Sprinkler systems are among the most useful tools in your inventory of firefighting gear. The current techniques have been demonstrated to decrease mortality and property damage by more than 65 percent. As a result, fire sprinklers are unquestionably something you want in your commercial building! But how do fire sprinklers function? We explain how commercial fire sprinklers may save your business from major harm.
Step 1: Heat Detection via Fire Sprinklers
Contrary to common perception, smoke does not activate fire sprinklers. Because heat is transported upward with smoke from a fire, this is a simple error to make. However, if smoke was the cause, merely burning your toast in the office kitchen may be enough to flood the room with water from a fire sprinkler head.
Fire sprinklers function because high temperatures activate the sprinkler system. When a fire starts, the air just above it warms up quickly. This heated air rises to the ceiling and spreads. When hot enough air hits a sprinkler head, it sets off a chain reaction.
The majority of sprinkler heads have a glass bulb filled with a glycerin-based liquid. When this liquid comes into contact with air that has been heated to between 135 and 165 degrees, it expands. When the liquid swells, it shatters the glass boundaries and triggers the sprinkler head.
Step 2: Fire Sprinklers Extinguish the Flames
Each sprinkler head is connected to a conduit that leads to a dependable water supply located outside the structure. When a sprinkler head is activated by heat, a valve opens, enabling pressurized water from the pipe system to flow out. It is critical that the water in a fire sprinkler system be pressured. This permits the water to spray outward in an arc, thereby extinguishing the fire and preventing it from rekindling.
Step 3: Fire Sprinklers Help to Reduce Water Damage
Sprinkler systems are shown in movies in a deceptive manner, leading many people to assume a misconception that all sprinklers in a system are linked together and that when one is activated by heat, they all activate. If this were the case, extinguishing a fire would just be exchanging fire damage for water damage, which is not how fire sprinklers function.
Fortunately, sprinkler heads operate independently. Most flames may be totally extinguished when only one or two sprinklers are activated. Water damage is thus limited to the tiny area where the fire began. Furthermore, because fire sprinklers use roughly six times less water than a fire hose to extinguish a fire, their fast action is actually less harmful to your property than a visit from the fire department.
Commercial Fire Sprinkler Installation, Maintenance & Inspection in Calgary, Alberta
Contact Gunner Fire Protection immediately if you need fire sprinklers installed, tested, inspected, or repaired. As an experienced Calgary fire protection company with over 12 years of experience maintaining fire sprinklers, you can rely on our skilled staff to bring your building up to code and make it fire-safe.