How Does a Fire Sprinkler System Work?

How does a fire sprinkler system actually work? Fire Sprinklers are an essential apparatus for protection against fire damage, be it property or people. Fire sprinkler systems are usually present in commercial, industrial, and residential spaces. The probability of a fire starting in such places is always high due to several reasons, such as electrical wiring and heating appliances.

Other major reasons for fires in households are accidents, such as leaving the stove unattended. Overall, a fire sprinkler system ensures safety from fire hazards. By protecting workers from severe injuries, it helps companies avoid lawsuits. Moreover, it protects your family or tenants from injury while preventing damage to their possessions.

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Despite various benefits, a few misconceptions reduce people’s trust in sprinkler systems. These minute yet, misleading misconceptions are as below.

Fire System Misconceptions

Smoking a cigarette will trigger fire sprinklers
Smoke detectors trigger fire sprinklers
Immense water damage is the consequence of using a fire sprinkler system
All the fire sprinkler heads activate when one triggers the alarm
Automatic shutdown of fire sprinkler system occurs after extinguishing the fire

It’s time to address these misconceptions. Read on to learn how a fire sprinkler system works in real life.

Heat-Detection and Activation

Contrary to popular belief, smoke is not what causes a room’s temperature to rise, and trigger the fire sprinkler system. Hence, preparing toast in the kitchen or smoking in the living room won’t trigger the fire sprinkler system.

Sprinkler heads normally contain a glass bulb with a glycerin-based solution. This solution expands and bursts on exposure to certain ranges of temperature. When a fire ignites and is not controlled or extinguished, the fire starts to spread. The blaze heats up the air, and as the hot air rises above, it comes in contact with the ceiling, where it continues to spread.

This contact with heat bursts the glass bulb, triggering the fire sprinkler(s). The head of the fire sprinkler, which detects heat, douses the fire. A pipe, leading to the water source, releases a pressurized discharge as the trigger of the fire system opens the valve attached to the pipes.

How Does a Fire Sprinkler System Work

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Fire sprinkler systems may connect with pipes that already contain water or have a connection to the main water supply. Similarly, an electronic device may control the valve or there may be a manual switch to turn the fire sprinklers on and off.

With pressure in the water flow, water dispersion is wide. Hence, sprinklers utilize a greater range to douse the fire.

After Dousing Fire

You can control fire sprinkler systems via fire alarms, switches, and the valves. Contrary to popular belief, you have to manually shutdown the fire sprinkler system after the fire is completely out. Thus, another misconception cleared. Similarly, these gadgets also allow you to stop fire sprinklers before your property faces excessive water damage.

A generic misconception among people regarding fire sprinkler systems is that all sprinkler heads start discharging water, even if only one head triggers the fire alarm. This is definitely not the case if you have the latest fire sprinkler system. That is, unless you opt for the “deluge” fire sprinkler system, which releases water through all the sprinkler heads when a single fire alarm goes off.

Maintenance, Repair, and Testing of Fire Sprinkler Systems

Regular inspections are a vital part of the fire safety system. Inspections of the gauges, gadgets (manual switches), pipes, bracings, valves, and electronic devices take place on quarterly and even monthly basis.

Repairing any faults or errors in the fire sprinkler system can compensate for any potential losses in the future. Therefore, inspections and maintenance are necessary to employ a fire safety system to its full extent.