A fire sprinkler system is made up of a series of piping and a number of fire sprinklers connected to a water supply. The sprinklers are located throughout the entire ceiling of a building. The location of each sprinkler is determined by a design that is calculated for each specific hazard area. A sprinkler or sprinklers are activated by heat from any unwanted fire allowing water to flow and either control or extinguish the fire.

2) How do sprinklers operate?

Automatic fire sprinklers are individually heat activated and have a constant supply of water under pressure. When the sprinkler reaches its operating temperature (usually 160 degrees), a solder link will melt or a liquid-filled glass bulb will shatter releasing water directly over the heat source.

3) If one sprinkler goes off, will they all?

Only the sprinkler closest to the heat source will activate. Sprinklers react to temperatures in each area individually. So, fire in a kitchen will activate only the sprinkler(s) in that room.

4) Will sprinklers activate accidentally?

Sprinkler systems are specifically designed for each building and hydrostatically tested at 200psi for a duration of two hours. (Normal pressure at a home is about 65 psi). There is very little chance that a sprinkler would accidentally leak or activate without being tampered with or accidentally damaged.

5) If I have smoke detectors why would I want a sprinkler system?

Smoke detectors will save lives by providing a much-needed warning; but can do nothing to extinguish a growing fire. Too often, battery-operated smoke detectors fail to function because the batteries are dead or have been removed. Smoke detectors combined with a fire sprinkler system will reduce the chance of loss of life by 98.5%, compared to smoke detectors alone at 48.5%.