How do you separate effective fire sprinklers from the rest? The simple logic is to actually test an installed sprinkler at specified cut-off temperature to check if it works, but then you’ll have a soiled carpet in the living room or a total mess of important office paperwork just to test one. It all boils down to ensuring a fire sprinkler works every time even years after it’s installed.
Spray sprinklers have a defect rate of one in 16 million for every year of service, which effectively means they are the most reliable form of fire protection systems available at the present time. However, every system is measured through practical ways and need specific care to function at optimum levels.
Depending on the type of installation, it is imperative to check fire sprinklers regularly. Basically, each fire sprinkler is installed with a seal that is sensitive to heat. A glass ball fire sprinkler is designed to work in commercial enterprises, and the seal breaks off at 70°C allowing a jet of water to sprinkle over affected areas. In areas where control valves are installed without electronic components, weekly inspection is recommended to check if seals are in open position. Most effective fire sprinklers specify specific methods of inspection that must be followed.
Large enterprises have dedicated personnel on hand to check fire sprinkler systems regularly as per specifications. It’s important to note each system has its own regulatory component dictating how economic a system is over the long term. It’s best to employ a contractor with many years of experience fulfilling norms specified by the local fire department as well as insurance company.
The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) has already initiated a strategy to contact landlords and owners of vulnerable domestic devices and commercial enterprises offering “think sprinkler” leaflets specifying benefits of fire sprinklers. A concerted effort is made to provide the best cost-effective systems.
With safety at stake, compromising on cost is usually not an issue, especially when you consider most fire systems are installed during the construction phase of a building. Cost of the entire fire protection system is considered within overall cost. Nevertheless, opting for a cost-effective system may eventually bring down running expenses while still affording a practical solution to fire protection.
A simple system device to sprinkle water over affected areas in case of fire is probably the best solution. Collective fire-safety components are effective only when fire spreads beyond a certain limit. Consider an isolated spot highly inflammable due to storage constraints within an office or home. Other areas may have negligible items likely to cause fire. It makes sense to provide the best system over the highly-inflammable area. In other words, a timely jet of water at protective cut-off temperature to a specific area is warranted.
Cost effectiveness is ensured by opting for better performance over areas requiring emergency responders while still following norms specified by regulatory bodies for other areas. Most buildings come pre-installed with effective fire sprinklers. Manufacturers design affordable sprinklers for small buildings and homes, while more sophisticated systems are set in place to serve large commercial outlets.
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