Water Based Suppression System Components.

In this segment, we'll review

the components of a fire sprinkler system. We'll do a relatively fast
and high level overview for the components on the system. So we'll get a refresher
for the fire protection periods. If you're looking for more depth
on this topic, we'll have more in our introductions
to sprinkler and standpipe systems, FX001,
and System Types and Layouts, FX120 Here let's go piece by piece
and familiarize ourselves with the system as a whole. Most fire suppression systems
are fed
from a municipal water supply. This can be in the form of a loop,
a grid, or a dead entity that serves the building. But the city's water supply is
the most common feed for fire
sprinkler systems in North America. Now, a fire
hydrant isn't part of a sprinkler system per se, but it's where we tend to think
about our system starting. We'll often conduct a fire hydrant flow
test in order to test the water supply. How much water
can you provide in terms of flow and how much pressure can it supply? Our fire
hydrant flow tests slightly strain the systems and we'll see how it responds. We'll
quantify that as our water supply. Fire hydrants of course, are used
by responding emergency personnel to fight a fire directly
if they have enough pressure. Or they can be connected to a pumper
truck, which will increase the pressure on the water. And you can directly fight
the fire
with a hose, or those hydrants could be connected to the proper truck
again with those same boosted pressures, and those hoses could be connected
to a fire department connection. That fire department connection
is connected to the fire sprinkler system, which would therefore boost the pressure
and help the sprinkler system fight the fire. That's ongoing. Fire hydrants
come in many different types. The most common type is a dry
barrel hydrant. It does not contain any water
until the valve is opened. Fire hydrants often have a large pumper outlet on the
front
and then two smaller side outlets. These outlets can be threaded or they can
be provided with a quick connection. Oftentimes, a storage style connection. Fire
hydrant assembly. A hydrant is commonly connected
to a branch of of a supply chain. The fire hydrant connects to the flanged vertical
pipe, which runs underground
and connects to the branch. The cause of the thrust forces
from the water as it changes direction. The 90 degree elbow. The lower hydrant is
often supplied
with a concrete thrust block. This allows the forces to be distributed
out enough that the soil can handle the thrust forces. We'll talk about that more
in a second. In between the branch line
that only serves a hydrant and the supply main,
there will be a valve. This street or gave valve
allows a hydrant to be replaced or serviced without shutting off
water to the supply main. These valves are often only accessible
by removing a cover on the ground, and by bringing a key or a curb key
that's a long T-shaped tool that's designed to reach and operate
the underground valves, as long steam allows access to the valve
and to the end of the key that fits over the valves,
not to turn it. Underground Supply Main. Next we have the underground supply main,
which the fire hydrant connected to. The fire sprinkler system
will have an underground pipe that brings water into the building
that we're protecting. Normally this pipe is ductile iron or plastic that allows
the earth to shift and move,
and it won't break the pipe. Whenever the underground pipe changes
directions. A physical barrier device will need
to absorb the pressure that's on the pipe. This pressure will have force exerted on
the fitting by the water as it's turning. In the fitting, the device is a thrust
block
which is normally made out of concrete. So without that thrust, block,
the fitting on the end of the pipe is likely to pop off
or rupture under flow conditions. That's absolutely the worst possible
outcome in an emergency. When we need that water. So the size of the thrust block
depends
on the force that the water will create. And it also depends on the bearing
pressure that the soil can tolerate. The larger the pipe size and the greater the
turn
that will result in higher forces. So if we have weaker soil,
that's less able to absorb the forces, we'll need to be the bigger thrust block to
distribute the force
over a greater area and then therefore lower the pressure. So NFPA 13 and NFPA 24,
both of those have guidance
on how to size those thrust blocks. And that will also come into play
during the fire protection exam. Underground building service. The underground pipe
that serves
the building generally runs under or through the foundation wall, and then it will
turn up vertically
into the building and through the floor. This can be made
out of the same underground materials or a special one piece
fitting called an in-building riser. A known building riser is a single piece
of stainless steel, bent in a 90 degree elbow, with a mechanical joint
fitting on one end. That's the buried end,
and a flange or groove fitting for the other end,
which is above ground. These are a cost effective way
to stub into the building without having to hire
an expensive underground contractor, especially when a sprinkler contractor
doesn't have the right licenses to divvy underground fire work. This also helps
because many contracts
start five feet out from the building, and if you're using an building riser,
