Fire Sprinkler 101 -
Do all sprinklers discharge at once?
Contrary to what
is sometimes shown on television sitcoms, all sprinklers in the building do not
operate simultaneously. Sprinklers distribute water directly where it is needed
to confine and control a fire. In the majority of fires, only one or two
sprinklers are required to operate.
The likelihood of
a sprinkler discharging water in the absence of a fire is very small. Each model
of sprinkler is subjected to rigorous laboratory tests to guarantee long-term
integrity, and every single sprinkler is hydrostatically tested at twice the
maximum system water pressure prior to leaving the factory.
Loss records of
Factory Mutual Research indicate that the probability of a standard response
spray sprinkler discharging accidentally due to a manufacturing defect is only 1
in 16,000,000 sprinklers per year in service.
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