Fire Sprinklers
Automatic fire sprinklers represent one of the single, most significant aspects of a fire management program.
Professionally designed, installed, and maintained, these systems can overcome deficiencies in risk management, building construction, and emergency response.
Statistics show a reduction of more than 65 % in property loss and deaths.
A fire sprinkler system is a simple, but key active component of a domestic or commercial building’s fire protection system.
A fire sprinkler system designed and installed by Vox Fire will help you minimise the damage to your buildings, property and staff. Contact us for an assessment or consultation.
“Well done Vox Fire team!! Great service with a smile.”
Lize Rogers
Vox Fire Client – Facebook Review
A fire sprinkler system will generally involve water being held under pressure in a network of pipes running through a building; the sprinkler discharges water automatically when a fire is detected.
Installed in ceilings or sidewalls, the system consists of a water supply, a water distribution piping system and sprinkler heads.
You might think installing a fire sprinkler system is like choosing water damage over fire damage. The facts are that sprinklers are activated by heat and every sprinkler head goes off one at a time; only where the fire is detected.
Sprinklers use about six times less water than a fire hose, they are actually less harmful to your property than a visit from the fire department.
These systems are typically found in warehouses, manufacturing industries as well as hotels and large office buildings. Water supplies can be in the form of a public or municipal water supply for small installations, or more reliable, independent water tanks and dedicated fire pumps for larger installations.
Facts
- Fire sprinkler systems are heat activated and not activated by smoke. They are automatically triggered by fire-specific temperatures.
- The sprinkler heads are activated one at a time, and most fires usually require only one or two sprinklers to be extinguished. Just one or two sprinklers can quickly extinguish and/or contain a fire to the room where it started and cause little property damage.
However, the systems can only function as intended if they are professionally designed and installed, all key components are well maintained and tested and serviced on time to ensure its functioning and reliability.
Fortunately, the highly skilled staff at Vox Fire know how to design sprinkler systems to reduce the damage to your property from water, smoke, and fire.
In South Africa, the minimum legal requirement for sprinklers is prescribed in terms of (the items below are links) –
3 Types of Fire Sprinkler Systems
1. Wet pipe
2. Dry pipe
3. Deluge
In a wet pipe fire sprinkler system, the most common type in residential buildings, cold water is stored under pressure in the pipes and is released immediately by sprinkler heads when the predetermined heat level is reached.
Dry pipe sprinkler systems take slightly longer to activate and are used in unheated/unoccupied buildings where pipes may freeze and burst. Nitrogen gas or pressurised air is stored in the pipes, connected to a water storage tank or main. On activation by a fire, the air leaks out of the pipes, causing the water to flow through the pipes to the sprinkler heads.
Deluge sprinkler systems are typically used in areas where rapid-fire damage is a major concern, such as warehouse loading bays and high-rise buildings. In these systems, the nozzle is always open. They are triggered by an alarm that opens a water release valve.
sprinkler