Why you should inspect your fire sprinkler heads in exhaust ducts!
Fire sprinkler heads in kitchen hoods and exhaust ducts are required to be inspected every year for an excessive accumulation of grease or any other foreign matter. Checking these fire sprinkler heads is a task that is not regularly completed by inspectors let alone even knowing where these sprinkler heads are located in a building. In this article we will explain what are the requirements and how to identify sprinkler heads that need to be replaced.
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Russ PorteousFeb, 2021Kitchen Hood & Duct Fire Sprinkler Systems
Australian Standard AS2118.1 specifies the requirements for the design, installation and commissioning of automatic fire sprinkler systems in buildings, including areas around commercial type cooking equipment in kitchens and associated ventilation systems. Where the cooking equipment includes a deep fat fryer, there are other considerations that installers and maintainers MUST take into consideration.
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Russ PorteousFeb, 2021What is a fire sprinkler head shield or baffle plate?
A fire sprinkler head shield or baffle plate ("baffle") is a device (typically made of sheet metal) that is used to prevent the first operating sprinkler from wetting (and cooling) the lower or adjacent fire sprinkler heads.
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Russ PorteousJan, 2021Types of automatic fire sprinkler heads
According to Australian Standard AS2118, there are an array of automatic fire sprinkler head types that are used for a wide variety of applications.
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Russ PorteousJan, 2021Is hand sanitizer a fire risk in buildings?
2020 will go down as a year like no other with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affecting every community across the globe. The first line of defence is social distancing, face masks and good hygiene. Many businesses have substantially increased their reserves of hand sanitizer and we have been asked the question, does this place our building at an increased fire risk?
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Russ PorteousDec, 2020When does a Fire Sprinkler Flow Switch call the brigade?
In Victoria, a water flow switch in a wet pipe automatic fire sprinkler system may trigger a fire brigade attendance, but not always. This article seeks to explain why not all flow switches call the brigade and why others do.
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Russ PorteousNov, 2020Galvanic Corrosion (rust) in Automatic Fire Sprinkler & Hydrant Systems
Corrosion (rust) is a common cause of failure in automatic fire sprinkler systems, fire hydrant systems, hose reel systems, pumps and tanks, causing leaks and in in some cases catastrophic failure. In this article we discuss some basic metallurgy that provides a background for the causes of corrosion, as well as some solutions to help slow the rate of corrosion.
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Russ PorteousAug, 2020What is a Solenoid Valve?
A solenoid valve is an electromechanically operated valve. It is typically used within fire protection as part of a flow switch arrangement to test for the presence of water within an automatic fire sprinkler system.
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Russ PorteousAug, 2019How does a automatic fire sprinkler head work?
An automatic fire sprinkler system head is a valve, that when the temperature sensitive bulb reaches its predetermined fixed temperature, expands, breaks and then allows the free flow flow of water.
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Russ PorteousJul, 2019Automatic Fire Sprinkler Systems
A wet pipe automatic fire sprinkler system comprises a series of individual components including; Pipe, Stop Valve, Alarm Valve, Fire Sprinkler (head), Alarm Test Valve and Motorised Alarm Bell (Gong). These systems contain water under pressure that is released through the activation of a sprinkler head (a type of valve) to control or suppress the spread of fire.
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Russ PorteousJul, 2019
