Prepare Your Fire Sprinkler’s Auxiliary Drains for Winter

For building owners, facility managers, and fire protection contractors, preparation isn’t just a seasonal event. It continues throughout winter. A drain emptied in October can collect more water in November, December, and/or  January. A heater can fail during a weekend cold snap while the building is empty. Plan for those possibilities before the first freeze to help prevent accidental system trips, flooding, facility damage, and system impairment.

Prepare fire sprinkler systems for winter by verifying heat or freeze protection, removing accumulated water from dry and preaction system auxiliary drains, and maintaining a schedule that continues throughout cold weather. Assign trained personnel to each task and confirm that alarms and monitoring notifications reach someone who can respond.

Why can dry fire sprinkler systems freeze?

Dry fire sprinkler systems use pressurized air or nitrogen in the distribution piping during normal operation. However, condensation and water remaining after testing or system operation can collect inside the piping. Auxiliary drains, also called low point drains or drum drips, provide a way to remove water from trapped sections.

When collected water freezes, expansion can damage drains, valves, and piping. A broken auxiliary drain can release air pressure and trip the dry valve, allowing water into the system and potentially out through the break. The result can include flooding and an impairment while repairs are completed.

What should a fire sprinkler winter preparation plan include?

Continue reading Prepare Your Fire Sprinkler’s Auxiliary Drains for Winter →

Reduce Installation Time and Labor with Preassembled Riser Manifolds

Preassembled fire sprinkler riser assemblies can reduce field labor, simplify installation, conserve mechanical room space, and create a more consistentcorner riser manifold with right drain layout for inspection, testing, and maintenance. By combining multiple sprinkler system components into a factory-assembled, tested unit, contractors can reduce the piping, fittings, and assembly required in the field. AGF Manufacturing’s

RiserPACK® assemblies integrate key fire sprinkler system components into compact configurations designed for NFPA 13, NFPA 13R, and NFPA 13D applications.

Key Takeaways

Preassembled fire sprinkler riser assemblies can:

      • Reduce field fabrication and installation time
      • Reduce the number of field connections and potential leak points
      • Create more compact and consistent sprinkler system layouts
      • Simplify access for inspection, testing, and maintenance
      • Integrate testing, draining, pressure monitoring, and other required functions
      • Reduce the number of individual components contractors need to source and assemble

Continue reading Reduce Installation Time and Labor with Preassembled Riser Manifolds →

Designing Water Based Fire Protection Systems for Long Term Reliability

This article originally appeared in the Fire & Safety Journal Americas, Aug. 2026.

Fire protection systems are often judged at the moment they are commissioned. The final inspection is complete, the system passes its acceptance test, and the building is cleared for occupancy. Yet commissioning is only the beginning of a system’s operational life. Water based fire protection systems remain in place for decades, serving buildings that evolve, age, and change in ways designers cannot fully predict. The true measure of a system is not how it performs on day one, but how it performs on day 5,000.

Long term reliability is not a passive outcome. It is the result of deliberate design choices, informed installation practices, and consistent maintenance over time. As buildings become more complex and risk expectations increase, the fire protection industry must place greater emphasis on designing systems that remain serviceable, maintainable, and dependable throughout their life cycle.

A water based fire protection system is more than a collection of pipe, valves, drains, vents, and sprinklers. It is a long term safety asset. Like any asset, its performance depends not only on how it is designed and installed, but also on how well it can be inspected, tested, drained, vented, repaired, and returned to service over many years.

Continue reading Designing Water Based Fire Protection Systems for Long Term Reliability →

AGFConnect Creates a New Service Opportunity for Fire Sprinkler Contractors

Fire sprinkler remote monitoring is creating a new opportunity for contractors and ITM providers to deliver more proactive service, build recurring revenue, and strengthen long term customer relationships. AGFConnect gives contractors a practical way to add remote monitoring to dry and preaction fire sprinkler system maintenance.

AGFConnect on computer and phone
AGFConnect lets you monitor auxiliary drains remotely.

For decades, much of the industry has been built around scheduled inspections, service calls, repairs, and system upgrades. That work is still essential. But customers are now looking for more visibility, faster information, and smarter ways to manage risk between scheduled visits.

That is where AGFConnect creates a new opportunity.

Continue reading AGFConnect Creates a New Service Opportunity for Fire Sprinkler Contractors →

AGF Manufacturing Introduces DRYTEST Model 5600 to Simplify Dry Sprinkler System Trip Testing

Compact valve combines essential testing functions to reduce connections, installation time, and system complexity

MALVERN, PA., July 21, 2026 AGF Manufacturing, a leading provider of innovative fire protection solutions, proudly announces the launch of the DRYTEST Model 5600, a compact valve designed to simplify trip testing for dry and preaction fire sprinkler systems.

DRYTEST ValveThe DRYTEST Model 5600 combines the test connection valve and orifice manifold into a single, purpose-built assembly. By replacing a traditional arrangement of multiple components and field-installed connections, DRYTEST can help contractors shorten installation time, reduce potential leak points, and create a cleaner system layout. It also provides ITM teams with a convenient, accessible point for conducting required trip tests.

“Trip test assemblies should be straightforward to install, operate, and verify,” said Jim McHugh, President at AGF Manufacturing. “DRYTEST brings the essential functions together in one compact valve, helping contractors reduce installation complexity while giving a clear and efficient way to perform the code-required trip test.”

