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Fire Sprinkler System Winterization

Fire Sprinkler System Winterization

SERVING PORTLAND OR | BEAVERTON OR | VANCOUVER WA | LONGVIEW WA

The water based automatic fire sprinkler system is an essential part of many building's fire protection plan. All water-based fire sprinkler systems have required routine maintenance. See NFPA 25 INSPECTION, TESTING AND MAINTENANCE OF WATER BASED FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS.

An important fall maintenance is the winterization service to ensure the fire sprinkler system is ready for freezing weather.

Winterizing Dry Pipe Sprinkler Systems

Dry fire sprinkler pipes are filled with pressurized air or nitrogen and do not contain water until the system activates. This makes them compatible in all building applications, heated or unheated. Changes in weather during the year often causes water condensation from heating and cooling of the pipes. This condensation accumulates in the low points of the piping and may freeze when temperatures plummet. The ice expansion during a freeze may be enough to break the piping and when the thaw comes the system activates because the air pressure is lost through the crack/break in the pipe.

Winters here in the great Northwest are unpredictable! Many of us have heard stories if not experienced broken pipes after a freeze. Don't forget to check your fire sprinkler system every fall.

Winterization of the dry fire sprinkler system is done by opening auxiliary drainage valves located at the low points of the piped system and forcing air into the pipes with enough pressure to remove the accumulated water. Keeping this preventative maintenance task on schedule will save time and money by preventing expensive repairs to broken sprinkler pipes and water damage to the space it protects.

Winterizing Wet Sprinkler Systems

The pipes of wet fire sprinkler systems are filled with water. They are generally installed in temperature-controlled spaces. If there is an area where the temperature cannot be controlled an antifreeze loop is installed. This part of the piping will have antifreeze solution mixed with the water to prevent freezing. This solution is checked annually to ensure freeze protection to -10°. Antifreeze degrades over time, so if the temperature is not low enough to pass the test, the loop must be recharged. Ensuring the antifreeze loop is tested every year will save time and money by preventing broken sprinkler pipes and water damage to the space it protects.