this will mean that contract definition. At the top of the building service pipe,
there will be the flange or grooved in that we just mentioned, and that starts the
aboveground portion
of the system to attach to above ground work. Many of our fire sprinkler system
contracts begin here at this flange, or grooved in the flange
where the water comes into the building is usually one foot
above the finished floor. We'll start with the backflow preventer. According to the
Clean Water Act,
where potable water supply exist, and according to the plumbing code, a backflow
preventer is required where
a fire sprinkler system is installed, the backflow preventer stops
the sprinkler water from going back into the potable
water supply. This is good because the sprinkler water
tends to be black and stagnant. It's full of oil and rust doesn't smell
too good, and it's not like the movies where you see the nice clean water
coming out of the ceiling sprinklers. What happens after the backflow
preventer depends on how many zones the system will have
and what type of systems they are. They could be wet,
dry reaction or deluge systems. System in NFPA 13 is defined as an isolated portion
that has its own control
valve, water flow, alarm and drain. Let's talk about a wet system. Riser Assembly
first will refer to the control
setup as a riser assembly throughout. Although this term is informal
and it can vary. First we have the control valve. The control valve allows a system
or zone
to be isolated, which could be helpful if we need to repair, replace, drain
or test parts of that system. It also allows the zone to be shut off
after a fire when the fire suppressed, and the activated sprinklers
need to be replaced. Control valves are common OS
and Y valves that stands for outside screw and yoke or butterfly valves. OS and Y
valves are a type of gate valve
with a stem outside of our body. So when the valve is open,
the stem is raised and you can see it when the valve is shut. The stem is lowered
and you cannot see the stem. This is an easy way to indicate
the valves position opener, butterfly valves or quarter turn valves
that use a disc on a rotating shaft. When the valve is closed, the disc is
perpendicular to the water flow. The indicating paddle
on the outside of the valve matches
that same perpendicular orientation, so when the valve is in the open position,
the disc and indicating paddle
are parallel to the water flow. When the paddle is perpendicular
to the pipe, the valve is shut, and when the paddle is parallel
to the pipe, the valve is open. All systems must have indicated
control valves. Some systems will have multiple valves. So for instance, if a
system serves
multiple building floors, there might be a floor control valve
at each level of the building. These valves are called indicating
because you can tell by looking at them if they're in the open or closed position.
Check valve. A check
valve will be provided for each zone if there are multiple zones, so a check
valve limits backflow through the valve. It only allows water to move in
one direction. Check valves are helpful to maintain
pressure at each individual zone, regardless of what's happening
in the other zones in the system. They also help water flow
switches operate for each individual zone. It doesn't allow a water flow
switch to oscillate as a system begins flowing water. I check valve could be an
alarm check
which provides a signal when water flows in the system and activates an alarm via
a water motor, gong or an electric switch. These valves are also provided
with pressure gauges above and below the valve, and incorporate
a main drain water flow switch. Alternatively, instead of an alarm check
valve, a wet zone could simply just have a water flow
switch, an attachment or a pressure gauge, and a main drain
beyond the water flow switch. Sometimes this is called a shotgun riser. A water
flow switch is a flapper
type device that's inside the pipe. This flapper is made out of soft plastic,
and when water flows, it will fold out of the way of the water and
it will conform to the side of the pipe. As the flapper moves out of the way,
it will trigger an electric switch, and then that will be sent to the fire
alarm panel. And that will be reported
as a fire signal. Inspectors test. The inspectors test allows the water flow
switch to be tested by flowing water,
which is required by NFPA 25, and it can also provide as a drain
for the system. It must be approved, labeled,
and include an opening or more technically called an office, that simulates
the flow of one single sprinkler. This flow, which is sized
for the smallest cofactor sprinkler in the system, ensures
that the water flow alarm will activate with the smallest expected amount of water
flow and an appropriate response time, usually not less than 30s
nor longer than 90s. The inspectors test is located downstream. That's a water flow
alarm. When the water discharge is not visible
to the person who is using the inspectors test. A sight glass must be provided to
the moving water
can be visually seen during the test. Main drain. The main drain drains the
sprinkler system for maintenance,
inspections, repairs or modifications. It usually must discharge
to an appropriate location, such as an outside drain or to a drain connection,
but normally not directly into a sewer. This is on my checklist for every project.