Continue reading AGF Manufacturing Introduces DRYTEST Model 5600 to Simplify Dry Sprinkler System Trip Testing →

Lean by Design: How AGF Products Help Fire Sprinkler Contractors Save Time

Time is one of the most valuable resources on any job site. Labor is tight, schedules are compressed, and every extra fitting, connection, material search, or avoidable service adds up. Fire sprinkler contractors need products and processes that help them work efficiently without cutting corners. That is where smart product design and lean construction thinking work together.

Lean construction is not about rushing. It is about removing waste from the work. It means reducing unnecessary steps, improving planning, limiting rework, keeping materials organized, and making sure crews have what they need when they need it. In the fire sprinkler industry, that can mean fewer parts to assemble, clearer work packages, better coordination, cleaner riser rooms, faster testing, and systems that are easier to inspect and maintain over time.

AGF products are designed for the realities of the field. They are built to reduce unnecessary parts, simplify installation, support faster testing, and make systems easier to service throughout the life of the building. From test and drain valves to auxiliary drains, inspector’s tests, air vents, and preassembled solutions, AGF helps contractors save time at every stage of the system’s life.

Continue reading Lean by Design: How AGF Products Help Fire Sprinkler Contractors Save Time →

ITM Requirements for AGF Products

Fire sprinkler systems are designed to protect lives and property when seconds matter. But even the best designed system depends on regular inspection, testing, and maintenance to remain ready for service.

That is where NFPA 25 comes in.

NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, establishes the baseline requirements for maintaining water-based fire protection systems after installation. It provides guidance for inspecting, testing, and maintaining systems and components so they continue to operate as intended.

For contractors, inspectors, facility teams, and building owners, NFPA 25 is more than a checklist. It is an ongoing service framework that helps identify issues before they become failures and helps owners meet applicable code, inspection, and documentation expectations. Most importantly, it helps ensure fire protection systems are ready when needed.

AGF products are commonly used in areas of a sprinkler system that require regular inspection, testing, and maintenance. Understanding those requirements helps contractors service systems more effectively and helps owners maintain safer, more compliant buildings.

Test and Drain Requirements

As the name suggests, TESTanDRAIN and Inspector’sTEST valves play an important role in confirming system readiness. They are used to verify waterflow alarm what is a test and drain valveoperation, support draining procedures, and help confirm that water supply performance has not degraded over time.

Main drain tests should be performed at the frequency required for the system arrangement and water supply configuration. The test valve should be in an accessible location, downstream of the waterflow alarm, and the drain should be discharged to a location that will not cause damage.

Continue reading ITM Requirements for AGF Products →

NFPA 25 in Action: Verifying System Performance Over Time

NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, establishes the minimum requirements to ensure that fire protection systems remain operational and effective over time. The standard is performance-based in its intent, requiring ongoing inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) to verify that system components function as designed.

A critical point emphasized within NFPA 25 is that the responsibility for compliance rests with the building owner or designated representative. The owner is responsible for ensuring that required ITM activities are performed, deficiencies are corrected, and records are maintained (NFPA 25, 2023, §4.1.1; §4.3). Contractors and inspectors perform the work, but compliance accountability remains with the owner.

Continue reading NFPA 25 in Action: Verifying System Performance Over Time →

BABAA Fire Sprinkler Compliance: How AGF’s RiserPACK Simplifies Domestic Requirements

The Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA) is reshaping how fire sprinkler systems are specified and installed on federally funded projects. For contractors, engineers, and distributors, BABAA fire sprinkler compliance is no longerFlag symbol for BABAA compliant products optional. It is a requirement that directly impacts project timelines, approvals, and risk. But understanding the rules is one thing. Meeting them in the field is another.

On projects like government buildings and infrastructure upgrades, teams need a clear path to compliance without slowing everything down. That’s where AGF’s RiserPACK provides a practical advantage.

What Is BABAA for Fire Sprinkler Systems?

BABAA, enacted under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, requires that materials used in federally funded projects be manufactured in the United States.

For fire sprinkler systems, this means iron and steel components must be fully produced domestically, while manufactured products must meet domestic content thresholds and final assembly requirements. Construction materials must also be made in the U.S.

The challenge is that compliance doesn’t stop at major components. Even small parts can affect whether a system qualifies, making BABAA fire sprinkler systems more complex than they first appear.

Continue reading BABAA Fire Sprinkler Compliance: How AGF’s RiserPACK Simplifies Domestic Requirements →

Comparing AGF’s Heated Cabinets for Drum Drip Freeze Protection

Model 5500 Heated Auxiliary DrainIt is February. A dry fire sprinkler system’s auxiliary drain sits quietly in a loading dock. Overnight temperatures drop, water in the drum drip freezes, and the ice cracks the lower ball valve. By morning, the system has tripped, and water discharges onto the floor that is now frozen. The building is now dealing with a flooded and icy loading dock, a disabled fire sprinkler system, and possible business interuptions but this did not need to happen.

In many dry and pre-action systems, the drum drip is not the most complex component, but it is often the most vulnerable. Auxiliary drains, commonly referred to as drum drips, are installed at low points to collect condensation that forms inside the piping and to drain the trapped section of piping. While this moisture accumulation is expected, improper management of condensate presents a significant risk during cold weather conditions.

Continue reading Comparing AGF’s Heated Cabinets for Drum Drip Freeze Protection →