Friday, August 22, 2014

Fire Sprinkler Systems: Myths vs. Facts



As a company that installs fire sprinkler systems in Duluth, we often hear myths and half-truths about fire sprinkler systems. For example, a lot of people think that fire sprinklers are triggered by smoke and that when one sprinkler head goes off, the entire system will go off. We want to put some of these myths to rest, so here are a few of the myths we hear the most.

Is water damage from fire sprinkler systems worse than fire damage?

No. We understand that it seems to make more sense that a flood of water would cause as much, if not more, damage than a fire, but this is simply not true. Most of the fire sprinkler systems on the market today release about 8 to 24 gallons of water a minute, depending on the system. This is enough to put out most fires pretty quickly. Think about it: if a fire rages on unabated, this could definitely cause a lot of damage. But if there is some water coming down from the sprinklers and can put the fire out quickly, that will mitigate a lot of the damage overall.

Are fire sprinkler systems triggered by smoke?

No. Fire sprinkler systems are triggered by heat, not smoke. Burning toast in the kitchen will not trigger your fire sprinkler system. These systems need a set amount of heat to go off. This is what is known as the “sprinkler trigger point.” These trigger points vary depending on the system.

Will every sprinkler head go off at the same time when a fire breaks out?
Sprinkler heads are individually activated by the heat from a fire. And most fires can be controlled by only one or two sprinkler heads. So just because a fire breaks out in the kitchen, that will not trigger the sprinkler heads on the other side of the building (unless the sprinkler trigger point is also hit for those sprinkler heads). 

For more information on fire sprinkler systems in Duluth, call Brothers Fire Protection at 1-800-607-2767 or contact us to Request a Quote.

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