This can vary
from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, so we want to make sure that we're doing
what that jurisdiction requires. With discharge, fire
sprinkler system, water. Let's not forget about our pressure
gauges. The pressure gauge monitors
the water pressure in the system. When we record pressures
during our main drain test, we can track the pressure
loss over time during the testing. This helps evaluate whether the water
supply has degraded or not. Pressure gauges must be installed
above and below each alarm, check valve or system
riser check and adjacent to the main drain and remain accessible for operations,
inspection, testing and maintenance. The gauge must have the capacity of at
least twice the normal working pressure. Connect to a minimum quarter
inch thread and lock and allow for removal
and be protected from freezing. All this is from the NFPA 13 requirements. Dry pipe
system. If the system is a dry pipe system,
we will have a dry pipe valve instead of that riser, check
valve or water flow switch. The dry pipe valve will need an air supply
or in some cases, a nitrogen supply. This air supply can be from plant air
or it can be from an air compressor. In previous NFPA 13 editions,
any old air compressor would do, but the newer additions require that air
compressors
be listed for fire protection service. Just on a personal note,
and I always specify that air compressors
be listed for fire protection service. They're much more reliable. They're
specifically built
for fire sprinkler systems, and you're much less likely to get a phone call
5:00 on a Friday afternoon. The dry pipe valve
will also have an air maintenance device that's a small maze of valves
designed to maintain the same air pressure inside the fire
sprinkler system. Maintaining the same air
pressure is crucial to preventing unnecessary and expensive dry
pipe system trips. So dry valves are kind of a work of art on their own,
and they contain quite a few features. So the operation is
a clapper is the interface between the air side and the water side
inside the dry pipe valve. Its purpose is to remain shut
when the system's air pressure is sufficient,
and to open when the air pressure drops. The surface
area of the clapper is disproportionately larger on the air side
and then on the water side. This is on purpose to hold the clapper
shut. The force on the clapper must be greater on the air side,
and it is on the water side. Since force is pressure times area,
a larger surface area on the air side means that the air pressure
can be kept lower and still keep the clapper
assembly shut off in a ratio of 4 to 1 or 5 to 1. This would allow 40 psi of air
to 120 p.s.i water pressure. For example,
some special drive valves have reset knobs there, usually on the back. Reset knobs
allow the clapper to be reset
into its normal position without opening the face of the valve,
which requires removing bolts and gaskets. Ideally,
this valve can be reset externally, especially if you were responding
to a call at 5:00 on a Friday afternoon. Like wet systems,
we have pressure gauges as well. The water supply and system
air pressure gauges monitor
the incoming water and the air pressures. The gauges are connected to a test valve
with removable plugs that allow you to clean
any orifice buildup. There's a low body drain valve
that drains the air side of the valve
completely with the clapper shut. The main drain requires
the collaborate to be opened as it's located below the clapper. There are also
pressure switches,
so one pressure switch sends a supervisory signal. When the air pressure drops that
warns
of an impending valve activation. Another activates
during water flow to signal an alarm that notifies the fire system that the valve
is open, but it's stripped,
and that there's water flowing. Protection valve. If the system is a reaction,
there will be a reaction valve. The reaction
valve does resemble a dry pipe valve in many ways,
but it's got some additional devices. Some electronic fire alarm components
like solenoids and a system
releasing panel will also be present. The panel itself
must be listed for releasing, which is an important designation. Not all fire alarm
panels can serve as a releasing panel for pre-action or deluge systems. Deluge
valve. The deluge valve also looks very similar
to a protection valve with similar accouterments, including the releasing
panel and fire alarm equipment. The main difference is
one will have to look close to read of the valve is a pre-action
or a deluge valve. The differences can be very subtle
in this case, and it's not uncommon to confuse them. So dry pipe systems have a
similar switch,
but they use a high pressure switch, since any incoming surge in water would rip
the flapper of the flow
switch used in water pipe systems. So we use a high pressure
switch effectively because it works as a flow switch. Fire department connection.
So before we get too far downstream, let's talk about the Fire Department
Connection or FDC. This allows the fire department
to supply additional pressure and flow to the sprinkler system
during a fire. It's required on most NFPA 13
sprinkler systems except for inaccessible systems. Very large capacity deluge
systems. So were single storey buildings
under 2000ft². For a single zone sprinkler system,
the FDC must connect to the system side of the main control
check and alarm valves. Whereas for multiple systems,
the most connect to the manifold between the supply
and the system, control valves. Let's talk about pipe. Most systems use steel pipe,
which is most often black steel pipe. Most sprinkler systems have schedule
ten and schedule 40. Steel pipe. The pipe schedule tells you how much
material makes up the wall thickness. The higher this number is in the schedule,
the thicker the wall and the smaller
the internal diameter. Most pipes have the same outside diameter. Other schedules
of sprinkler
pipe are available. Some companies use processes
like galvanizing very thin pipes to make them last longer, but there's some
controversial results with those pipes. Many residential systems
use plastic pipe, known as PVC or chlorinated polyvinyl chloride. This pipe is
orange and is very popular
for residential and light hazard use because it has low cost
and it's easy to install. Sprinkler pipe can be threaded,
grooved flange or slip fit. Threaded fittings
come in a variety of materials. Cast iron, malleable iron, and ductile
iron are a few types of threaded fittings. Usually, malleable and ductile
iron are rated for 300 PSI, while cast iron is rated for 175 PSI. Groove fittings
are used with groove pipe. These fittings
assemble quicker than threaded type. Most groove
fittings are rated for 300 PSI. Flange fittings are typically used where the
transition occurs
between underground and aboveground pipe. Slip fit
fittings are used to see PVC pipe. These fittings are cleaned and a solvent
is applied before they are assembled. The solvent welds the plastic ends
together into one solid piece. Just be aware that in cold climates
there is a function of heat to cure times. So the colder it is, the longer
it takes the PVC fittings to cure
and reach its desired strength. The cure time is really important
and it should be adhered to. Types of system pipe. What term we use to describe a
pipe
depends on where it is in the system. Commonly we call the underground pipe
coming into the building. The underground service entry or service
made vertical pipe that often contains
a system riser is called the riser. For multiple story buildings,
this could be a system riser or a combination
sprinkler riser and standpipe riser. At the riser we have the feed main. This is
the portion of the system
that travels to meet the branch lines, but does not connect to any branch lines.
