Did you know that loaded sprinkler heads can cause your system to fail you when you need it most? Yikes. Here’s what you need to know about them and how to make sure you don’t have them.
A loaded sprinkler head describes one that’s covered in dirt, dust, or grime. Whether it’s through environmental factors like excess moisture or caused by other elements coating its surface, this can prevent the fire safety trigger from reaching your sprinkler system when it needs to receive it. With safety at the forefront, here are our tips for recognizing loaded sprinkler heads.
Tip #1: Review your fire suppression system’s compliance
NFPA 25 covers the standards for the inspection, testing, and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems. Reviewing these standards can help you understand whether your fire suppression system is NFPA compliant or not. Does that seem like an overwhelming task? Not to worry, as your Fire & Life Safety experts, we are well-versed in understanding these systems so give us a call and we can help determine if your system complies.
Tip #2: Set up routine cleaning and inspections
To avoid reinstalling your fire sprinkler system, we recommend setting up a routine cleaning and inspection schedule. Having this on the books is the easiest way to stay on top of any loaded sprinkler heads before they cause a problem. At DynaFire, we test and inspect wet, dry, pre-action, deluge, and foam fire sprinkler systems as part of our promised deliverables. If you’re unsure when your last inspection and cleaning took place, give us a call. It could be time to have a technician check out your systems.
Another perk of choosing us to mitigate the threat of loaded sprinkler heads is that our Fire & Life Safety company provides the ability for our customers to schedule a visit in a couple of clicks through our client portal, DynaLink. So rest easy, we are closer to finding a solution for your loaded sprinkler heads than you may have first thought! If you’re not a client, simply click here and we’ll get back to you to schedule your first inspection.
Tip #3: Identify and monitor repetitive loaded sprinkler heads
It’s not uncommon for loaded sprinkler heads to be a result of a recurring environmental factor in your space. However common it is, this still presents a problem to the proper functioning of your fire sprinkler system. If you’ve already begun to notice that there are one or two loaded sprinkler heads that seem to default back to dirty, it’s worth a call to get one of our experienced technicians out to assess what your next steps could look like.
Ensuring that your fire sprinkler systems are ready to go when, or if, they are needed is one reason why these systems are mandated by the NFPA to be inspected on an annual basis. The compliance of your sprinklers is vital to the safety of your building. According to the NFPA, the civilian injury rate was 27% lower in fires in properties with sprinklers than in properties without them.
The 2017 edition of the NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, which states that any sprinkler showing signs of “loading detrimental to sprinkler performance” during the annual floor level inspection shall be replaced.
If you aren’t sure where to start, give us a call. We’re the experts and are ready to find the solutions to ensure that you don’t have any loaded sprinkler heads affecting your Fire & Life Safety in the crucial moments when you need it.
