When the area protected by a sprinkler system falls below 40°F, freeze protection is a requirement. Freeze protection prevents ice from developing and stopping the flow of water to the hazard, or fire area. By keeping the fire sprinkler system piping dry, the likelihood of ice blockage is eliminated. This type of sprinkler system needs to be tested and maintained in accordance with NFPA Standards. The continual maintenance includes operating control valves, performing an annual trip test to simulate operation, and low-points drained quarterly to rid the dry piping of condensation. To maintain this type of fire protection system, more technical and experiential knowledge is required.

Industrial water is typically a piping system to serve a variety of non-potable water use within a facility. You can install one backflow device on a dedicated industrial water system versus having multiple backflow prevention devices every time you want to connect to the potable water piping to supply water for a machine or processes. Industrial water backflow prevention devices have the same testing requirement as any other backflow prevention device. As with other systems that are using water, coordination needs to take place with building maintenance personnel to shut down an industrial water line for backflow prevention testing or repairs.

Special assets require special considerations. Preaction sprinkler systems allow for the protection of those special assets, like IT server rooms or special collections, with added protection against accidental activation. A preaction system accomplishes this level of protection by sensing a fire, the “pre,” prior to springing into “action.” The preaction system uses fire detection devices, like smoke or heat detectors, in conjunction with a releasing panel to activate the water supply to the fire sprinklers. This ensures that there is really a fire in the protected area before the water ever reaches the fire sprinkler itself. These systems need to be inspected quarterly and tested annually by qualified individuals who are familiar with both fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems. These systems are not your regular wet pipe fire sprinkler systems. They require experience and technical knowledge to test and maintain properly.

With a high hazard area, or highly-flammable area, you need water to be delivered fast! One would even call for a deluge; so the fire protection industry delivered. Deluge fire sprinkler systems flood the high hazard area with water quickly. A deluge fire sprinkler system can be configured to activate a number of ways, but the result is the same – the protected area gets covered in water quickly when the system is activated. These systems utilize open sprinklers so that as soon as the system senses a fire, water is released into the sprinkler piping and sprays out of the open (or unobstructed) sprinklers. The activation of this type of system creates a water curtain to prevent a fire from moving beyond the curtain. They are an effective, full-force fire protection system. Deluge fire sprinkler systems require quarterly inspections and annual testing and maintenance. They require more technical knowledge to test than your run-of-the-mill wet pipe fire sprinkler system.