Re: Another one for the books

["Jackcsg" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxx>]

It's a dry system. We have them everywhere up here in the Northeast US,
because the pipes typically are installed throughout the attic's of some
older buildings. The pipes are pressurized with air...pressure drops, and a
pressure valve (switch) releases the water. But like most wet systems, only
the head which was activated flows water.
I had a customer here in Maryland who had this same system in an Atrium,
which they later closed off and turned into a dry system do to the
temperatures. I kept getting false alarms on the pressure switch, and a
sprinkler tech came out and replaced it, tested the system, and forgot to
drain the water out of the system after he tested it. It was nasty when it
broke. It went right down the elevator shaft, ruined the elevator car and
machinery, and put about 3 feet of water in the basement. I think it was
well over a million dollars in damage.

"petem" <petem001@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:sEa3e.24958$rl.694508@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> I have come across a very special type of sprinkler here in a shop where
> they make plastic...
>
> There is 2 line of pipes...one is looking like the normal one we see every
> where but the size of the pipe looks small for the length of the pipe..
> and there is a second pipe with heads at the same level as the first one
but
> they have no detection device plugging the holes..like if they all been
> triggered..and the pipe is normal size for sprinkler...
>
> the way it work is that pipe with detection heads on it on a small pipe is
> under air pressure and there is no water in those pipes..
> when a head blow because of heat the air pressure drop releasing water to
> the other bigger pipe and flooding the whole place..
> I have seen it in action...boy it was raining like in a tropical storm
> inside...
>
> from what I understood this system was a down fit from water based
original
> system to a air one (the smaller system) cause they don't heat the place
at
> all during winter and the original system could not be converted to air
> directly because of some law..
>
>
>
> "Jackcsg" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxx> a écrit dans le message de news:
> ZPmdnf4gK4Qf-tHfRVn-tw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > "Robert L. Bass" <robertlbass@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> > news:bf6dnX_bSpZnoNHfRVn-tw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> > nor do all the heads pour buckets
> >> > of water down at the same time.
> >> > It only happens in Hollywood.
> >>
> >> There is a type of sprinkler system which does that.  It's called a
> >> deluge
> >> system.  Activate it and water sprays out everywhere.  I've only seen
one
> > of
> >> them.  It was a huge warehouse in Farmington, CT.  They had a huge fire
> > pump
> >> and backup generator to provide the necessary water pressure.  We
> > monitored
> >> waterflow, pressure, primary and secondary power, etc.
> >>
> >> BTW, this was a takeover of a huge ADT installation.  The client had
> > broken
> >> off from ADT for reasons unknown to us.  Neither system was functioning
> > when
> >> we arrived, though I don't think it was really ADT's fault.  These
people
> >> regularly broke things.  The burglar alarm was a muxed system with
> >> modules
> >> installed all over the building.  Sensors had (IIRC) 6K EOL resistors.
> >> We
> >> replaced the burglar alarm with a Napco MA-3000.  I forget what we used
> > for
> >> the fire alarm.
> >>
> >> Anyway, we installed the systems, fixed a number of problems with the
> > wiring
> >> and made frequent visits to repair stuff when they would hit things
with
> >> fork trucks.  After a couple of years some character talked his way
into
> >> doing a free "inspection" for them.  He told the client there were
> > problems
> >> with the alarms (which were functioning perfectly) and sold them on an
> >> "upgrade".  They wound up with a single, combined bug and fire alarm
> >> system -- which was not even rated for commercial fire.  They were slow
> >> payers so I was actually glad to be rid of them.
> >>
> >> Oh, by the way, the deluge system had been installed because the prior
> >> owners of the building stored flammable goods.  The people who had it
> >> when
> >> we got there stored computer hardware.  Imagine what would have
happened
> > if
> >> that deluge system went off with a few million dollars worth of PCs on
> >> the
> >> shelves.  :^)
> >>
> >> Regards,
> >> Robert L Bass
> >>
> > I've never run across one. I can see why I haven't though....
> > What did it use to detect a fire?
> >
> >
>
>