Showing posts with label dry pipe system. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dry pipe system. Show all posts

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Help Out Your Local Fire Fighters With a Dry Riser Now!

Dry Pipe Automatic Sprinkler Systems

Fire fighters are there to help you. When a fire breaks out they are rushing out to the fire to stop it before it can cause too much damage. Help them out by getting a dry riser. The dry riser is something that can be fitted into your building to help fight fires as soon as they break out. The outlet that exists outside the building can aid fire fighters further by making sure that they have a source of water they can use.

Dry Sprinkler Pipe System - How It All Works

Fire Sprinkler HeadThe dry riser works on the principle of compressed air. Compressed air is what differentiates it from the dry riser’s counterpart; the wet riser, which utilises water-filled pipes. The compressed air works by pressing the valve shut that prevents the water from entering the pipe. Once the air is released the valve opens up and the water can shoot through the pipes. 
At the end of the pipe is a sprinkler system. Sprinklers open up when a fire has been detected. Naturally, once the sprinkler opens the compressed air disappears and the water can then attack the flames. They may not necessarily be able to eliminate the fire, but what they can do is to make sure that it’s limited. Think of it as giving fire fighters some additional time to get to the scene of the incident.

Dry Pipe Sprinkler Systems - Help Your Local Fire Fighters!

Your local fire fighters are not always going to be in the best position when confronted with a fire. Due to rapid urbanisation, it’s now harder than ever to find a suitable water outlet that can provide the supply that’s needed to combat the most serious fires. Dry risers have to get their water from somewhere, and that comes in the form of an inlet valve. Fire fighters are able to attach their tools to this valve and draft the water from there.  
So you don’t have one of those things and they are forced to look elsewhere. Those extra minutes spent looking for a suitable supply of water could mean the difference between your property burning down and the structure being saved. Surely the desired outcome is going to be obvious here?

If you suspect the valve in your high rise has been tampered with ring the dryriser theft hotline.

Dry Pipe Sprinkler System - Where are they Fitted?


From a glance, it seems as if the dry riser system is quite vulnerable. Once the fire takes hold it can attack the pipes and cut off the supply. This is not the case at all. All of these systems are required by law to have their main pipes in a place that’s resistant to fire. Escape stairways are the number one places where these can be found. Note, these fire-resistant areas are not necessarily going to protect it forever. On the contrary, sooner or later the fire will burn through. 
Primarily, it’s to combat minor fires before they spread. If a major fire breaks out, or even worse an explosion, then nothing can be done until the fire fighters arrive.

Dry Pipe Sprinkler System - How Expensive Are They?


If you are looking to install one of these systems then one of the things you will be looking at is the price. Of course, the price is very important because nobody wants to invest a great deal of money in anything. Small businesses may also have trouble meeting large costs, so affordability is perhaps the most important factor. The good news is that companies are offering these systems at a cost-effective price. Regular deals are constantly being employed to encourage people to invest in these systems. 

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Fire Sprinkler - Dry Pipe Systems

A deluge and pre-action fire sprinkler system are both part of the dry pipe family.  Dry pipe systems are typically installed in areas where water is subject to freezing such as unheated facilities and parking garages.  Unlike the wet pipe fire sprinkler system (filled with water) a dry pipe system is filled with compressed air from a source such as an electric compressor or nitrogen bottle.

Like wet pipe fire sprinkler systems, dry pipe systems also have a valve clapper and alarm port.  The dry pipe valve clapper is held closed by a pressure differential between air pressure and water pressure.  Supervisory pressure switches are typically used to measure the pressure on the system side.  These pressure switches can send either a low or high pressure signal to the panel.  The fire alarm control panel or pre-action panel will then turn on a pump or release pressure depending on the signal (low or high pressure).  This ensures that the correct amount of pressure is present in the system at all times.

In the event of an actual fire and a fire sprinkler head activates, the air pressure in the system is released.  When the air pressure drops to the trip point (usually around 10 psi below normal), the dry pipe valve opens and allows water to flow in from the main source to fill the distribution pipes and out of the activated fire sprinkler head.  Once the water is flowing through the clapper valve, the alarm port is exposed to the water.  At this time a pressure switch senses the increase in pressure and sounds an alarm.

Dry Pipe Valve

A dry pipe valve is located above the main system control valve and must be installed in areas not subject to freezing.  The whole purpose of the dry pipe valve is to ensure water does not enter the distribution piping and freeze.  It is a one way clapper that has a small amount of water covering it known as the priming water.  This priming water helps to seal the valve seat and has an immediate chamber that connects the valve to the alarm line.

Pressure Switches

There are alarm pressure switches and supervisory pressure switches both used in dry pipe fire sprinkler systems.  Both of these pressure switches monitor air pressure on the system side of the dry pipe valve.  The alarm pressure switch measures pressure change within a system and sends alert signals the the main fire control panel or pre-action system panel.  The supervisory air pressure switches monitor air on the system side of the dry pipe valve and perform two different functions.

1.  Monitor low air pressure and prevents accidental operation of the dry pipe valve due to low air pressure from an air compressor failure or leaks in the system.

2.  Monitor high air pressure to prevent damage to the clapper and gaskets in the dry pipe valve.


If you are interested in taking the NICET CBT exam for fire alarms, then we have you covered!  We are now selling our CBT Levels 1 - 3 practice exam DVDs.  These DVDs are packed with tons of NICET CBT practice exams along with all code references as to where to find the answers.  We have also supplied the DVDs with all of the necessary NICET applications, CBT calculator demonstrations, links and more.  If you need more information, feel free to send an email.  You can find the link to purchase our DVDs on the top left section of each page on this site.


Make sure to join our Fire Alarms Online Facebook Group HERE.

Fire Sprinkler - Deluge Fire Sprinkler System

A deluge fire sprinkler system works similar to a wet pipe system, however, the deluge system uses open fire sprinkler head or nozzles that do not operate individually.  The pipes are dry in normal operation and the water is held back by an electronic solenoid.  The solenoid is connected and control by a compatible releasing fire control panel.  An initiating device such as a smoke detector or heat detector sends a signal to the releasing panel which in turn energizes the releasing circuit and opens the solenoid.

These types of deluge systems are typically installed in high hazard areas such as power generating stations, aircraft hangers, chemical plants, and other areas that main contain chemicals and or flammable liquids.  Water is not always adequate to control fires in areas where chemicals and flammable liquids are stored.  Often you will find that a foam concentrate is mixed with the water in a part of the system known as the proportioner.  The foam is known as Aqueous Fire Fighting Foam or better known as AFFF.  This foam when mixed with water causes expansion when released through the sprinkler head which in turn deprives the fire of oxygen.

Read more about dry fire sprinkler systems here.


If you are interested in taking the NICET CBT exam for fire alarms, then we have you covered!  We are now selling our CBT Levels 1 - 3 practice exam DVDs.  These DVDs are packed with tons of NICET CBT practice exams along with all code references as to where to find the answers.  We have also supplied the DVDs with all of the necessary NICET applications, CBT calculator demonstrations, links and more.  If you need more information, feel free to send an email.  You can find the link to purchase our DVDs on the top left section of each page on this site.


Make sure to join our Fire Alarms Online Facebook Group HERE.