Frequently Asked Questions

How do the fire sprinklers operate?
Individual automatic sprinklers are spaced throughout the building at the ceiling level, and are connected to piping hidden within the ceiling. The piping contains water under pressure. In the event of a fire, one or more sprinklers that are nearest to the fire will sense the heat. The heat causes the melting of a fusible element or breaking of a glass heat sensitive bulb that will permit water to flow only from the sprinklers in the area of the fire. The sprinklers distribute water directly where it is needed to confine and control the fire. In the majority of fires, only one or two sprinklers are required to operate. Only the sprinkler closest to the fire will operate and the operation causes the automatic, simultaneously sounding alarm system to be activated.

How effective and reliable are the fire sprinklers?
Records of fires in buildings with supervised automatic fire sprinkler systems have indicated successful extinguishment or control in more that 99 percent of fire incidents. No other fire protection system or feature has a comparable record of reliability. Many fires have been extinguished or controlled by sprinklers, with little fire or water damage because the system combats the fire with precision. Premises not equipped with sprinklers suffer in the event of a fire because it may grow rapidly to major proportions before the hoses can be applied, and therefore, very large quantities of water are needed to extinguish it. Damage by both fire and water are thus likely to be catastrophic. Fires have been contained or extinguished with complete success in buildings equipped with a sprinkler system.

Does every sprinkler operate in a fire situation?
The sprinklers directly where the fire occurs will operate. Only the sprinkler closest to the fire will operate and the operation causes the automatic, simultaneously sounding alarm system to be activated.

How many sprinklers usually operate?
Most fires are extinguished or brought under control with one or two sprinkler heads. Therefore, the building structure can be saved for the price of replacing the carpet.

How do you know that the fire sprinkler system will work?
Every system is tailor made and designed in accordance with NFPA codes and regulations. With the benefit of history and new technology, we can be certain that the fire will be controlled by the installation. All of the materials used in the installation will be certified by Factory Mutual and/or Underwriter Listed as fit for sprinkler purposes. Every part of the system will be inspected and tested, so that if properly maintained, you can be rest assured that the system will always work when required.

What about water damage?
The likelihood of a sprinkler discharging water in the absence of a fire is very small. Each model of sprinkler is subjected to rigorous laboratory tests to guarantee long-term integrity, and every single sprinkler is hydrostatically tested at twice the maximum system water pressure prior to leaving the factory. Because sprinklers attack the fire while it is still small, the total amount of water needed for fire suppression is small, often less than 50 gallons per minute. If the fire is permitted to grow, the fire department will typically apply hundreds of gallons of water per minute during their operations. For this reason, total amounts of water used in sprinklered buildings approximate one-tenth the amounts used in fires in non-sprinklered buildings.

Are sprinkler systems expensive?
No, in fact sprinklers can often reduce the total cost of construction. Typically, sprinkler systems can be installed for about 1 percent of building cost, or less than $2 per square foot. If the decision to use sprinkler systems is made early enough in the planning process, sprinklers can actually reduce the total construction cost.

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