Once our main reaches its first
branch line, we call that across main because it crosses the branch lines. A
primary cross main or front main is the main that is closest to the riser. A
secondary cross main is the cross main
that is furthest from the riser. You'll notice I use the term lines
as synonymous with pipe that's generally synonymous
in the industry. A branch pipe or a branch
line is a smaller diameter pipe that serves sprinklers. A branch pipe could be
directly connected
to a cross main as the same elevation. If the branch lines are at a different
elevation, we would call the little vertical piece
in between the riser nipple. Finally, the way that a sprinkler
is connected to a branch pipe will also give terms
for those sticks of pipe. If a sprinkler is above a branch line, we refer to the
vertical pipe as a sprig. Sprigs are commonly used to connect
an upright sprinkler to a branch pipe. If a sprinkler is below a branch pipe, such
as for a pendant sprinkler,
we refer to the vertical pipe as a drop. If the drop or sprig is not directly below
or directly above our branch line,
then we use the term arm over to describe the horizontal piece
that connects the drop to the branch line, or connects the sprig to a branch line.
These arm overs are not branch lines and are not subject to the rules
that come into play. When we have seismic requirements,
a whole assembly that comes off
the top of a branch line goes horizontally and then drops is called the returned
bin, or sometimes a gooseneck for its shape. This would refer to a nipple
or close nipple if it's short enough, and then an arm over
and then a drop. These are commonly used
to precisely locate a pendant sprinkler at an exact location
in a finished ceiling. We also have flexible arm overs,
also known by a variety of names. These are adjustable and provide
flexibility for quick connection of the sprinkler
at a precise location to the branch pipe. Sprinklers. Fire sprinklers. There are
literally hundreds of types
of sprinklers. Most sprinklers are for finished ceilings
or areas with no ceilings
like office buildings and warehouses. We also have sprinklers
that give glazing a two hour rating. Your glass. So the sprinklers are for
protecting
interstitial spaces between floors of a multi-story buildings
that are constructed out of wood. Other sprinklers are designed
solely for steeply pitched roofs
that make up combustible attic spaces. Another type descends automatically into
anechoic chambers and retracts
when the systems reset. Fundamentally, nearly all sprinklers
have some elements, like a glass bulb or a softer link, that breaks
when it absorbs a pre-set amount of heat. When broken, this element releases a pipe
cap
that opens and orifice in the sprinkler. When opened, the orifice allows water
to hit a deflector or a flow shaper, and that directs water to discharge
over a specified area with a specified amount of water
or intensity. It's very important to note
that all sprinklers are not equal, and they cannot be used interchangeably.
Sprinklers all have very specific listings
or tested situations in which they should
or should not be used. Just because a sprinkler looks similar
or has the same threat size, it does not mean
that they are the same. Hangers. So we've gone from hydrants to the
sprinklers, but we're not quite done. The system has to be held up by something,
right? We need hangers, hangers
attached to the structure first and have some rod or connector,
and then connect to the sprinkler pipe to keep the system up, usually near
the ceiling or the deck and seismic zones. We must brace the pipe
to resist these earthquake forces. To create braces, we'll need fasteners,
braces, and clamps. So to summarize the answer, a fire
sprinkler system has pipes, fittings, alarm devices, sprinklers, hangers,
braces, and some other components. These all work together to deliver water
automatically
whenever a fire breaks out in a building. In our next segment, we're going to go
through the process of the system layout. I'm Max Newton,
and this is MeyerFire University.