AuthorWhat’s the maximum temperature for fire sprinklers? This range varies depending on the type of installation, the purpose of the protected space, and the average room temperature. The color of the liquid inside the sprinkler bulb will indicate the temperature. Once the temperature is reached, the water will start to discharge.
High temperatures
If your building is located in a high temperatures climate, you should consider installing higher temperature-rated fire sprinklers. Fire sprinklers usually trigger when temperatures reach 63 degrees Celsius, although sensitivity can be increased. In addition, you should avoid heating devices near the sprinklers, and you should make any necessary adjustments if you have a new source of heat in the building. Finally, most sprinkler installations use a wet pipe system, and even small portions of it can freeze and ice up when the temperature gets extremely high.
Some people think that all sprinkler heads activate when a fire is detected. However, this is not the case. Only one sprinkler head will activate, and it is only the one experiencing high temperatures that will set off the alarm. This helps reduce water damage and saves valuable time, as a sprinkler only needs about six times less water than a fire hose. If you have a small house, you can contact fire sprinkler companies NYC to install just one or two sprinklers to contain the fire until fire department personnel arrive. Depending on the size of your home, you could even use a combination of sprinklers to stop a fire altogether.
Colors of sprinklers
Fire sprinklers go off at specific temperatures based on the type and color of glass bulbs. ESFR refers to a concept and type of sprinkler. It was developed to reduce the time required for fire crews to reach a building with high rack storage. Heat activates it so that a fast response can be an advantage.
While fire sprinklers are designed to protect a structure, the right color is not always the best choice. Depending on the temperature, a fire sprinkler bulb should be chosen carefully to fit the interior of the building. It is essential to know which color is appropriate for the building’s ceiling. Ceilings in industrial facilities may reach temperatures well above the recommended minimum. Because of the differing temperatures of different building types, fire sprinklers are often equipped with a color-coded system that indicates which temperature to activate.
Triggering by heat
One common misconception about fire sprinklers is that they only work when triggered by the fire itself. In reality, the sprinklers will only activate when the heat of fire hits the bulb. Heat can also be deliberately started in some cases, though this triggering type is rare. Residential sprinkler systems are typically triggered when the temperature reaches around 56°C, while larger warehouses need 63°C to activate them.
In residential buildings, automatic sprinklers activate when they sense heat, so they are helpful for situations when smoke doesn’t yet exist. They work well as early-warning systems, which alert occupants of an impending fire. Even though smoke can trigger these systems, they cannot differentiate between fire and common heat sources. Installing them too close to stoves, ovens, and cooking equipment can result in accidental activation.
Speed of water discharge
The speed of water discharge when fire sprinklers go on is calculated by multiplying the flow rate of the fire sprinkler system by the discharge coefficient. The discharge rate is around 3.87 gallons per minute in an average system. In contrast, the water discharge rate of fire sprinklers in a typical industrial manufacturing facility is only about 20-40 US gallons per minute. Therefore, depending on the sprinkler model, the speed of water discharge can be up to 380 liters per minute.
In many cases, the faster water is discharged, the better. This is because the more water it has to travel, the longer the time it takes to suppress the fire. As a result, the water can freeze up to 10 percent of its original volume. This expansion process puts immense pressure on pipes and sprinkler heads, causing them to crack or burst. Fire sprinkles that are damaged are more likely to leak or cause flooding.