Quick Facts
1) How do sprinklers operate?
Automatic fire sprinklers are individually heat-activated and tied into a network of pressurized water piping. When the heat of a fire raises the sprinkler temperature to its operating point (usually 165ºF), a solder link will melt or a liquid-filled glass bulb will shatter to open that single sprinkler, releasing water directly over the source of the heat.
2) Why are sprinklers so effective?
Sprinklers operate automatically in the area of fire origin, preventing a fire from growing undetected to a dangerous size, while simultaneously sounding an alarm.
Automatic fire sprinklers keep fires small. The majority of fires in sprinklered buildings are handled by one or two sprinklers.
3) Who decides design and installation procedures for sprinkler systems?
Proper design and installation of sprinkler systems is standardized nationally in a consensus standard promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association - NFPA 13.
A basic premise of proper sprinkler protection is that sprinklers be installed throughout all building areas. Partial sprinkler protection is a game of chance, since a fire originating in an unsprinklered area can become large enough to overpower sprinklers in a protected area.
4) Can sprinklers discharge accidentally?
Loss records of Factory Mutual Research indicate that the probability of a standard response spray sprinkler discharging accidentally due to a manufacturing defect is only 1 in 16,000,000 sprinklers per year in service.
5) What about water damage?
The water damage resulting from fires extinguished by sprinklers is small when compared to the fire loss that occurs in unprotected buildings.
During a fire, only sprinklers closest to the fire activate, limiting the total amount of water needed. Fire department hoses discharge significantly more water and the fire damage, as reflected in insurance claims, is many times greater.
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