How Sprinklers Work 1 download leaflet
Click
the picture above
to see an animation of how sprinklers work.
-
Fire Sprinklers are simple devices that are individually operated directly by the heat from a fire - as is shown in the diagram below.
-
When a fire starts a plume of hot gases rise to the ceiling. If a sprinkler is present, a glass bulb or solder link gets hot and at a specific temperature (typically 68°C) breaks releasing a cap and allowing water to flow onto a specially designed diffuser.
-
The diffuser breaks up the water flow into carefully controlled droplets, which penetrate the fire plume and cool the burning material below its ignition point, thus putting out the fire.
-
Only sprinkler/s directly over the fire are operated.
-
The sprinklers are connected to pipework, usually filled with water, which is supplied either from the water mains or from a storage tank via a pump.
-
When a sprinkler operates the flow of water in the pipework operates a flow switch, which in turn operates an alarm system.
-
The flow of water is small, usually less than 1/100th the water used by the Fire Brigade.
-
Sprinklers do not go off accidentally and are only triggered by real fires.
-
Sprinklers are very reliable and only 1:16,000,000 exhibit any form of manufacturing defect.