Prince George’s
County homes constructed since the early 1990’s have a residential sprinkler
system installed to save lives and protect property. Therefore there are a large number of single
family homes, in addition to commercial buildings and multi-family dwellings,
that are equipped with these life-saving systems. The Fire/EMS Department has documented
hundreds of incidents since the law changed requiring residential sprinklers
that demonstrate that lives have been saved and damage to property limited when
fires have occurred. Prince George’s
County was the first County in the Nation to require the installation of
residential sprinklers in all new home construction.
Home, apartment,
condos and commercial building owners and management companies should take the
time now to ensure that sprinkler systems are adequately protected against
pipes freezing. During long periods of
below freezing temperatures exposed water-filled sprinkler pipes can freeze
expanding the pipe to the point when it will break. Sprinkler pipes tend to freeze before other
water pipes because the water is not moving.
Most sprinkler systems are wet systems that contain water all the time.
When water freezes
inside a sprinkler pipe, it creates an obstruction that can render the sprinkler
system useless in the event of a fire. As the ice expands, it increases the
internal water pressure in the pipe and causes the pipe to burst.
Interestingly, the burst is often in a section of pipe that did not actually
freeze.
Alternatively, the
expanding ice can cause a pipe, fitting or sprinkler head to crack but the ice
will block the flow of water while it is solid. In this case, the actual water
damage will not be apparent until the ice melts and water flows out of the
burst section.
Preventing Frozen
Pipes
The best way to
protect a residential fire sprinkler system from freezing is to provide
sufficient insulation and maintain adequate heat during the winter months. Insulation helps block the flow of heat or
cold from one space to the next. Most sprinkler pipes are within the walls or
ceilings of a home. Cold air can enter these concealed spaces through small
gaps in the exterior sheathing and insulation and find its way into pipe chases
and soffits that focus the air directly onto the sprinkler piping and
accelerate freezing.
In attics, piping
should be as close to the ceiling as possible with insulation placed over the
sprinkler pipe. If you inspect your
sprinkler pipes that are in the attic and you can see exposed pipes; they need
to be insulated immediately to prevent freezing.
When sprinklers are
required in unheated spaces such as attics or crawl spaces, the use of a dry
system, or special dry sprinkler heads are required.
If a sprinkler pipe bursts ensure that the location of the
water shut-off valve is known and the proper method to turn it off. Contact a residential sprinkler professional
immediately to initiate repairs. It is
recommended that a sprinkler system is tested and inspected on a periodic basis
to ensure it is in proper working order to prevent against rupture and
flooding.
Mark E. Brady
Chief Spokesperson/PIO
240-508-7930
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