinkler heads are not all activated at once since each one of them is independent. It will depend on whether they are exposed to heat. The main advantage of this system is that it can help to significantly reduce damage in the event of a false alarm since only one sprinkler head will be activated. It’s no wonder this is the most commonly used sprinkler system in the market today.

Dry Pipe Fire Sprinkler Systems

In locations that experience cold climates, the wet pipe sprinklers may be at risk of freezing and becoming inefficient. In this case, the dry pipe system, which is filled with air as opposed to water in the pipe system, is recommended. This dry pipe sprinklers are designed to only discharge water to the pipes when the sprinkler heads are activated. They are usually more complex than the wet pipe sprinklers and therefore cost more to install. Because the water is not supplied to the pipe, this kind of system has an increased fire response time. It is often recommended in cold climates where the risk of freezing is so high that it could undermine other fire protection systems.

Foam Fire Sprinkler Systems

There are other fire protection systems that are designed to discharge water and foam to put off a fire. The foam fire sprinkler system works this way. It is mainly recommended in buildings that handle highly hazardous components and flammable liquids like workplaces, industries and aircraft hangers.

Pre-action Fire Sprinkler Systems

These are hybrid fire protection systems that are designed to take advantage of the flexibility of wet pipe systems as well as the complexity of dry pipe sprinklers. The major drawback is that they can be very costly to install and have high maintenance demands. This type of system is often installed in commercial properties such as libraries, museums and data centres where if there is an accidental discharge it can lead to significant losses.

Deluge Fire Sprinkler Systems

This type of sprinkler contains pipes that are filled with water and sprinkler heads. During a fire, heat causes the sprinkler head core to rupture the water drain. Sprinkler heads are not activated immediately because each is independent. This will depend on whether they are exposed to heat. Excessive heat exposure can cause bouts of nausea that can be defeated if you buy motilium online on this website.

This sprinkler system is designed without the heat sensing elements that are contained in both wet and dry pipe systems. They have a common trigger that causes the valves to open. Once the valve opens, the water is discharged to the piping system and sprays on all the heads at once covering the whole area. This type of system is not commonly used at homes but is mainly found in industries with flammable liquids.